The London Restoration

June 8, 2020
This standalone romance from McMillan (Dream, Plan, and Go) pits the happiness of a pair of newlyweds against a desperate hunt for a Russian spy and the couple’s own dark wartime memories in 1945 London. Architectural historian Diana Somerville loves two things: churches and her husband, King’s College theology professor Brent Somerville. The pair were separated by WWII shortly after their wedding night and are both grateful to reunite in peacetime, but their differing wartime experiences still divide them. The Official Secrets Act prevents Diana from telling her husband about her work breaking codes at Bletchley Park and hunting spies for British Intelligence, while Brent hides his ongoing nightmares of his horrifying tribulations at the front. Adding another secret to the mountain between them, Diana agrees to finish one last job for her MI6 handler, who believes her knowledge of church architecture will be an asset in the hunt for a Russian agent called Eternity. McMillan breaks up the present-day action with substantial flashbacks that fill in Diana and Brent’s backstory, but drain tension from the suspense plot. Still, McMillan’s historical setting is solidly drawn and the focus on an established couple is refreshing. Romance fans will be satisfied.

July 17, 2020

Immediately following World War II, architectural historian Diana Somerville is recruited by a former MI6 agent to uncover design patterns in churches in Vienna and London for an anticommunism mission to locate a Russian double agent. Her husband, Brent, was a stretcher-bearer during the war, and upon returning to London discovers his wife mysteriously missing. When she reappears five weeks later, the couple struggles to reestablish their lives as newlyweds before the war split them apart. Despite feeling hurt by Diana's continued secrets, Brent joins her on her quest for clues, which quickly leads to danger as the pair crosses paths with enemy spies. McMillan's ("Herringford & Watts" series) love of Christopher Wren churches in London is evident in the copious details on church architecture. Unfortunately, this ultimately detracts from Brent and Diana's challenges as a couple, and the rather weak espionage plot leaves readers asking why a former MI6 agent would recruit civilians for an unauthorized mission, and why Diana is chosen to root out the communist spy. VERDICT Fans of the author may still want to give this a try. For readers seeking a more nuanced historical mystery, one might suggest Sherry Thomas's "Lady Sherlock" series.--Eve Stano, Ball State Univ. Muncie, IN

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