Publication
New York, NY : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, 2021
Collection
Call number
Large Print Fiction B
Physical description
533 p.; 24 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light�??abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why. Kate Rees, a young American markswoman, has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris with a dangerous assignment: assassinate the Führer. Wrecked by grief after a Luftwaffe bombing killed her husband and infant daughter, she is armed with a rifle, a vendetta, and a fierce resolve. But other than rushed and rudimentary instruction, she has no formal spy training. Thrust into the red-hot center of the war, a country girl from rural Oregon finds herself holding the fate of the world in her hands. When Kate misses her mark and the plan unravels, Kate is on the run for her life�??all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up. New York Times bestselling author Cara Black is at her best as she brings Occupation-era France to vivid life in this masterful, pulse-pounding story about one young woman with the temerity�??and drive�??to take on Hitler himself. *Features an illustrated map of 1940s Paris as full color e… (more)
Series
User reviews
LibraryThing member GrandmaCootie
According to author Cara Black, Three Hours in Paris stemmed from a footnote in history. In June of 1940, Hitler came to newly occupied Paris for three hours. Only three hours and then left, with no victory parade or fanfare of any kind. Black says she knew there was more to this and the fact
Life doesn’t have much meaning for American Kate Rees since she lost her husband and infant daughter in a Luftwaffe bombing, so when she is recruited by British intelligence to put her markswoman skills to use and parachute into Paris and assassinate Hitler she sees her chance for revenge. Even if she is killed or captured, by killing the Führer she will have achieved a small victory in honor of her dead family. She is given a crash course in spy craft and put on the plane. And from that point the story takes off and never slows down until the very last page.
The description of the book barely scratches the surface. There is so much more beneath.
Fate, happenstance, (bad) luck, coincidence, whatever it is, nothing is as it seems or goes as expected. This book is deliciously complicated and convoluted. It’s as if they are all making connections but the connections are slightly off, and nobody realizes it. Very exciting, tense, short, short chapters work perfectly because about the time your stress level is at its breaking point the scene or POV shifts. You get a little breather, but then more suspense. About halfway through and I still had no idea at all how this might end. It’s one of those books where you really want to take a peek at the end because you can’t stand it, but you won’t do it because you are enjoying this terrifying ride too much. There is such a ripple effect of tragedy and ruination to all those Kate innocently touches as she blunders around trying to get back to England, and so many aspects of her mission, and the missions of others, that I just did not see coming.
The writing is masterful, characters captivating, and the plot moves along at breakneck pace. Scenes are brought vividly to life. You can feel the heat, smell the cigarette smoke, hear the water in the fountains. Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing an advance copy of Three Hours in Paris. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
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Goebbels, his propaganda minister, and pioneer of faux news, edited the newsreel of Hitler's visit! And from this little bit of hidden history she has reimagined events and crafted a masterful thriller.Life doesn’t have much meaning for American Kate Rees since she lost her husband and infant daughter in a Luftwaffe bombing, so when she is recruited by British intelligence to put her markswoman skills to use and parachute into Paris and assassinate Hitler she sees her chance for revenge. Even if she is killed or captured, by killing the Führer she will have achieved a small victory in honor of her dead family. She is given a crash course in spy craft and put on the plane. And from that point the story takes off and never slows down until the very last page.
The description of the book barely scratches the surface. There is so much more beneath.
Fate, happenstance, (bad) luck, coincidence, whatever it is, nothing is as it seems or goes as expected. This book is deliciously complicated and convoluted. It’s as if they are all making connections but the connections are slightly off, and nobody realizes it. Very exciting, tense, short, short chapters work perfectly because about the time your stress level is at its breaking point the scene or POV shifts. You get a little breather, but then more suspense. About halfway through and I still had no idea at all how this might end. It’s one of those books where you really want to take a peek at the end because you can’t stand it, but you won’t do it because you are enjoying this terrifying ride too much. There is such a ripple effect of tragedy and ruination to all those Kate innocently touches as she blunders around trying to get back to England, and so many aspects of her mission, and the missions of others, that I just did not see coming.
