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The Cafe Girl
A suspenseful slow-burn that develops to a shocking finale...It is 1941, and the Nazis occupy Paris with an iron fist.Corrupt and amoral policeman Damien Giraud shows little-to-no conscience as he profits from the black market.But he finds himself obsessed with Isabelle, a café waitress with French Resistance connections.
Cornered, forced to kill to protect her, and under assail from his checkered past, Giraud scrambles to raise enough money to flee France and take Isabelle with him.
But nothing is quite as it seems. On the run from the Nazis and a city that resents his greed, Giraud finds himself accused of a heinous crime and aiding the enemy.
He has one more surprise in the identity of the man who will determine his fate.
"Quite exceptional. Dostoyevsky like. The setting in Nazi-occupied Paris is fascinating in and of itself. When combined with the arrogant, self-serving Giraud, it leads to a stunning conclusion. Excellent."- Amazon Reviewer David F.
Cornered, forced to kill to protect her, and under assail from his checkered past, Giraud scrambles to raise enough money to flee France and take Isabelle with him.
But nothing is quite as it seems. On the run from the Nazis and a city that resents his greed, Giraud finds himself accused of a heinous crime and aiding the enemy.
He has one more surprise in the identity of the man who will determine his fate.
"Quite exceptional. Dostoyevsky like. The setting in Nazi-occupied Paris is fascinating in and of itself. When combined with the arrogant, self-serving Giraud, it leads to a stunning conclusion. Excellent."- Amazon Reviewer David F.
447 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2017
102 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Ian Loome
36 books147 followersHave you reviewed one of my books?
I formerly wrote under the pennames "Sam Powers" and "LH Thomson". I was offline for most of the last five years! Send me an email at ian@ianloome.com if you're interested in a review copy of my latest.
Would you like to try my writing?
Grab a couple of free novels at https://ianloome.com/readergroup/
Ian Loome originally published novels as 'LH Thomson' and 'Sam Powers' before consolidating them under his own name in 2021.
He grew up in Africa, England and Canada. A former journalist, he was born in Libya and spent much of his youth in Africa in a communist dictatorship. A weekend tennis match was often against a member of the KGB or East German Stasi. He has lived around the world and covered stories ranging violent crime to features and celebrity interviews.
He served several stints as a legislature reporter, assignment editor and newsroom manager.
He writes the Liam Quinn Mysteries, the Joe Brennan spy novels and numerous stand-alone titles. In his spare time, he plays blues guitar and has toured with a radio charting blues band.
On the autism and ADHD spectrums, he lives with his partner Lori in Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 15, 2017
If the description sounds intriguing, be warned: it describes the last 10% of the book. The first 90% is a drudging description of the main character's daily encounters, thoughts, and interactions. I feel like the author had this brilliant (in his mind) ending for a book, but had to somehow stretch himself to come up with a whole beginning, middle, and near end to be able to get this "brilliant" ending to his fans. The language is so stilted, not at all fun to read or fast-paced. Had to skip over full paragraphs describing Algerian conflicts and Communism vs Socialism. This is a WWII book. We're interested in the MAIN conflict, that is to say the Nazi occupation of Paris. Not much of that here, and not much substance or plot. Sorry to say.
June 22, 2017
Good enjoyable read
Highly recommend this book. At first, I was apprehensive because I'm not into history novels but this book has everything: mystery, murder, romance, greed and suspense.
Highly recommend this book. At first, I was apprehensive because I'm not into history novels but this book has everything: mystery, murder, romance, greed and suspense.
February 20, 2019
Three point five stars
This book is a hard one for me to rate...It is above average in many ways, especially the basic plot.
The life of a French police officer in occupied Paris during WWII is told as he uses his position and connections to "survive" by employing illegal transactions in the black market of the times. He becomes infatuated with a waitress from a cafe. The story is filled with his ideas and morality or lack thereof, as he moves in and out of the shadows to conduct his business dealings while using whatever means at his disposal.
