This series keeps getting better and better. Although I had to suspend disbelief for a moment about the issue of --would Elena be actually sent on this mission and later, would the person sent to help her actually be the person sent, I was able to dive right into the book and enjoy it. Perry has created a strong young woman whose past mistakes do not define her and who has marshalled her considerable talents to serve the cause of her country when all is on the brink of war. I like that it takes place in the period right before the war (and love how well Perry makes that era come alive with small details of clothing , culture, etc). It is eerily like our own time--people willing to follow charismatic leaders, ignore the evil they show and simply forge ahead with their own lives in the face of a brewing international storm. She reveals the depths of anti-semitism that was so common among the British upper classes at that time--and in America as well.
Perry excels not only at the scene setting and plotting, drawing characters we come to love (or dislike in the case of one or two)--in this series she shows herself also to be a master of spy thriller chase scenes, of the horrible realization by Elena that she must kill to secure her mission's success.
The only caveat I have for this book is one you might share--that I had a hard time putting it down once I started it.

Elena Standish is a member of MI6, recently tasked with the extraction of a German scientist who is being forced to work for the Gestapo in their germ warfare development. Hans Beckendorff is a member of of the Gestapo, who begins to question his inescapable role in the organization after the events of “Night of the Long Knives”. 

“A Truth To Lie For” was a fast paced tale full of action and steeped in political intrigue.The parallel narratives worked well; they kept me guessing until the very end. Would they escape? Is he a double agent? I was slightly disappointed there was no epilogue, leaving me guessing as to the fate of Hans and his family. There was also the hint of a romance that was never, understandably, fully explored; perhaps there will be a sequel? All in all, strong characters, a solid plot, and several emotional threads made this an enjoyable read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this book.

I plan on posting to Goodreads, Twitter, BookBub, and Instagram on September 6th.

Anne Perry has done it again this novel of espionage leading up to WWII has Elena Standish off to Berlin. This time to spirit away a scientist working on germ warfare. Also, a previously introduced character, with a minor part, is inserted in the book with a significant t role and probably to be seen again. As he defies an order to kill Elena’s grandfather Lucas and instead take out an upper-level Gestapo officer. Then flees Germany with his wife and baby but left behind his parents and more ominously his wife’s parents who father is in the English embassy and is known to the Gestapo as an MI6 operative.

A Truth to Lie For is the 4th Elena Standish mystery, although the term mystery does not begin to capture this cat and mouse, spy thriller, historical novel. I have read many Anne Perry novels, including novels in each series. And while I have enjoyed those novels, this Elena Standish novels stands above all others when its comes to captivating characters and interwoven plots.

There are 3 main sets of characters. Elena is in Germany to help extract a scientist working on germ warfare. She teams up with a friend from her past, in what turns out to be a tension filled rescue. In a parallel story, Hans serves in the Gestapo as an assistant to Paulus, who reports to Hitler. Hans lovely young wife and newborn baby girl are his refuge from what he is expected to do at work. Elena's grandfather Lucas has his own duties to fulfill. All of these characters interact to resolve this novel, where things do not turn out as expected.

A Truth to Lie For is a cannot-put-down novel. This novel is also a cut above Perry's other novels, which while very good, have not reached the depth of character development of this most recent novel. A Truth to Lie For is exceptionally well plotted and written. Perry's novels not only continue to delight, they also continue to grow even stronger.

I want to thank the author and publisher, Random House Publishing Group, for providing this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. The above comments are my own honest opinion. I will definitely want to read this book again. Thank you also to NetGalley for providing access to this novel.

The fourth installment of the Elena Standish series which is a new series for me. As part of MI6, Elena is sent back to Berlin to help one of two important germ warfare scientists escape in 1934. This task becomes even more daunting when it is discovered that the head of the germ Warfare division is a long time personal enemy of Elena's grandfather, the previous head of MI6.

It's a decent thriller though I don't find the characters particularly compelling and there is a little too much filler for me. Still -- entertaining enough!

Another compelling Elena Standish novel, wherein she is sent by MI6 to extract a Germ Warfare scientist from Berlin in the 1930s. But wait for it, this is not the only storyline in this book, there's much more. This book made me realize just how much Hitler's rise to power was affecting people in the 1930s. I highly recommend this book, but be sure to read the first three books in the series - even though this is a standalone novel, it helps to follow the character of Elena Standish from the beginning.

This latest installment (Number 4) in the Elena Standish series is my least favorite so far. It lacks the family-based warmth that pervaded the earlier volumes. Here, the Elena Standish family and friends character-set seem to be extras in the Night of the Long Knives Massacre tale. Many of the previous characters have bit roles in this book, allowing the Hitler/Paulus/Rhom story to dominate the narrative center with the description of the brutal purge of Rhom and the Brownshirts. I read the book but didn’t warm to it as I had with the previous 3 in the series.

Thank you netgalley and Random House for the advance reader copy. This book mixes my favorite genre with my least favorite genre. Mystery with historical fiction. Thats why i was interested in this book.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for an advanced reading copy for an honest opinion. This is the fourth installment and Elena is growing as an agent and as a person. In this book we have two story Iines running, Elena is assigned to get a scientist out of Germany in 1933 and the other is Hans, an up and coming Gestapo officer. While Elena's story is good, Hans' story is the best, he witnesses Hitler having a meltdown in private and starts to realize why he's being moved up the ladder. Lots of suspenseful action on both characters as well as meeting up with old characters from previous books. Looking forward to the next installment.