The writing is masterful, characters captivating, and the plot moves along at breakneck pace. Scenes are brought vividly to life. You can feel the heat, smell the cigarette smoke, hear the water in the fountains. Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing an advance copy of Three Hours in Paris. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the city-- abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why. When a fascinating little nugget of information like this falls into the lap of a talented writer like Cara Black, it immediately
Kate Rees is a fascinating character, and I loved following her through the streets of Paris as she tried to get out alive. With no formal training in spycraft, she only had her quick wits, her instincts, and the bits and pieces of information she gleaned from the man who recruited her for the mission to aid in her survival. She is in a situation where she can trust absolutely no one, and this adds to the fast pace and suspense of Three Hours in Paris-- especially as she's being followed by a straight-arrow Munich cop named Gunter Hoffman. Kate may have her own obstacles to overcome, but so does Hoffman in the form of layer upon layer of Hitler's flunkies. The point of view switches from Kate to Hoffman in a riveting game of cat and mouse.
As I read, I also found myself becoming angrier and angrier. Why? Because this book reminded me of all the nameless, faceless, utterly dedicated and brave men and women who have been deliberately sacrificed by governments around the world in the name of Victory. I have always had a difficult time believing that any human being is a "throwaway." So, yes, Three Hours in Paris did rouse some ire in me, but first and foremost, it is a thrilling tale of survival.
From the map of Paris on the endpieces of the book to the very last page, I found myself rooting for Kate Rees. I think you will, too. I certainly hope Cara Black has more thrillers like Three Hours in Paris up her sleeve!
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becomes the catalyst for a high-octane historical thriller.Kate Rees is a fascinating character, and I loved following her through the streets of Paris as she tried to get out alive. With no formal training in spycraft, she only had her quick wits, her instincts, and the bits and pieces of information she gleaned from the man who recruited her for the mission to aid in her survival. She is in a situation where she can trust absolutely no one, and this adds to the fast pace and suspense of Three Hours in Paris-- especially as she's being followed by a straight-arrow Munich cop named Gunter Hoffman. Kate may have her own obstacles to overcome, but so does Hoffman in the form of layer upon layer of Hitler's flunkies. The point of view switches from Kate to Hoffman in a riveting game of cat and mouse.
As I read, I also found myself becoming angrier and angrier. Why? Because this book reminded me of all the nameless, faceless, utterly dedicated and brave men and women who have been deliberately sacrificed by governments around the world in the name of Victory. I have always had a difficult time believing that any human being is a "throwaway." So, yes, Three Hours in Paris did rouse some ire in me, but first and foremost, it is a thrilling tale of survival.
From the map of Paris on the endpieces of the book to the very last page, I found myself rooting for Kate Rees. I think you will, too. I certainly hope Cara Black has more thrillers like Three Hours in Paris up her sleeve!
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LibraryThing member bfister
In 1940, Adolf Hitler visited Paris for three hours. Witnesses gave conflicting dates for this visit. He never returned, and it’s a mystery what he did while in the City of Light – a mystery Cara Black, author of the long-running Aimée Leduc series, couldn’t resist. In her stand-alone
As the book opens, Kate Rees is standing at a window overlooking the entrance to Sacré Coeur, her Lee-Enfield rifle at the ready, awaiting the arrival of the Fuhrer who, British intelligence has discovered, is making a visit to the city his troops have recently occupied. Her first shot misses, but doesn’t attract attention. A second strikes a man behind her target. The third attempt is lost to hesitation. If only he hadn’t picked up a child just as she took aim, her mission would have been accomplished. Instead, she has to go on the run, with a dogged German detective on her heels. As we accompany her on her quest to acquire information about plans for an invasion that British intelligence badly needs and make her escape, the suspense grows. Kate’s resourcefulness and courage makes her a winning protagonist in a gripping read.
In a departure from her series, now up to nineteen entries, Black has woven a taut, well-researched thriller that contains elements of her previous work – a love of all things French, a bit of romance, a lot of emotional drama as a woman grieving the loss of her husband and daughter pours herself into revenge. This engaging stand-alone is likely to bring her new fans.
