As a Norwegian with parents who grew up during WWII, I was very curious about this book.

I found it to be a "cozy" spy novel, with a good story but with little action and suspense.
It's well written and has good characters; well worth reading.

A few details are not accurate (like Helge being a male name, not female), but the book gives a good picture of Oslo after WWII and how some innocent children were treated.

A highly engrossing historical thriller set in Oslo just after WWII. Will young Phyllis Bowden, on staff at the American Embassy, make the moral decision when faced with a decision that could erupt into a political explosion? Highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my true review.

#HistoricalFiction #NetGalley

Just could not get into this. I might be unfair, but I thought that this was a 'painted by numbers' book using a map of Oslo and a Norwegian phrasebook.. I love Scandinavia and I wanted to like this - honest.

The theme of this book and the time period are perfect. Who wouldn’t want to read about espionage in Norway in the aftermath of World War II? Unfortunately, the book itself was a huge disappointment for me. I am very reluctant to give one-star ratings to books. There usually is something to like in every book and I always try to appreciate the amount of work that the author put in writing a novel. But this book in my estimation shouldn’t be rewarded with more than one star at this stage. It reads like a draft that still needs a lot of work. It isn’t without potential, but it needs much polishing. The characters lacked any depth, they didn’t feel real. The dialogues were too long and tedious, and sometimes completely unnecessary, they didn’t seem to move the action forward. The book lacked any real emotion, it was impossible to get interested in the love story between the characters. The ending I also found lacking.

I received "Oslo Spies" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

I want to thank the author and netgalley for this partnership.

The story takes place in Norway, which at the end of the Second World War finds itself a destroyed country. It is learned that after five years of German occupation it has lost in import export. We find the young Phyllis who works at the American Embassy in Oslo when a night in a cafe she finds a girl labeled because his mother to marry a German. This little girl has been tortured and abused, she will have to make a choice to save this one or not. As for his fiancé he disappeared on a mission.

A second volume filled with suspense and twists, a story that is well written, captivating and with endearing characters, I recommend this book.

Oslo Spies is a great story. It kept me on the edge of my seat and all the character were intriguing. I liked the plot and found myself laughing a few times, but wished there was a little more action, since it was a spy novel. Overall I really enjoyed.

It's the end of WWII, and Norway is trying to recover from the atrocities of the past years. Phyllis Bowden is assigned to the Office of the Military Attache in the American Embassy in Oslo. Being a smart and brave woman, she quickly finds herself in situations much more dangerous than what she had expected. When she finds a little girl in need in a toilet room of a restaurant, she will not hesitate to bring her home and hide her from the police. But she will soon find out that more than one government is looking for this child. With her loved one away on a dangerous mission and a child pursued by foreign forces, will she be able to come out of the dangerous situation she has found herself in?

Oslo Spies is a fast-paced, intelligent spy story with brilliant characters. The plot is amusing through and through, and the characters are well constructed. I would personally have preferred a little more action in a spy story, but it was a good book nonetheless.Recommended for fans of spy stories.

I'm a huge fan of WWII fiction but hadn't read anything at all set in Norway. To be honest, this was a real eye-opener and I'm so glad I found this book.
Phyllis Bowden works for the American Embassy in Oslo, helping in a variety of ways to make Norway strong again after the horrors suffered by the German invasion. From finding clothes and food for many starving and homeless citizens to helping people find relatives who'd been sent to labour camps, Phyllis finds herself knee-deep in some very scary situations.
Her organisational skills enable her to quickly get projects off the ground, supporting local people who are still numb from the devastation wreaked upon their country. But it is when she finds a five-year-old girl cowering in fear in the bathroom of a nearby café that she unknowingly puts herself at most risk.
Little does she know that both the British and the Russians are hot on her heels, and even her fiancé (yes, there's a love story here too) is caught up in the little girl's life.
These missions run seamlessly alongside each other, both informing and entertaining the reader. I learnt so much from this book, and have been able to chat with Norwegian friends about the events - much to their surprise!
An enjoyable read with engaging characters, real relationships and an entralling plot. I shall definitely look up the first book in the series now, and look forward to more from this author.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, and have reviewed it voluntarily.