The actual plot is excellent, and by the second half of the book becomes very interesting, but I found it a great effort to get to that point with so much political bantering between characters at times. I found myself getting bored by the repetition.
I do feel this is a good book for readers of historical fiction, though, if you can hang in there to the finish which makes it well worth the effort.
This book is a hard one for me to rate...It is above average in many ways, especially the basic plot.
The life of a French police officer in occupied Paris during WWII is told as he uses his position and connections to "survive" by employing illegal transactions in the black market of the times. He becomes infatuated with a waitress from a cafe. The story is filled with his ideas and morality or lack thereof, as he moves in and out of the shadows to conduct his business dealings while using whatever means at his disposal.
The actual plot is excellent, and by the second half of the book becomes very interesting, but I found it a great effort to get to that point with so much political bantering between characters at times. I found myself getting bored by the repetition.
I do feel this is a good book for readers of historical fiction, though, if you can hang in there to the finish which makes it well worth the effort.
July 2, 2017
Not quite what I expected, but...
This book was not what I expected, centering, as it did, on a middle-aged policeman, rather than a girl -- though one did play a part. While the story was intriguing, I found myself disliking the main character greatly. There was quite a twist at the end that I certainly didn't see coming. This book would benefit from the attention of an eagle-eyed proofreader, as the mistakes where somewhat distracting.
This book was not what I expected, centering, as it did, on a middle-aged policeman, rather than a girl -- though one did play a part. While the story was intriguing, I found myself disliking the main character greatly. There was quite a twist at the end that I certainly didn't see coming. This book would benefit from the attention of an eagle-eyed proofreader, as the mistakes where somewhat distracting.
July 21, 2017
This is a very different book to the norm in as much as the leading character is not a hero but a corrupt policeman.
We have a look into the lives of some of the inhabitants of occupied Paris during WWII. We follow the actions of french policeman, Damien Giraud, as he goes about his normal duties while tying in his black market activities.
An intriguing story with a surprising twist at the end.
We have a look into the lives of some of the inhabitants of occupied Paris during WWII. We follow the actions of french policeman, Damien Giraud, as he goes about his normal duties while tying in his black market activities.
An intriguing story with a surprising twist at the end.
September 6, 2021
I must admit, I did not know what to expect when I started to read this book! I loved it from the very first page! Interesting, complex characters a wonderful storyline, it kept me turning the pages and wanting more! I could not put it down, So many twists and turns and unexpected happenings!Amazing book! This is the first book I have read by this author, and I cannot wait to read more!
August 5, 2017
A great read
I found this book compelling... Unusual plot, strange intriguing main character... You despise him but there is a thread of sympathy. Set in Paris, it captured a certain "Frenchness" very well.
I found this book compelling... Unusual plot, strange intriguing main character... You despise him but there is a thread of sympathy. Set in Paris, it captured a certain "Frenchness" very well.
September 6, 2017
Great storyline and suspense. Lies, half truths, and blind romance!
Corruption, theft, selfishness, and a different viewpoint into French/German occupation of the 1940s. Wonderful description of the city, parks, and places. I could see it all in my Minds Eye movie screen!!
Corruption, theft, selfishness, and a different viewpoint into French/German occupation of the 1940s. Wonderful description of the city, parks, and places. I could see it all in my Minds Eye movie screen!!
July 27, 2017
A great read
I had a hard time for waiting to get back to this moving story of World War II. The ending was a surprise.
I had a hard time for waiting to get back to this moving story of World War II. The ending was a surprise.
October 12, 2017
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Didn't hold my interest and not recommended for you. Others may enjoy, but I did not. Got free from kindle lending library
Didn't hold my interest and not recommended for you. Others may enjoy, but I did not. Got free from kindle lending library
May 24, 2019
So so at best.
December 23, 2020
Set in France during World War 2. It is based on a profiteering policeman and has a nice twist at the end.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews