Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Books Forward in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read tons of historical fiction novels set during World War II. Most of them usually take place in Europe and Asia. However, Allied and Axis bases were also in North Africa, and wars were fought there as well, especially for control of the Suez Control. Not many novels cover that aspect of the conflict. Luckily, today’s book, Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love by Pam Webber, does. It’s a good story with a memorable setting and interesting characters.
Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love is the first in a series about novice female American spies in North Africa and the Mediterranean that changed the tide during World War II. In 1942, Wild Bill Donovan, the director of the United States’ first spy agency, believes that women were the key to winning the intelligence battles against the Nazis. To prove his point, he pairs fledging agent Kit Thomas with British MI6 agent Mark Williams and sends them to one of the most dangerous places in the world – Massawa, Eritrea – to investigate the theft of millions of military payroll dollars. While there, Kit and Mark discover a conspiracy by the Vichy French – Nazi sympathizers – to shut down the only Allied naval base on the Red Sea, an essential resource in stopping the Nazi invasion of North Africa. As they work to reveal the conspirators, Kit and Mark engage in a perilous and tempestuous dance of trust versus mistrust.
Normally, I follow the rule of not judging a book by its cover. However, the one for Massawa doesn’t scream spies and espionage. The picture looks like it could’ve been a part of a commercial for an adult contemporary love song CD compilation with On the Wings of Love by Jeffrey Osborne playing in the background. I even showed it to my husband, and he said it resembled a romance novel. He’s not wrong, for there is romance. Fortunately, the cover is referenced in the story. One character mentions that ancient Massawans believed a mirage was “a gift from the gods to be able to live near the union of sun, sand, and sea – to thrive in a place where illusion and the environment protected them from their enemies” (p. 269).
In other words, the cover makes more sense when one reads the book. At the same time, it could’ve been more effective if it added a woman in uniform looking outwards, like the ones in Kate Quinn books, to emphasize the espionage work.
Once I actually started reading Massawa, I enjoyed it. I love the setting. I could imagine the desert and the colorful buildings as well as feel the heat. This certainly demonstrates how the city is a character in itself. It was funny when various people complained about the heat or spoke about the need of air conditioning in the story for that reason.
While the characters are well developed, the story mainly focuses on Kit. She is a strong, confident woman who’s determined to prove herself to her peers and perceived enemies. And, she gets to do some physical stuff as well. At the same time, Webber doesn’t make her one note. Kit gets into spats with Mrs. Higgins – the British secretary in the city who’s mad at the Americans for not doing enough. Additionally, her confidence gets a reality check when a man points out all the techniques she used to seduce him to get information. She remains insecure even when the same person congratulates her for fooling him in other ways. Moreover, she has romantic feelings for her supervisor Jake and her coworker Mark, but she wants to concentrate on her work and tries not to let love distract her. It’s refreshing to see a female character who is skilled, but flawed.
Some readers might complain about how much this novel is a slow burn, especially if they want more action. It certainly felt sluggish at times. This was apparent when Kit discovers something and then tells certain characters everything about what she saw…literally. I understand that Webber probably wanted to let readers know what was going on. However, it feels similar to how Netflix wants its writers to make it super clear of what was happening in their shows because they knew viewers weren’t always paying attention. I’m not saying any reader who picks up this book will not understand the plot and its mechanics. It’s that Webber simply needed to pick up the pace by trimming down the details. Thankfully, the third act was swift.
Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love by Pam Webber is a good historical fiction novel about a little-known World War II story. The setting and characters were engaging, yet there were issues with the cover and pacing. I would recommend it for those who love stories about World War II, espionage, and strong female characters. Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love is out now, so grab it wherever you get your books.
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Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything 