Publisher Description
Historical fiction inspired by the War Office response to the Nazi obsession with the occult
Step forward Daphne Devine – you are about to change the course of the war
June 1940. As World War Two rages, Daphne Devine remains in London, performing each night as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique.
Then the secret service call.
For, aware of Hitler’s belief in the occult, the war office has set up a hidden cohort to exploit this quirk in the enemy’s chain of command.
Daphne and Jonty find themselves far from the glitz and glamour of the theatre, deep inside the lower levels of Wormwood Scrubs prison. Here, they join secret ranks of occultists, surrealists, and other eccentrics co-opted to the war effort. There is one goal: to avert invasion on British shores.
Soon Daphne realises she must risk everything if there is any chance of saving her country.
My Thoughts
I first read Syd Moore’s Essex Witch Museum series a few years ago, then she dropped off my reading radar…until I came across this beauty buried in my Goodreads Want to Read list. I am very happy I found her again!
Grand Illusion is a whopper of an adventure, complete with likable (and unlikable) characters, suspense, action, a nail-biting climax, and promise of more to come.
This explores the little-known use of illusion in WWII – where the Allies used illusory effects to fool the Axis into thinking they had bigger, better & more people and equipment. Here, Moore uses Daphne and her mentor/employer Jonty to develop all sorts of illusions to trick the enemy. There’s a wonderful scene where a senior official believes he is under attack by the enemy, only to discover it’s all smoke and mirrors.
Moore also touches on the incarceration and deportation of thousands of Germans and Italians in Britain during the war. This is the first I’ve read about that and will be seeking out more information (always the sign of a good book!)
Moore is a clever, engaging writer who consistently produces quirky and imaginative mysteries that depart from the well-worn tropes used by many authors. Check out all her work, including Grand Illusion.
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Published By: Magpie Books, Simon & Schuster
Thanks to the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County for the book
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