The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac
“Dripping with suspense on every page” — JJ Toner
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-secret-of-the-grand-hotel-du-lac
Reviewed by Jennifer Ibiam for Readers’ Favorite
The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac by Kathryn Gauci is a beautiful historical novel about the German occupation of France. Between 1943 and 1944, the Nazis occupied France, inflicting varying degrees of hardship on the French in the name of Hitler. England stepped in to save France by sending its best SOE agent, Guy Maxwell, to join forces with the local Resistance in driving the Germans out. One fateful night, while Guy and his team waited for airdropped supplies at a discreet location, something terrible happened which sabotaged their mission. Someone had sold them out, and no one knew Guy’s whereabouts. His wife, Agent Elizabeth, was sent to France on a mission; find Guy and fish out the traitor. The opponents will soon realize that behind a beautiful face lies a lethal mind.
The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac by Kathryn Gauci is an exceptional novel. It will appeal to lovers of espionage, war, and historical novels. I enjoyed reading this book, as it felt like I was in an action movie. Kathryn perfectly blurred the lines between fact and fiction, creating a thorough blend of literary enjoyment. The characters of the star females, Elizabeth, Amelie, Odette, and Madame Sophie, were so well developed that I fell in love with them. They were formidable characters whose contribution to the freedom of France will never be forgotten. The story is one of war and based on true events, but it also incorporates love, deceit, determination, hope, and bravery in the face of danger. I appreciate the stylistic writing and clean editing, which made for a beautiful reading experience. Thank you, Kathryn! Give us more.
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2020
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Another masterpiece from one of my favorite historical fiction writers! “The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac” has everything a well-written historical novel should have: most thorough research; the setting so vividly described it instantly transports you into a dangerous world of occupied France; complex characters that are so perfectly imperfect and infinitely brave, you’ll be rooting for them till the very end. Guy and Elizabeth, SOE agents parachuted into France, are brilliant central characters. I love a strong, sharp-minded main heroine and Elizabeth was just that – highly intelligent, courageous, and relying on logic rather than emotions while fulfilling an incredibly dangerous mission: finding her missing SOE husband and trying to uncover a traitor in their cell’s midst. Guy also won me over right away with his integrity and refusal to retreat back to the safety of his homeland until he was certain that his dead comrades were avenged, justice served to the traitor, and the Gestapo are served what they’re due. The best part is that even though this particular couple is fictional, their stories are based on true dangers real SOE agents, which inspired them, faced, just like the historical events taking place in the novel. Make sure to read the note on history at the end of the novel – you’ll be amazed how much true heroic actions inspired the fictional ordeal of Guy and Elizabeth’s cell and how many real resistants paid their lives in the name of freedom. This book will surely stay with me for a very long time. If you love historical fiction just as much as I do, read it. I promise you’ll love it.
Linda Lee
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2020
Turn to the first page and your eyes land on the opening line: ‘The silence was eternal.’ Four deceptively subtle words—deceptive for the reason that a breath later, you are impaled on them, hooked on them until the final word of the last page of this novel—this THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC by Kathryn Gauci, this author who builds so intentionally on the premise of those four words page after page and never loses the thread, not one time, not even a little bit.
Gauci’s bailiwick is historical fiction often centered on heroes and heroines of World War I and World War II, as well as the interwar years, a Tussaud’s gallery of characters, so lifelike, so believable, so fleshed out that even nose to nose with them, you swear they are real. You end up asking yourself what devices this author uses to sculpt such three-dimensional characters out of a two-dimensional medium. The talent hails from a pool of some private source—a codified chamber of raw stuff ripe for shaping not responsive to just anyone. Only a few know the password, and Gauci is an honored, an awarded member of that select group.
Don’t let me make it sound a simple task, this chiseling, carving, molding, this blood, sweat, and tears of novel making. Pay close attention and you will get a notion of the enormous effort involved in it, the hours of research, the day upon day of pecking on a keyboard, the meals foregone, the companionship postponed until those final two words are spelled out: the THE END! The thing is though, that closing the last page of one of Gauci’s books leaves you wanting another one and another one.
THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC tells the story of Elizabeth Maxwell, code name Marie-Élise Lacroix, wartime spy for Britain operating in the months of the buildup of the World War II Allied invasion of Normandy. On a perilous mission to find and rescue missing comrades, one of whom is her husband, she is dropped by parachute in the thick of Nazi-Occupied France, a place overrun with Wehrmacht machines of war, patrolling German soldiers, the Gestapo, and the Milice Française, the Vichy regime’s armed and dangerous militia that held allegiance to Nazi Germany and fought against the French Resistance. The setting and backstory of the novel are thrilling and the suspense intense. I rate it a 5-star read and predict it will whet your appetite for Gauci’s entire body of work.
