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Helen MacInnes ~ Further Information ~ Biography
The author was born 1907 and died in 1985,
she was British born but moved to America in 1937.
Sample from Assignment in Brittany By Helen MacInnes
BOOK SOCIETY CHOICE
Martin Hearne, British Intelligence Officer, pulled the ripcord of his parachute, checked his headling flight through space, and floated gently down to the ground. His mission had begun. From now on he was Bertrand Corlay, a weary poilu returning home after the Armistice. At dawn to-morrow he would be at the farm at St D£odat, would meet Madame Corlay and Alber-tine ; there was also his
fiancée, Anne Pinot. Every day for three weeks he had talked to the real
Bertrand in hospital in England, had practised his speech and his
tight-lipped smile, had memorised every detail of his quiet life. The
farm would be a good centre from which he could discover what the
Germans were doing in Brittany. Building aerodromes ? Preparing for a
sea invasion of Britain ? He was accepted by Madam*, and ostensibly
lived his old life at the farm. The Nazis came to St Dodat. Strange things happened—they didn't make sense. Corlay could not have told him everything—and his life depended upon his being unquestionably Bertrand Corlay wherever he went.
Then Anne began to be an unexpected complication.
Reviews of Above Suspicion
"The innocents abroad—and they cross wits with the Gestapo. A
first-class Secret Service thriller, excellently constructed and
skilfullywritten." Sunday Chronicle
" Starts casually In Oxford, becomes intriguing in Germany, and highly
exciting in Austria, Tyrol and Italy. . . Notably well written —Daily
Telegraph
" A smoothly executed story told with charm and humour and a gay
casualness which makes it all seem most probable.'—Belfast Telegraph
" There have been many stories in this genre, bat very few combine as
this does, a good plot and breath-taking adventure with excellently
drawn characters, delightful writing and many side-lights on the most
important events of our own day.** —Homes and Gardens
" An excellent plot, plus more personality than most such novels
contain. —Ideal Home
"You will find this well written and very human tale good reading. . . .
A first novel, but if Miss Maclnnes can keep it up, the discriminating
will look out for her books." —Good Housekeeping
"Adventures are increasingly exciting but never completely fantastic,
and Miss Maclnnes writes well enough to put her novel some way above the
average thriller." —John O London's
"Excellent novel. ... It is Babes in the Wood versus Gestapo, but the
Babes are intelligent babes.—Cavalcade
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