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The Unlikely Spy: A gripping and suspenseful World War I spy thriller

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1917. Emma Christensen is a young widow who returns to the Danish West Indies to reclaim the life and the villa she left behind. When she discovers her husband has disinherited her in favor of his young heir—an illegitimate son—she turns to the one thing she knows, gambling, and soon finds herself deeply in debt.

Emma is approached by Cornelius Smith, a representative of an American shipping line, who offers an alternative: infiltrate the suspicious Hamburg-American Line and spy on its nefarious leader, Julius Luckner, to gain valuable business intelligence for his firm.

It doesn’t take long for Emma to realize that both Smith and Luckner are not as they seem. Close to the Allies but even closer to the enemy, Emma bravely engages in missions that could blow her cover at any moment. But with the Panama Canal at stake, how far will she go to help the Allies?

A gripping and suspenseful World War I spy thriller from an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer.

327 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2022

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About the author

Sophie Schiller

19 books132 followers
Sophie Schiller was born in New Jersey and grew up in the West Indies. She is a novelist and a poet. She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations. Kirkus Reviews has called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer." Publishers Weekly called her novel, ISLAND ON FIRE, "a memorable romantic thriller", her novel RACE TO TIBET, “a thrilling yarn,” and her TRANSFER DAY, “a page-turner with emotional resonance.” Her latest novel, THE LOST DIARY OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON, was called "an engaging coming-of-age story of heartbreak, bravery, honor, and triumph" by Kirkus Reviews. Her latest novel, THE UNLIKELY SPY, is now out. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in New York.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Chelsie.
1,129 reviews
October 3, 2022
A great read about a female spy during WWI. Emma's husband has passed and she heads back down to the Danish West Indies where she left her husband and a villa. Emma could not stand living down and now she is forced to go back to take care of his business and is shocked to find he had a child and relations with the housekeeper. Bound and determined to obtain what she believes is rightfully hers, Emma soon finds out that she has nothing and is owed nothing. She took off and abandoned her husband, who left everything to his son. Not sure what she will do to get out of her debts, Emma is sought out by someone who feels she will be the perfect disguise and she is desperate herself. Taking a job that she does not know much about, Emma may have gotten herself deeper in debt than she was, but this debt could be worth her life. Smuggling, spying and becoming the face of an illegal enterprise Emma may have gone too far this time. This was a really good, fast paced historical thriller. Thank you to the author for the free novel!
Profile Image for Dive Into A Good Book.
446 reviews32 followers
November 26, 2022
The Unlikely Spy took me a bit to really get into. Once I was able to figure out who was who, I was completely engaged. Emma has just returned to St. Thomas after a three-year separation from her husband. He has tragically passed, and she is at a loss of what to do with her life. He left his house and all his money to a young son that he had with their house maid. Leaving Emma reeling and unable to focus on how to move forward. Which leads her to her one addiction, gambling. Of course, she loses all her money and is now in great debt. A gentleman that has caught her eye, says he will help her if she works for him. By finding out what is occurring at the Hamburg-American Line, a shipping company that is owned by Germans and appears to be using their ships to ferry supplies to Germany. In leap of desperation, she decides to go undercover and dig up what she can. Will she be able to keep up the ruse?

The last half of this book I devoured. It is a fast paced, fun mystery that will keep you on your toes. The descriptions on St. Thomas and Panama will leave you wanting to jump the next flight to a tropical location. Thank you to Sophie Schiller and HF Virtual Book Tours for gifting me this tropical induced mystery.
Profile Image for Connie Saunders.
1,555 reviews133 followers
October 8, 2022
In 1917, during WWI, a young Danish widow agrees to undertake a business espionage mission but instead discovers a planned bomb attack on the Panama Canal. This is the story of Emma Christensen's efforts to help prevent this from happening and it's a hair-raising, heart-pounding adventure that puts her life in danger and her heart at risk. There's one person she thought she could trust but this may not be true! Has Emma been deceived by Major Cornelius Smith, the American who's awakened feelings that she thought were lost?

The Unlikely Spy relates an event that is relatively unknown in our U.S. history and author Sophia Schiller has created a fascinating tale that combines fictional characters with real events and actual people. I wasn't aware of Germany's plans to put the Panama Canal out of commission and I didn't know that this was why President Wilson asked Congress to declare War on Germany!

'"Freedom can only be won by unwavering commitment. Otherwise, it's just a fantasy." For once in her life, she was committed to something far greater than herself.'

These words may have been thought and spoken by fictional characters, but they still hold true today! The Unlikely Spy is a thrilling tale of espionage, secret identities, and betrayal, but it's also a reminder that all of us are capable of making a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to all who enjoy historical fiction.