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historical thriller, she imagines what could have happened during that brief visit and in the hours following. As the book opens, Kate Rees is standing at a window overlooking the entrance to Sacré Coeur, her Lee-Enfield rifle at the ready, awaiting the arrival of the Fuhrer who, British intelligence has discovered, is making a visit to the city his troops have recently occupied. Her first shot misses, but doesn’t attract attention. A second strikes a man behind her target. The third attempt is lost to hesitation. If only he hadn’t picked up a child just as she took aim, her mission would have been accomplished. Instead, she has to go on the run, with a dogged German detective on her heels. As we accompany her on her quest to acquire information about plans for an invasion that British intelligence badly needs and make her escape, the suspense grows. Kate’s resourcefulness and courage makes her a winning protagonist in a gripping read.
In a departure from her series, now up to nineteen entries, Black has woven a taut, well-researched thriller that contains elements of her previous work – a love of all things French, a bit of romance, a lot of emotional drama as a woman grieving the loss of her husband and daughter pours herself into revenge. This engaging stand-alone is likely to bring her new fans.
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LibraryThing member susan0316
Cara Black is best known for her popular Aimee Leduc investigative series set in Paris. This is her first historical fiction and first stand alone novel. She did extensive research to make this book realistic and it shows in every page. She got the idea for this book based on the three hours that
Kate Rees is an American who learned to shoot when she grew up on a ranch in Oregon. As the story begins, she lives in England with her husband and daughter. When a tragedy occurs, she is distraught and not sure if her life is worth living. She is recruited by British intelligence and sent on a dangerous mission. They knew that Hitler was going to visit Paris and her assignment was to assassinate him. She misses her shot because she knows she will hurt a young girl standing next to him. When his intelligent officers realize that a shot has been fired at their leader, they begin a deep search for the shooter and Kate's life is in extreme danger. With minimal training, she manages to stay one step ahead of the people who are looking for her but will her luck continue as she begins to wonder if the entire mission was a set up to divert attention.
This is a fast paced novel with a lot of tension as the Germans play a cat and mouse game with the resourceful Kate. I thought that Kate was smart and resourceful despite the minimal training that she had gotten from British intelligence. She is a main character that I won't soon forget. I enjoyed this novel so much that I've started reading the author's crime series.
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Hitler spend in Paris in 1940. After that she created an entirely fictional story with a main character that will be long remembered and a plot that keeps you turning pages to learn the fate of the main character.Kate Rees is an American who learned to shoot when she grew up on a ranch in Oregon. As the story begins, she lives in England with her husband and daughter. When a tragedy occurs, she is distraught and not sure if her life is worth living. She is recruited by British intelligence and sent on a dangerous mission. They knew that Hitler was going to visit Paris and her assignment was to assassinate him. She misses her shot because she knows she will hurt a young girl standing next to him. When his intelligent officers realize that a shot has been fired at their leader, they begin a deep search for the shooter and Kate's life is in extreme danger. With minimal training, she manages to stay one step ahead of the people who are looking for her but will her luck continue as she begins to wonder if the entire mission was a set up to divert attention.
This is a fast paced novel with a lot of tension as the Germans play a cat and mouse game with the resourceful Kate. I thought that Kate was smart and resourceful despite the minimal training that she had gotten from British intelligence. She is a main character that I won't soon forget. I enjoyed this novel so much that I've started reading the author's crime series.
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LibraryThing member waldhaus1
The protagonist is a young woman who is an excellent Marksman. She is an American living in Britain during early world war two. A personal tray becomes the trigger for participation in a clandestine project in Paris. The characters and plot are cleverly developed.
LibraryThing member Jynell
Will you complete the mission despite the risks?
After losing her husband and child, Kate feels she's hit rock bottom. Then, she's given a choice: carry on or complete a potential suicide mission to help the British against Nazi occupation in Paris.
Obviously, she fails her mission to assassinate
I highly recommend this adventurous read/listen to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!
Thank you Libro.FM for allowing me to listen to this enjoyable audiobook and to give my honest opinion!
After losing her husband and child, Kate feels she's hit rock bottom. Then, she's given a choice: carry on or complete a potential suicide mission to help the British against Nazi occupation in Paris.
Obviously, she fails her mission to assassinate
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Hitler, but what occurs afterwards is a story of survival. I was captivated by her ability to adapt as she works to escape Paris. Twists and pitfalls along the way kept me on my toes. I genuinely felt as if I were a fly on the wall traveling with Kate. Cara did an excellent job with being descriptive, but not so descriptive that I was bored.I highly recommend this adventurous read/listen to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!
