Anne Perry really knows how to spin a tale in 'A Question of Betrayal,' which is the second book in the Elena Standish series. This is an excellent historical fiction novel that kept me reading and my heart-pounding. This book picked right up where the first one ended. I love this series so far, and look forward to more. This book will keep you reading, with its excellent plot, mysteries and intrigue, wonderful characters, both old and young, and the twists and turns. You won't know who to believe at times. I highly recommend you read this series from the beginning.

Thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment in the Elena Standish series.
Anne Perry has once again created a series that will immerse us in the period, this time the beginnings of WWII.
Enthusiastically recommend this book. #netgally #aquestionofbetrayal

This was a riveting story of pre-WWII espionage that held my attention from beginning to end. The sense of time is faultless, as is the analysis of the political lanscape of the era. Elena, the main protaganist, is portrayed believably as an inexperienced but able operative. She's put in the impossible position of having to risk her life to extract her former lover who betrayed her, from Italy together with his information. The action flips from her situation to her sister, who's attending a friend's wedding to a Nazi in Berlin and then back in England where members of MI6 are trying to analyze where the danger to Elena and her lover is coming from before disaster strikes. There is danger everywhere from members of the rising Nazi party as well as those who are willing to appease them for the sake of peace at any cost. The action is constant and I was so involved I couldn't put the book down.

A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry is the second book in the Elena Standish series. This is an excellent historical fiction novel that literally has it all: an excellent plot, murder, mystery, intrigue, amazing characters, twists, turns, deception, and truly kept me engaged throughout.

I had the privilege to read the first book in this series, Death in Focus published in 2019, and I really feel that this book picked up wonderfully where the other ended. Being able to follow along again with some of my favorite characters really was a treat.

This book starts off only a few months after the other ended: in the early years during the rise of Hitler into the forefront of power and the beginning of Elena’s new career working for MI6. Just as the winds of change are really picking up is where we find ourselves immersed into the hotbed of fighting factions trying to rise into power, espionage just kicking up into high gear, and the first years of what we know that will come to be the blocks of foundation placed for WWII.

I absolutely loved the intricate plot and the best part was the ability to visit each character’s mindset with perfectly alternating viewpoints of: Elena, Margot, Lucas, and Peter. It added so much more to the richness of the novel. Each character had their own small subplot that perfectly weaved together to join one another and into the overall plot. It was nothing short of genius.

I loved all of the characters. Truly. I hope Peter can move up the ranks, I hope we get to see more of Margot, and I hope in future books we can see Lucas, Peter, Margot, Josephine, and Elena be able to work together. There is so much material that the possibilities are endless, and that makes me very, very excited.

Easily one of my favorite books of this year!

If you love historical fiction, a great espionage concept, creative and intriguing stories, agent/spy plots, and WWII era fiction, then this is for you.

5/5 stars enthusiastically


Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

For those who enjoy historical mystery stories, it was an interesting book. Anne Perry managed to tell a story of how master spies were used in the period between the two world wars in order to establish what was factual and what was fallacy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Anne Perry never fails to write terrific thrillers,This as all her novels I’ve read drew me right in and kept me reading late into the night.An author I highly recommend and I always look forward to reading.#netgalley#randomhouse

Anne Perry's new Elena Standish series is excellent and I love A Question of Betrayal! This time period between the first and second World Wars is so interesting, particularly in Britain where so many knew another war was inevitable and yet no one wanted to hear it or prepare for it. Elena's second adventure is very well done, asking her to rescue former lover and then bringing closure to that part of her life made for a very good story. The evolution of the characters such as her sister, her MI6 handler Peter, and especially Elena herself keep the story moving and brings depth. I have read both of Anne Perry's Pitt series - Daniel and his parents Charlotte and Thomas - and love them both but I think Elena may be my favorite Perry character yet! I look forward to the next book!

As a historical mystery fan I always enjoy Anne Perry's novel. The comfortable tone along with the edge of the seat story that keeps you interested from start to finish. Another gem from the best historical mystery writer ever. A must read.

A Question of Betrayal is the second in the Elana Standish series by Anne Perry. Elana is proving herself to be competent and confident as she grows into a position with MI6. She was distraught by Aidan Strother being labeled a traitor, as it destroyed her career and brought her whole family into question. Now she learns that he is a spy for MI6 and is in trouble. As she is the one person that could identify him even in disguise she is sent to bring him home from Italy.

Meanwhile her sister Margot is in Germany at the wedding of a childhood friend and overhears things that must be repeated to Grandfather Lucas, former head of MI6. Meanwhile he is involved in his own situation at home when someone comes to him with volatile information and that man is soon found dead. With the backdrop of WWII looming in the near future the whole family is involved in espionage.

I really enjoy Anne Perry's books and this new series is no exception. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest review on #AQuestionofBetrayal, it was a pleasure.

In the second installment of the Elena Standish series, Anne Perry sends her heroine on her first mission for MI6, in search of a man whose handler has gone missing. The twist? The man Elena is searching for, Aiden, is her former lover, a man who betrayed and humiliated her many years ago. Elena's journey takes her to Trieste, an Italian city infested with Nazis. Hitler is rising in power, and Europe finds itself on the cusp of another war.

Meanwhile, Elena's sister Margot travels to the wedding of a friend who is marrying a German Gestapo. Margot is haunted by the memories of her husband, who died tragically in World War I several years earlier, and she's disturbed by what she sees happening in Germany.

Perry is famous for her Victorian-era murder mysteries, which often deal with the social hypocrisies of nineteenth century Britain. But the Standish series has a more modern feel, even though it is set approximately eighty years ago. Instead of dealing with the conflicts between the upper and lower classes, the series focuses on espionage and the social unrest that resulted from the Great War. I can see why Perry decided to change her focus to this turbulent period, since World War II books are all the rage right now.

On the downside, the writing is occasionally awkward and sometimes feels rushed. But I will definitely read future installments, as Anne Perry can always be depended upon for a good melodrama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great mystery full of intrigue and suspense with a fast paced plot. I look forward to more from this author.

I have loved Anne Perry's other mystery series and am not disappointed in this one. There are so many books dealing with WW!! and the aftermath. I like that the author chose the time prior to the war to focus on the many political forces that were at play during the years before the war. Elena Standish is a wonderful character and I love her tenacity and strength.