Gauci is a superb “passeur” (guide) through the mysteries of the Grand Hôtel du Lac and in resurrecting its “ghosts.” She tells us in the Postscript of her novel, “Like all stories, they fade over time. For me it was a powerful story and one that I could not let go. One thing is for sure, it was like walking through the countryside accompanied by ghosts, and I hope that in my own small way, I have brought the bravery of those ghosts alive again.” There are hints that she is brewing a new saga in her Melbourne, Australia studio of literary enchantments. Oh, goody, goody!© -From Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist
When a writer takes the time to research the background, history and setting before weaving them through a plot, it shows. The author actually lived in the area in which this WWII story is set and the local knowledge and attention to detail shines through.
I sat in the small bar with my heart in my mouth as messages were passed and codes exchanged. I stood sheltered in the shop doorway as a resistance member was shot and I lived every minute of each harsh, unforgiving trek to freedom in Switzerland.
The fearless courage of the resistance fighters is described in detail, inspired by real life British and French agents who operated in the region during the war. Monuments to their bravery now dot the peaceful countryside and this well-crafted novel is a further tribute to their unwavering commitment and loyalty.
Enthralling. This is a page-turner.
I devoured The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac. The author brings to life a tragic period of French history–the years of German occupation. The story has all the elements of historical fiction at its best: vividly depicted atmosphere of mortal danger; heroes (subversive acts could land a citizen in jail, or worse, even not reporting was as dangerous as the resistance activity); villains and anti-heroes, willingly or unwillingly cooperating with the invaders (i …more
Riveting
Marie-Elise was a strong and brave heroine as where all the women and men in the resistance in France during WWll. This story stays suspenseful to the very end. Well written Kathryn Gauci
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020
Another superb book by the very gifted writer Kathryn Gauci. The novel is a beautifully researched work of historical fiction based on true events of the brutal realities of WWII. Ms Gauci has truly honored the resistance fighters, the passeurs and the people Hitler deemed subhuman . From the first page you will find yourself walking in the footsteps of the brave men and women as they try to free the world from this evil regime and save the lives of so many unfortunate people who were robbed of their most basic rights. The characters, scenery and the story jumps off the page and takes you to worn torn France as you live their journey from start to finish. I anxiously await Kathryn Gauci’s next novel.
This story, set in the Jura/Franche-Comte region of France, is a rollercoaster of a story and possibly very much like the lives of those who lived in France and particularly in that area in 1943-44. I have read many stories of the work and sacrifice of those connected with the Resistance in other parts of France but this is the first story I have read particularly set in this area which is remarkably close to the border of Switzerland though that did not make the work of the Resistance any easier. This is an incredible story and the latest by Kathryn Gauci, her research into the events that occurred at the time is remarkable and I have an even greater appreciation of the suffering and sacrifice of so many to not only rescue so many Jewish people, but also to fight against the Nazis during their brutal occupation of France. Thank you Kathryn Gauci, I love your writing and totally appreciate the research attached to your stories. I love this book and highly recommend it to other readers. (less)
This was a WWII story set primarily in France (with Some scenes in England.) Much of it takes place during the latter part of the war and focuses mainly on the story of a few women who were part of the resistance movement. This book is a work of historical fiction, and while the characters are fictional, their tale is based on places that existed and events that happened during the war.
The women depicted in this book were brave and often took great risks to help free the people of France from German control and oppression. I was fascinated by their stories. Some sought to help by working as double agents, often appearing to be collaborators who were involved with high ranking German officials, but were in reality only doing so to gain useful information and offer aid to the French resistance.
Such actions were incredibly dangerous as discovery of the truth by the german officials would likely mean torture and death, yet as they were often acting in secret, their own countrymen often saw them as traitors to France, potentially also ending with their deaths.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories that have a basis in actual events as well as to anyone who enjoys tales of WWII resistance fighters. I greatly enjoyed reading this book. While there may be many stories of the resistance fighters in WWII, I have not read too many of them, and very few from perspectives such as were shown to us in this book.
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After reading this historical novel I was left with the feeling that I been present in this beautiful part of Europe at a horrendous time in its history, even though I have never travelled to The Jura region in Northern France. The characters are particularly well drawn with fictional protagonists mixed with historical personages and the fact that Gauci can create such a smooth account just confirms her skill as an author. World War Two stories are often a tough read but The Secret of The Grand …more
I have just finished reading
The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac
By Kathryn Gauci.
I absolutely loved it. It was suspenseful,romantic, it had complex Characters.
It was so descriptive I could picture each place she wrote about.
She didn’t find it necessary to use Profanity or explicit sexual scenes.
I would read it again and I normally do not read books again.
A great Author.
I can’t wait to read her next book.
I highly recommend reading this awesome book.
…more
This is a gripping story of love, hope, betrayal, and the power of human endurance during the Nazi occupation of France during world war two, focusing on the years 1944/45. The story centres around the French Resistance and a group known as Belvedere, who are based in the Jura region of Eastern France. A British agent familiar with the area, Elizabeth Maxwell, is sent to join them and find the head of the Belvedere network, her husband Guy Maxwell.
It soon becomes clear that the network has been …more