The second book featuring Phyllis Bowden a young woman working for military intelligence during the final days of World War II. She had been assigned to the office in London but the opening of this book finds her transferred to Oslo Norway as aide to the Military Attache in the American Embassy. She is tasked with finding families of Norwegians killed by the Nazis and notifying these relatives in order to help them find closure with the knowledge. She also handles work as assigned by the Attache.
The love of her life, Joe Schneider briefly visits her in Oslo before leaving on an assignment to Romania. He works as an agent for England's MI5 and is searching for an object that his office deems necessary to close several problem areas. But while in Oslo Joe and Peggy become engaged to be married as soon as possible.

While Joe is away in Romania Peggy literally finds a little girl of about five adrift on the streets and takes her in as a means of providing care. Even at the child's young age she is technically branded a traitor due to her father being a Nazi officer living with a Norwegian woman. It also develops that her German father gave the girl a doll before he left Norway containing secret information that both England and Russia are anxious to obtain.

Ms Slagle manages to set up the chaotic situation existing in Norway after being held by Germany for five years. Goods and services are scarce and only available through donations by friendly countries or sold in near by Sweden neutral during the period described. The little girl becomes the key to resolution of finding the information secreted in her doll which she lost as she fled with her mother. And the next book in the series is neatly set up by the ending of this one so that Oslo Spies becomes a well done stand alone novel.

This is a great book set in post WW2 Norway a country held by Nazi Germany for 5 years savaged and broken in most ways possible. There isn't a lot written about Norway so it's good to hear some of their story but saddened for what they went through.
The story is based around Phyllis an American working for their embassy in Oslo transferred there from London as soon as the allied forces had freed Norway, She has a boyfriend working for MI5. The book combines several stories or adventures not that they necessarily felt like that to Phyllis that run alongside each other in a brilliantly crafted novel. Also in this novel you get a glimpse of the start of the cold war as the weapons are replaced by new conflicts. The passion of the Norwegians is seen and like any hurting people their actions will show that as you will she if you haven't before. The characters feel real and genuine. .
I have been given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review, I honestly loved this book and feel all the better for reading it which if you do read it then you can see what I mean

I received this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am always fascinated by novels that feature World War 2 so I was quite excited to start reading this pre-publication PDF. I quickly discovered that formatting was an issue in the PDF but I assume this will be corrected prior to publication. I was a little confused at first as I had not realized that this was the second book in a series.. Reference was made to past events but they weren't explained enough for me to fully understand.

The story itself was quite interesting and did deal with an area that has not been well covered in WW2 fiction.. Most of the story takes place in Oslo, Norway with brief flips to England, Sweden & Romania. The war was at an end in Europe (although not in the Pacific) and a "purge" was underway in Norway with anyone who was deemed to have collaborated in anyway being severely punished. This included children and one in particular who was only five. Phyllis Bowden, the heroine of the story works at the American embassy and rescues this young girl keeping her hidden while she sorts out how best to care for and protect her from those who want to find her. Phyllis has recently become engaged and her fiance (who is a spy) goes missing on a mission just days after their engagement.

There were a few other things about this novel that I felt could be improved upon. I have grandchildren a similar age to the young girl in the story and they are nowhere near as coherent as this young 5 year old is supposed to be. At one point Phyllis gives her a paper with a phone number on it and tells her that if she needs to reach her to find a phone and call her. This was one example of something I felt was unrealistic. I also think a good editor would be helpful in making sure all sentences are complete with proper subject, noun etc and to catch the odd spelling error.or typo.

The further I went in the book the more enjoyable it became but I still feel that a little more work would help it become a much better story.

Focusing on Norway, a country that isn't often the center of a WWII book, this story is a different flavor of historical fiction from the era. The 'spies' felt more like real people than they do in other stories, but it still works well. You've got a little girl at the center of the mystery, and an aspect of history I knew nothing about (Quislings), both of which kept me reading and enthralled to the very end. The characters are so likable, you want the best for them!