I received a copy of this book from the author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. There was no obligation for a positive review.
Profile Image for CoffeeandInk.
239 reviews11 followers
October 10, 2022
The Unlikely Spy is a woman who, at first, is unsure what she wants. Emma is unhappy with her choices, whether they were made by her or made for her. Her financial situation is dire and grows worse as she tries to amend it. She needs a job but is stuck in a time when (white) women do not work.
But she has untapped potential beneath all the unhappiness and desperation. Her desperation puts in her a position where success will pay well, but failure could mean death. The espionage will save many lives but she must work closely with a thoroughly despicable antagonist and his cronies.
The level of detail when it comes to the export and import business, the fueling and feeding of ships, is just wonderful. It feels very authentic and adds to the suspense.
I loved the comparison to Casablanca meets Notorious, as the setting certainly has that feeling.
A remarkable story, one I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Melissa.
318 reviews13 followers
October 11, 2022
I love it when we get to see history from the point of view of underrepresented segments of the population, so this novel, The Unlikely Spy, with it's vividly written lead character, Emma Christensen, Danish, disinherited, and deeply in debt, was right up my alley. I also enjoyed the World War I setting, which tends to be overlooked in favor of World War II stories.  (Incidentally, my grandfather was stationed in Panama during that later war, so a story involving earlier days of the canal was of special interest to me.)

I liked Emma. I liked that she didn't whine overmuch about her change in circumstances, but took an opportunity when one was offered. I also liked that she was smart enough to realize that neither her boss (Smith) nor his competitor (Luckner) were true to the way they presented themselves in public, and it was her choices that kept me riveted throughout this well plotted story.

The blurb for this book references both Casablanca and Notorious, and those are apt comparisons both in tone and in the cinematic descriptions in this novel. I could easily see it as a PBS mega-production, or even a Merchant-Ivory film (are they even still around???). The story leaps off the page and embeds itself into your imagination, and is never disappointing.

Attention must also be paid to the amazing amount of research author Sophie Schiller obviously did on early twentieth-century shipping company and practices. The level of detail she incorporated gave this story another layer of versimilitude, and I appreciated it immensely.

Bottom line: This is an engaging, well-paced story with a strong female lead.

Goes well with: steamed mussels and a crisp white wine.
Profile Image for Taylor Hathcock.
300 reviews14 followers
October 19, 2022
"He knew from experience that sometimes the best spies were those least likely to be involved in espionage, namely women. They were often better than men at assuming a role, and far superior to men when it came to suppressing their ego in pursuit of a goal. In terms of self-sacrifice, they were legendary."

Emma is a young woman who has recently become a widow. She returns to the Danish West Indies to reclaim the life that she left behind. However, it isn't long before Emma discovers that she may have nothing to reclaim. Her late husband disinherited her in his will, leaving everything to his illegitimate child instead. In desperate need of money Emma turns to the one thing she has always known: gambling; soon she finds herself in massive debt. It is at this moment that she is approached by Cornelius Smith with a business offer: infiltrate a rival shipping line and spy on its leader to gain intelligence. Emma accepts the offer but soon realizes that neither of these men are what they seem and she may have gotten in over her head. Will this latest gamble prove her undoing?
So this was my first ever spy novel of any kind and I chose it because I'm a huge history nerd and it was based in World War I. I loved the premise of the novel, a woman spy just seemed like a must read. I appreciated that the author was very heavy on the historical dynamics, but I didn't expect that level of detail. I felt that at times the story drug on because we were bogged down with copious amounts of descriptions and details that slowed down the plot. Keep in mind this was my first spy novel so I was expecting a little more James Bond action packed.
Don't get me wrong this novel has some good action moments and is full of gambling, murder, espionage, double espionage, betrayal, danger and even a little romance. I just felt like sometimes things could've been faster paced. The last 20 percent or so of the book was like BAM! and I wanted more of that throughout. I loved that the main character was a female who had serious character growth. I was not a fan of the romance though as I felt it was unnecessary and took away from the story some. I think spy novel lovers and history buffs alike would enjoy this one though.
Profile Image for Yvette.
767 reviews29 followers
October 6, 2022
With the West Indies soon to be transferred from Danish to American hands, and with German operatives planning to instigate conflict to distract America from the war in Europe, new widow Emma Christensen soon finds herself embroiled in espionage between American and German interests in 1917.

Driven by desperation, Emma accepts employment with Cornelius Smith, believing him to be employed by an American shipping company that wants information on a German rival. But as she becomes more involved in the machinations of Cornelius as well as his seemingly charming German counterpart, Julius Luckner, her very life is hanging in the balance.

With a deceptively slow paced set-up, this espionage adventure set before the American entry into what became World War, The Unlikely Spy quickly picks up and becomes an unrelenting thriller. With a dash of romance and constant threat of betrayal, Sophie Schiller has skillfully woven this tale of a genteel Danish widow becoming mixed up with American and German spies blends historical fact with a fictional story that quickly becomes a compulsive read.

Recommended.

This review refers to a finished copy that I voluntarily received and read, courtesy of the author. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Savanna.
15 reviews
October 12, 2022
Emma who has come back to wrap up her husbands estate finds more than she bargains for, gets into trouble and meets a handsome stranger with an interesting job offer. From there things start to ramp up, Emma finds herself in situations she never thought she would be in and doing things she would never have dreamed of. All the while foiling plots in the midst of war and falling in love. Was quiet an interesting read and I loved following her story and wondering how she would handle the situations thrown at her. Would recommend to add to tbr.
Profile Image for Larry Launstein.
12 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2022
“The Unlikely Spy” is another book that takes place in the area where Sophie Schiller grew up, the US Virgin Islands, and takes the reader to other locations such as Panama. She introduces the characters and gets right into the story. Schiller weaves the main character, Emma, into the history of the era during World War I just before the Virgin Islands is transferred from the Danish to the US. This is one of her best books so far. I enjoyed it and wholeheartedly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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