Title:

Midnight in Europe

Author:

Alan Furst

Category:

Mystery / Thriller

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

October 10, 2024

lan Furst specializes in writing novels set before full-blown war engulfed Europe in WWII. Midnight in Europe is set in 1938, when the Spanish Civil War is in full swing. The fascist forces of Franco, backed by Mussolini and Hitler, are crushing the Republican forces. Unfortunately, because communist Russia is backing the Spanish Republicans, the powerful western democracies of Britain and France do not come to the aid of the Republicans. Russia's help is crucial, but insufficient, and it is clear Franco will triumph.

In the beginning of the book, a man named Castillo has ventured into Madrid, which is controlled by the fascists. Castillo wants to help one of his contacts, a woman who aided the Republican cause but now is trapped somewhere in the city. Castillo himself is not a professional spy, but a citizen who has become devoted to the Republican cause. A street sentry stops Castillo, and hauls him before a bored clerk, who summarily orders Castillo's execution when he sees that Castillo has a tear in the lining of his coat and correctly concludes that Castillo had been hiding something there. One less agent working for the Republicans.

Cristián Ferrar is a well-heeled lawyer working for the multinational firm Coudert Frères, which is based in Paris. Ferrar was born in Barcelona, but he considers himself a Catalan rather than a Spaniard. Because a man of his position would be useful to facilitate the creation of documents, money transfers and shipping manifests, Ferrar would be useful to the Republican cause. Although Ferrar and his family now live in France, he is still loyal to the Republican forces. When the Spanish embassy approaches Ferrar about working with them, he agrees. Ferrar is dropped into the world of spies and lies and shadowy figures and the ever-incipient threat of sudden violence. Who can be trusted? Furst is excellent at maintaining a tense atmosphere in the novel.

Max de Lyon is an arms trader. The situation in 1938 Europe makes him a busy man indeed as everyone prepares for the coming war that no seems to be able to stop. Max is working for the Spanish Republic and soon he and Ferrar meet. Max seems to have unlimited funds and contacts all over Europe. Through out the book, when Max and Cristián Ferrar get together, they enjoy sumptuous meals, drink champagne and the best wines, and smoke Gitane cigarettes. Max offers to pay for Ferrar's visit to high class brothels, but Ferrar declines. Ferrar seems to be able to readily meet attractive women who want to sleep with him - but are these women actually spies who are trying to seduce him to learn his secrets?

The story tells how Max and Cristián attempt to procure arms for the Spanish forces. There is a suspenseful journey to Germany to meet an obviously frightened factory owner who is asking for a lot of cash. The Gestapo are everywhere - questioning people in train stations and airports, dragging suspects off to interrogations. Furst does a great job portraying the terrors of living in a fascist regime. Anyone could be a spy, no one can be trusted.

A couple of boxcars full of munitions is set to be shipped from Poland to Spain. Obviously the fascist forces will try to block any such transaction. Max and Cristián travel to Danzig (Gdansk) to locate the shipment which somehow seems to have gone missing. It is dangerous work, Poland is infested with Germans.

Ferrar's family lives twenty miles outside of Paris, in the town of Louveciennes, famous because the road to the town was painted by the impressionist Pissarro. Even a visit to see his family has tension, because Ferrar knows that the war is coming and that they must be prepared to abandon their home. Perhaps he can use his connections to get them to move to America.

I like the book because Furst seems to have lived in pre-war Europe, he knows the styles, the food, what people did. The arms deals that are described seem plausible, as if these high-stakes transactions between ruthless men actually happen. Furst is great at creating ordinary people living in dangerous times, they struggle to survive and fight the forces of evil as best they can. Midnight in Europe is not a mystery story, or a thriller with lots of shootouts. Instead, it is a suspense novel, with atmosphere and menace, as our heroes try to do their part for the war effort. Furst has written fifteen of these novels, loosely called the The Night Soldiers series, but they can be read in any order. I don't think that there is any connection between the various books in the series.