The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

This was a fast-paced, very American novel. It was enjoyable like all of Kate Quinn’s novels but I found it annoying at times.

Briar House is watching the aftermath of two murders at the beginning of the book. Now a contented old boarding-house improved by its inhabitants in spite of its wretched landlady, it doesn’t want to be sold! As it watches and waits, we go back to the past four years, seen through the eyes of Grace, Nora, Reka, Bea and Claire.

 Secretive pretty Grace cheers everyone up with her painted flowers and dinner-parties but what is her real story? Irish-Catholic Nora faces conflict because of her love of the law and her work when she falls in love with a nightclub owner on the shady side of the law. Reka, an old lady now, holds terrible bitterness in her heart concerning her escape from the Nazis. Bea used to be a star baseball-player, but she needs another purpose in life. Tough red-haired Claire has to hide a secret love-affair. Fliss thinks that she is a bad mother while everyone hates snarky Arlene.

This is a well-structured novel with all of these character’s stories set in the Cold War and the suspense of the murders. I found it a bit glib and dogmatic, unfortunately, but it’s a very engaging novel.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.