紐約時報暢銷作家Beatriz Williams繼其暢銷著作「The Summer Wives」之後，將帶讀者再次回到第二次世界大戰的熱帶島嶼上。
1941年，一位新喪偶的美麗社會記者露露(Leonora “Lulu” Randolph)前往巴哈馬群島，這裡是間諜、叛徒的避風港──包含惡名昭彰的溫莎公爵與公爵夫人，露露奉命挖掘這對英國皇室夫婦的故事，以滿足雜誌讀者對八卦趨之若鶩的胃口。
當露露滲透進這對公爵夫婦的社交圈，她發現控制這座島嶼背後與政治和金融相關的陰謀，甚至有關於叛國的實情存在。而在溫莎時代，巴哈馬首都拿騷充斥著間諜、金融詐騙與種族緊張的關係，極具魅力的科學家班尼迪克．索普(Benedict Thorpe)，是其中至關重要的人物，正在療傷的露露，隨後與他墜入愛河。
然而，當拿騷最富有的人在本世紀最臭名昭著的案件中被謀殺，卻因皇室特權而被掩蓋下來，而班尼迪克消失無蹤。為了查清真相，露露踏上了前往倫敦與找尋真實的旅程，揭開了索普家族複雜的歷史。
這是一個致命的愛情故事，也是一場戰爭時期的悲劇，更凸顯了傳說中的皇室夫婦的人生興衰史。(文/博客來編譯)
Beatriz Williams, the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives, is back with another hot summer read; a dazzling epic of World War II in which a beautiful young “society reporter” is sent to the Bahamas, a haven of spies, traitors, and the infamous Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The Bahamas, 1941. Newly-widowed Leonora “Lulu” Randolph arrives in the Bahamas to investigate the Governor and his wife for a New York society magazine. After all, American readers have an insatiable appetite for news of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, that glamorous couple whose love affair nearly brought the British monarchy to its knees five years earlier. What more intriguing backdrop for their romance than a wartime Caribbean paradise, a colonial playground for kingpins of ill-gotten empires?
Or so Lulu imagines. But as she infiltrates the Duke and Duchess’s social circle, and the powerful cabal that controls the islands’ political and financial affairs, she uncovers evidence that beneath the glister of Wallis and Edward’s marriage lies an ugly—and even treasonous—reality. In fact, Windsor-era Nassau seethes with spies, financial swindles, and racial tension, and in the middle of it all stands Benedict Thorpe: a scientist of tremendous charm and murky national loyalties. Inevitably, the willful and wounded Lulu falls in love.
Then Nassau’s wealthiest man is murdered in one of the most notorious cases of the century, and the resulting coverup reeks of royal privilege. Benedict Thorpe disappears without a trace, and Lulu embarks on a journey to London and beyond to unpick Thorpe’s complicated family history: a fateful love affair, a wartime tragedy, and a mother from whom all joy is stolen.
The stories of two unforgettable women thread together in this extraordinary epic of espionage, sacrifice, human love, and human courage, set against a shocking true crime . . . and the rise and fall of a legendary royal couple.
Review
“Original and fascinating. Lulu herself is an excellent creation, tough, smart, sexy, and ruthless… A fresh take on the WWII love story, with a narrator who practically demands Myrna Loy come back to life to play her in the movie.” (Kirkus (starred review))
“Bestselling author Beatriz Williams skillfully sets a story of love and sacrifice against the backdrop of war in her fascinating new novel… Readers will be spellbound by Williams’ elegant prose, fascinating characters and unforgettable settings while fully engrossed by the novel’s dual plots.” (Bookpage)
1941年，一位新喪偶的美麗社會記者露露(Leonora “Lulu” Randolph)前往巴哈馬群島，這裡是間諜、叛徒的避風港──包含惡名昭彰的溫莎公爵與公爵夫人，露露奉命挖掘這對英國皇室夫婦的故事，以滿足雜誌讀者對八卦趨之若鶩的胃口。
當露露滲透進這對公爵夫婦的社交圈，她發現控制這座島嶼背後與政治和金融相關的陰謀，甚至有關於叛國的實情存在。而在溫莎時代，巴哈馬首都拿騷充斥著間諜、金融詐騙與種族緊張的關係，極具魅力的科學家班尼迪克．索普(Benedict Thorpe)，是其中至關重要的人物，正在療傷的露露，隨後與他墜入愛河。
然而，當拿騷最富有的人在本世紀最臭名昭著的案件中被謀殺，卻因皇室特權而被掩蓋下來，而班尼迪克消失無蹤。為了查清真相，露露踏上了前往倫敦與找尋真實的旅程，揭開了索普家族複雜的歷史。
這是一個致命的愛情故事，也是一場戰爭時期的悲劇，更凸顯了傳說中的皇室夫婦的人生興衰史。(文/博客來編譯)
Beatriz Williams, the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives, is back with another hot summer read; a dazzling epic of World War II in which a beautiful young “society reporter” is sent to the Bahamas, a haven of spies, traitors, and the infamous Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The Bahamas, 1941. Newly-widowed Leonora “Lulu” Randolph arrives in the Bahamas to investigate the Governor and his wife for a New York society magazine. After all, American readers have an insatiable appetite for news of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, that glamorous couple whose love affair nearly brought the British monarchy to its knees five years earlier. What more intriguing backdrop for their romance than a wartime Caribbean paradise, a colonial playground for kingpins of ill-gotten empires?
Or so Lulu imagines. But as she infiltrates the Duke and Duchess’s social circle, and the powerful cabal that controls the islands’ political and financial affairs, she uncovers evidence that beneath the glister of Wallis and Edward’s marriage lies an ugly—and even treasonous—reality. In fact, Windsor-era Nassau seethes with spies, financial swindles, and racial tension, and in the middle of it all stands Benedict Thorpe: a scientist of tremendous charm and murky national loyalties. Inevitably, the willful and wounded Lulu falls in love.
Then Nassau’s wealthiest man is murdered in one of the most notorious cases of the century, and the resulting coverup reeks of royal privilege. Benedict Thorpe disappears without a trace, and Lulu embarks on a journey to London and beyond to unpick Thorpe’s complicated family history: a fateful love affair, a wartime tragedy, and a mother from whom all joy is stolen.
The stories of two unforgettable women thread together in this extraordinary epic of espionage, sacrifice, human love, and human courage, set against a shocking true crime . . . and the rise and fall of a legendary royal couple.
Review
“Original and fascinating. Lulu herself is an excellent creation, tough, smart, sexy, and ruthless… A fresh take on the WWII love story, with a narrator who practically demands Myrna Loy come back to life to play her in the movie.” (Kirkus (starred review))
“Bestselling author Beatriz Williams skillfully sets a story of love and sacrifice against the backdrop of war in her fascinating new novel… Readers will be spellbound by Williams’ elegant prose, fascinating characters and unforgettable settings while fully engrossed by the novel’s dual plots.” (Bookpage)