Thank you Libro.FM for allowing me to listen to this enjoyable audiobook and to give my honest opinion!
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
I like this book better than the Aimee LeDuc mystery series, and those are good. I almost didn’t pick this up because I’ve had my fill of World War II books. There seems to be a spate of them being published. But this held my interest. Not only the reason that sends Mrs. Rees, a sharpshooter to
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Paris in an attempted assassination of Hitler, but the interesting collection of characters who populate the story. And as all good spy and mystery books do, Black makes it difficult to know who to trust and who is conspiring with the Nazis. The only thing that I question is how someone with so little espionage experience was able to survive. That did not ring true to me. Show Less
LibraryThing member ethel55
Kate Rees has nothing to lose. When tapped to be a sharpshooter for a clandestine group and sent to Paris during the early days of its' occupation, she decides to go. Kate's training is very quick and her maneuvering around Paris is augmented by her past studies there. Her loss and grief are felt
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throughout the story, which moves quickly after she misses her original target and has to remain on the move in Paris. One of the reasons she was chosen is her fluent French and time spent there studying in the 30's. I liked the touch that part of the cover story would be that she was possibly Canadian because her accent didn't quite match a true French person. Show Less
LibraryThing member carole888fort
Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black takes place during the occupation of France by the German forces. The three hours of the title represent the short time that Adolf Hitler spent in Paris. Although this is my first Cara Black novel, I would not hesitate to read more of her mysteries. Kate Rees, an
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American living in Great Britain with her husband and young daughter, is an expert markswoman. After a tragic accident, she is asked by British Intelligence to go to France with instructions to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Having no experience as a spy, Kate nevertheless parachutes into France to avenge the loss of her family. The plot of the story centers around her undercover assignment and the people who cross her path to aid or impede her progress. This is a fascinating journey into a terrible time and it is well told and researched. Highly recommended. Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Show Less
LibraryThing member ozzer
The hero of Cara Black’s spy thriller is Kate Rees. Unfortunately, Black’s treatment of her female protagonist misses a golden opportunity to explore a unique role for women in the war effort. Instead, she gives us the classical hero of the genre—a skilled, ruthless, resourceful and
The plot focus of THREE HOURS IN PARIS consists mainly of a breakneck dash through the neighborhoods, parks, cafes and bars of Nazi occupied Paris in 1939. Kate is pursued throughout by an unusually sympathetic German policeman. All Gunter wants is to capture her before the deadline set by the Führer. He carries a teddy bear, a gift for his daughter’s birthday, and is constantly harassed by the Gestapo who want to thwart his efforts for their own political gains. Clearly, he has little sympathy for Hitler’s plans for European domination or for the Gestapo.
Black’s strength undoubtedly is her research into the background of her story. Adolf Hitler did indeed go to Paris on June 23, 1940 to celebrate his victory but mysteriously only stayed for three hours. Black builds her plot around this mystery. A German U-boat did break into the British naval port at Scapa Flow and sank the battleship Royal Oak. This event and the attendant death of her husband and child serve as the point of departure for Kate’s escapade and the source of her revenge motive. The French Resistance was undeniably active in repatriating downed Allied aviators. Black succeeds at evoking the extreme risks involved in their activities. Her handling of the Parisian scene also is excellent, especially the Sacre Coeur neighborhood where the assassination attempt takes place and the Left Bank area around the Sorbonne where a lot of action occurs. Although it explains Kate’s skill as a marksman, her backstory on a ranch in Oregon seems superficial. Likewise, her student life in Paris where she met her future husband and became familiar with the city along with her family life on Orkney could have been more believable. Despite these shortcomings, Black succeeds in creating a high energy narrative with plenty of daring, suspense and surprise.
