It’s a race against time and secret identities in Teri Brown’s intriguing new World War I-era novel, Velvet Undercover.
When she’s recruited to join La Dame Blanche, the famed secret spy group, Samantha is placed into the heart of enemy territory to extract one of Britain’s most valuable spies, “Velvet.” If she can’t extract Velvet and the information Velvet has on the Germans’ dangerous new weapon, the world will be in terrible danger. The only caveat to her mission? Nobody knows exactly who Velvet is. Samantha must use her intelligence, gift of languages, and codebreaking skills to complete her mission.
‘Velvet Undercover’ book review
Fans of World War I & II fiction and spy novels, as well as novels with interesting female protagonists, will really enjoy Velvet Undercover. There are so many twists and turns that it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen next, let alone where characters’ allegiances lie. But, honestly, that’s the most fun part. It’s so entertaining to try and figure out all of the characters around Samantha before she does.
One of the strengths of Velvet Undercover is actually the portrayal of Sam’s weakness. Due to the last-minute nature of her recruitment and training, Sam isn’t the perfect spy. She makes mistakes, some that readers can even pick up on in the moment. However, that’s the beauty of her character. By making her a flawed spy, Sam becomes relatable and so much more realistic. She has to rely on her skills and her personal strengths rather than her training to get the job done.
Velvet Undercover‘s array of vibrant characters makes the novel as entertaining as can be. While a lot of the novel’s intrigue comes from trying to figure out exactly who each character is and where their allegiances lie, each character is still so vibrant and defined. In other words, each person that Samantha meets really stands out and it’s impossible to mistake one for another. They all have such vibrant personalities that it’s impossible to not want to learn more about each of them.
In terms of the plot itself, Velvet Undercover couldn’t have a more intriguing premise. The fact that “Velvet” is unknown to everyone sets up a really interesting predicament for a novice spy. That premise heightens every event (and nonevent) in the book just because readers are called upon to view everything as a potential clue. Unlike other novels that have a central mystery (or two), this one allows the reader to try and solve the mystery alongside the protagonist instead of shielding the reader from important details.
The one downfall of this novel is its slight lack of historical context for the narrative. Though the book mentions the war and the two different sides, it just doesn’t feel like the story is set in the early 20th century. Everything feels just a little too modern. Since the World War I era was such an interesting time in world history, it would be nice to have gotten a little more historical and cultural context.
All in all, Velvet Undercover is a fun spy adventure with interesting characters and a plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown is available today from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookstore. Oh, and don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list!
Do you think you’ll be picking up a copy of ‘Velvet Undercover’?
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