In Farleigh Field (Bowen)

In Farleigh Field:  A Novel of World War II
Rhys Bowen, 2017
Amazon Publishing
396 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781503941359


Summary
World War II comes to Farleigh Place, the ancestral home of Lord Westerham and his five daughters, when a soldier with a failed parachute falls to his death on the estate.

After his uniform and possessions raise suspicions, MI5 operative and family friend Ben Cresswell is covertly tasked with determining if the man is a German spy. The assignment also offers Ben the chance to be near Lord Westerham’s middle daughter, Pamela, whom he furtively loves.

But Pamela has her own secret: she has taken a job at Bletchley Park, the British code-breaking facility.

As Ben follows a trail of spies and traitors, which may include another member of Pamela’s family, he discovers that some within the realm have an appalling, history-altering agenda. Can he, with Pamela’s help, stop them before England falls?

Inspired by the events and people of World War II, writer Rhys Bowen crafts a sweeping and riveting saga of class, family, love, and betrayal. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Aka—Janet Quin-Harkin
• Birth—September 24, 1941
• Where—Bath, England, UK
• Education—B.A., University of London
• Awards—2 Agatha Awards: Best Novel and Best Historical Novel
• Currently—lives in San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA


Janet Quin-Harkin is a British-born novelist who writes under her own name, as well as the nom de plum, Rhys Bowen (pronounced "Reece"). Her works are legion — children's books, a young adult series, and three mystery series totalling some 40 books and short stories. All told, Harkin-Quin has written more than 50 books and stories. In 2017 she published her first stand-alone mystery thriller, In Farleigh Fields: A Novel of World War II.

Quin-Harkin was born in Bath, England, educated at the University of London, and worked as a drama studio manager for the BBC. Producing plays by others, she decided, at 22,  to try her hand at writing her own. When she finished, she dropped her newly penned script on her boss's desk, only to be called in the following day and told they had decided to produce her play.

Driven by England's cold and rainy climate, Quin-Harkin took off for Australia where she met her husband to be, also an expat Brit, who was on his way to California. She joined him, married him, and raised four children with him, all in the San Francisco area where they remain to this day.

In 1976 Quin-Harkin began writing children's books, winning awards with her first, Peter Penny's Dance. That was followed by short stories published in Parents Magazine. Then in 1982 she moved up in age to write teen romances: eight books in all, including the well-known Boyfriend Club series.

Starting in the late 1990s, Quin-Harkin turned to writing her favorite genre as a reader — mysteries. She began with the Constable Evan Evans series in 1997, then the Molly Murphy series, and the Lady Georgiana series.

Honors
2000 - finalist, Agatha and Anthony Awards, "The Seal of the Confessional"
2001 - Agatha Award for Best Novel, Murphy's Law
2002 - finalist, Agatha Award for Best Novel, Death of Riley
2004 - finalist, Anthony Award for best short story, "Doppelganger" –
2011 - Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel, Naughty in Nice
2016 - RT convention: career achievement award

As well as novels, Rhys has written many short stories, including an Anthony winner. She is an ex-chapter president of Mystery Writers of America. When not writing she loves to travel, sing, hike, paint, play her Celtic harp, and spoil her grandchildren. (Adapted from Wikipedia and the author's website. Retrieved 5/26/2017.)

Book Reviews
In Farleigh Field delivers the same entertainment mixed with intellectual intrigue and realistic setting for which Bowen has earned awards and loyal fans.
New York Journal of Books


Suspenseful and thrilling, with some espionage too, this novel will keep readers deeply involved until the end.
Portland Book Review

Well-plotted and thoroughly entertaining…With characters who are so fully fleshed out, you can imagine meeting them on the street.
Historical Novel Society


This story of war, love, and mystery is extremely suspenseful …both realistic and believable. Through the character’s eyes, readers will be drawn into the era and begin to understand the sacrifices and hardships placed on English society.
Crimespree Magazine


[A] well-crafted, thoroughly entertaining thriller…. The gripping action shifts among Farleigh Place…, London, and various hush-hush locations. Soon it’s a game of spy versus spy, and with every twist and turn, the reader is unsure whom to trust.
Publishers Weekly


In what could easily become a PBS show of its own, Bowen’s novel winningly details a World War II spy game. It features an English aristocrat’s daughter who works at London’s top-secret home of code breakers, Bletchley Park.
Library Journal


The skills Bowen brings to her several mystery series, including Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness, inform the plotting in this character-rich tale, which will be welcomed by her fans as well as by readers who enjoy fiction about the British home front.
Booklist

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for In Farleigh Field …then take off on your own:

1. How does author Rhys Bowen portray the early 1940s in England — the war effort sagging, the many sacrifices required, and the ever-present fear of German invasion? Is her portrait similar to, or consistent with, other works you've read (or watched) about the era?

2. Talk about the rumor of the Ring, the Nazi sympathizers within the upper ranks of society. What does the author have to say in her author's note about the historical authenticity of the group?

3. Most of the novel is told through the alternating perspectives of Pam and Ben. Occasionally, however, the author shifts to secondary characters. Why might she have done so? How do those shifts add to your understanding of the story?

4. Talk about Lord Westerham's five daughters, how they differ from one another and how they are similar. Aside from Pamela, is there another sister or two you admire...or whom you particularly disliked? Dido, for instance? What about Margot's story: how engaged were you with her plight in France?

5, How much had you known before reading this novel about the work, especially of women code-breakers, at Bletchley Park. Have you watched the BBC series?

6. Were you surprised by the revelation about the dead parachutist at the end? Did you see it coming? Does it make sense?

7. Also, what about the traitor and assassination plot Ben has been investigating? Is that plot well-developed and were you caught up in the suspense?

8. Talk about the way Pamela and Ben are forced to maneuver around the secrets they carry but cannot share. There are a few mishaps, as well as a bit of humor. How hard would it be for you to maintain such secrecy in your own life?

9. In all, does this book deliver the goods in terms of mystery and suspense?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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