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intelligent outsider. As portrayed, Kate demonstrates few traits that could be construed as uniquely feminine. Nevertheless, her handler back in London seems surprised that she survives at all. Following her deployment with little training in spy craft, Kate comes to understand that there never was a plan to rescue her. She was meant to be captured. Indeed, her role in the scheme to assassinate Hitler was only a diversion from what the real men were there to do. Regrettably, this intriguing plot point is not developed well enough in the novel.The plot focus of THREE HOURS IN PARIS consists mainly of a breakneck dash through the neighborhoods, parks, cafes and bars of Nazi occupied Paris in 1939. Kate is pursued throughout by an unusually sympathetic German policeman. All Gunter wants is to capture her before the deadline set by the Führer. He carries a teddy bear, a gift for his daughter’s birthday, and is constantly harassed by the Gestapo who want to thwart his efforts for their own political gains. Clearly, he has little sympathy for Hitler’s plans for European domination or for the Gestapo.
Black’s strength undoubtedly is her research into the background of her story. Adolf Hitler did indeed go to Paris on June 23, 1940 to celebrate his victory but mysteriously only stayed for three hours. Black builds her plot around this mystery. A German U-boat did break into the British naval port at Scapa Flow and sank the battleship Royal Oak. This event and the attendant death of her husband and child serve as the point of departure for Kate’s escapade and the source of her revenge motive. The French Resistance was undeniably active in repatriating downed Allied aviators. Black succeeds at evoking the extreme risks involved in their activities. Her handling of the Parisian scene also is excellent, especially the Sacre Coeur neighborhood where the assassination attempt takes place and the Left Bank area around the Sorbonne where a lot of action occurs. Although it explains Kate’s skill as a marksman, her backstory on a ranch in Oregon seems superficial. Likewise, her student life in Paris where she met her future husband and became familiar with the city along with her family life on Orkney could have been more believable. Despite these shortcomings, Black succeeds in creating a high energy narrative with plenty of daring, suspense and surprise.
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LibraryThing member sagereader
This story takes place in 1940, mostly in Paris. A strong female character with the right skills and circumstances has accepted a mission in Paris. Her race to survive and complete the mission has us on the edge of our seats. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member Ronrose1
This is the first book written by Cara Black that I have read. It will not be the last. The book moves with non-stop action from start to finish. You are drawn through Nazi-occupied Paris as the heroine is pursued by a German detective as well as SS troops after she attempts to assassinate Hitler.
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This American woman has lost her English husband and their young daughter to a German raid on Great Britain. While overcome with grief, she is recruited by British Intelligence for an undercover mission in France that will either fulfill her need for revenge or end her suffering once and for all. When her mission goes bust, she realizes that she is going to have to use her own judgement on whom to trust in a German occupied Paris or die at the hands of the murderers of her beloved family. I was a little let down towards the ending, but many will find it satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member shazjhb
Good book. Exciting WWII. Hate loose ends. Not sure if it was all possible.
LibraryThing member addunn3
An American widow in Britain agrees to go undercover in WWII France to kill Hitler.
LibraryThing member terran
This was a fast-moving story that held my interest to the extent that I didn't skip ahead to see what would happen. However, I didn't quite believe that Kate could become such a proficient fighter in such a short time. There seemed to be one fiasco after another throughout her mission and I
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couldn't imagine being as effective as she was with so little help and assistance, let alone finding her way around Paris so efficiently, even though she had been a student there. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black is the first in a series about a female sniper during WW II but I can’t say that it has encouraged me to continue on as I wasn’t particularly gripped or intrigued by the book. Although it was meant to be a thriller, I was rather bored by the story.
Kate Rees
Overall I found Three Hours in Paris felt forced and contrived. The characters were remote and it was rather unbelievable that Kate would be more efficient and successful than the trained spies she comes into contact with. I found myself more annoyed with the story than interested in it so I highly doubt that I will be continuing on with this series.
Kate Rees
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has lost her husband and baby in a tragic bombing incident and so when approached to get involved in undercover work for British Intelligence she jumped at the change to revenge herself upon the Germans. She was unaware that she was in actual fact being sent to Paris as an expendable decoy. She was expected to get caught, be tortured and killed, distracting the Germans from another mission. While some of this cat-and-mouse story is exciting, on the whole it fell flat as Kate escapes from one impossible situation after another.Overall I found Three Hours in Paris felt forced and contrived. The characters were remote and it was rather unbelievable that Kate would be more efficient and successful than the trained spies she comes into contact with. I found myself more annoyed with the story than interested in it so I highly doubt that I will be continuing on with this series.
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Awards
Hammett Prize (Nominee — 2020)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020
ISBN
9781432880903