I have to admit that I’m always eagerly awaiting the next book from Anne Perry and I would have a hard time deciding which series I like best. This author has a great gift to slowly develop her characters so that you really get to know the person. Somebody you can relate to with their strength and weaknesses.
I do think it is best to read this series in order to get the full effect.
The time period is 1934. Elena is less than thrilled when requested to go Berlin and help a scientist leave Germany. With her last visit to Berlin when she narrowly escaped with her live still vivid in her mind she still feels it her duty to comply with the request. The tension in Berlin has intensified since her previous stay and it doesn’t take long for the assignment to turn into a bit of disaster.
Ending up in the middle of Hitler’s power struggle with the organizers of the Brown Shirts is complicating things.
Anne Perry does a great job portraying the feel of that time period in Germany. The mixed feelings the Germans have. Some see Hitler as their savior; others recognize the cruelty that is going on and try to distance themselves from what is happening.
Again this is a winner.

I’ll admit it. I’m totally an Anne Perry fan! I’m happily working my way through her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt and William Monk series. And now I’m hooked on her next generation Elena Standish series. In A Truth to Die For, coming in September 2022, young and smart Elena Standish is an unlikely agent for London’s military intelligence unit, MI6 during the rise of Hitler and Nazism. But we soon learn it’s not so unlikely, as she is part of an unassuming family who specializes in espionage and intrigue. Elena is assigned the task of bringing two scientists out of Berlin, dead or alive. She has learned that preparation is key to survival, but nothing can prepare her for the mental and emotional turmoil, the constant threat of danger and betrayal, and the changing of plans on the fly. One of Anne Perry’s gifts to us is the development of her characters into real people. We relate to them. We feel their fear, the pull of their emotions and struggle through their thought processes with them. As always, Anne leads us through this story journey and lets us get to the very end before she answers our questions of who, what and why. I’d recommend starting at the beginning of the Elena Standish series of four books…so far.

I had trouble investing in the Elena Standish series until this installment, the fourth book in Anne Perry's new pre-World War II series, and now I'm hooked! The stakes have never been higher when MI6 tasks Elena with getting an important German scientist out of Berlin before his research in germ warfare leads to mass extermination. Along the way, she reunites with her former love interest, Jacob, an American journalist, and soon they find themselves on the run from the Nazis.

In addition to Elena's storyline, we meet a soldier named Hans, who is steadily rising in the ranks of the German military. For Hans, the only thing more important than his job is his family. When his job threatens to destroy his wife and baby daughter, he finds himself in an unbearable situation. Does he sacrifice his morals--and risk his own life--in order to ensure his family's safety? I was very interested in this storyline, and hope to learn more about Hans in future books.

Anne Perry is one of my all-time favorite mystery writers. While I miss the William Monk series, I can't wait to read more about Elena Standish and her family of spies.

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

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. I reviewed the second book and became obsessed with Elena Standish and her family. Book three made me even crazier for this heroine. Fast forward to book four. Peter send Elena into Germany to rescue a German scientist who is working on one half of a germ warfare. Even Lucas gets back to business. Once again... hooked. I can't wait for the next book!

Elena Standish receives her most challenging assignment yet when she ventures into Germany to retrieve a scientist involved in a secret germ warfare project. More confident than when she first ventured into 1930s Berlin, she's forced to adapt on the fly as she encounters both literal and figurative roadblocks. A side-story involving her grandfather--a former head of MI6--added complexity to the book that was handled well. In several ways, this series has taken a darker turn, but that seems only fair for the era.

Thanks to Random House Publishing for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

In this fourth installment of the Elena Standish series, the young spy returns to WWII-era Germany to rescue a scientist. It's hair-raising. Absolutely hair-raising. Even though I know this is "only" a story, my heart raced at every single car chase and airplane flight. I can't imagine being a spy.

Fortunately, Anne Perry can. I've been reading her books since the 1990s and she never disappoints.

Added to Elena's professional adventures are her matters of the heart. She is still beating herself up about falling in love with the wrong guy-- a traitor--several years before this story occurs.

As with all of Anne Perry's series I recommend reading them in order for maximum enjoyment.

You never know what's around the corner for Elena Standish so I'm looking forward to Book #5.

I love where this series is going. Elena is becoming one of my favorite characters and this takes place in a time that I find so interesting and horrifying - the build up to World War II. Elena once again goes undercover and into a hostile environment on the brink of war. This takes place in Germany, and the author makes me picture what it would be like for different people in different situations in that time. I cannot wait to see where she takes Elena next.

This book made me feel a little stressed as it deals with the time period before World War II in Berlin and British-German relations at the time, but of course that has nothing to do with the author's writing or actual story. I thought the uncertainty and the different factions and loyalties were well portrayed based on what I know about that history. There are multiple strands of the story here focusing on 3 major characters (although Elena remains the main character) and they come together nicely and logically, without making what will happen too obvious or overdoing the resolution to make it too neat. It was fun to reunite with characters from a previous book (I definitely think it's worth reading this series in order!) and the spy thriller suspense was strong at various points in the book without being contrived. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Written by a well know author, the story is captivating. The characters are likable at times…the story moves at a satisfying pace. This is a book that can’t be put down. Enjoy