The Continental Affair - by Christine Mangan (Paperback)

About the Book

"Christine Mangan, bestselling author of Tangerine, returns with a tense and suspenseful train ride through Europe in the early 1960s--with stolen money, secret lives, and damaged pasts."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

With gorgeous prose, European glamour, and an expansive wanderlust, Christine Mangan's The Continental Affair is a daring literary caper that is quick on its feet and delightfully surprising.

Meet Henri and Louise. Two strangers, traveling alone, on the train from Belgrade to Istanbul. Except this isn't the first time they have met.

It's the 1960s and Louise is running. From her past in England, from the owners of the money she has stolen--and from Henri, the person who has been sent to collect it. Across the Continent--from Granada to Paris, from Belgrade to Istanbul--Henri follows, desperate to leave behind his own troubles. The memories of his past life as a gendarme in Algeria that keep resurfacing. His inability to reconcile the growing responsibilities of his current criminal path with this former self.

But Henri soon realizes that Louise is no ordinary mark. As the train hurtles toward its final destination, Henri and Louise must decide what the future will hold--and whether it involves one another.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Continental Affair

NAMED MOST ANTICIPATED FICTION OF THE SUMMER BY THE NEW YORK POST AND CRIMEREADS

"This cat-and-mouse tale is as glamorous as its title implies... [Mangan] captures time, place, and character with panache." --The Washington Post

"Mangan has quickly made a name for herself as a purveyor of international mystery with a dash of glamor. Sure enough, The Continental Affair brings us onto a train from Belgrade to Istanbul and into a story that will hop from one lushly recreated locale to the next. A woman on that train is holding a good sum of money; a man on the same train has been sent to collect it. Their stories will take readers down a gauntlet of rich settings and haunting back stories." --CrimeReads

"Christine Mangan has written a sleek, smart, stylish caper that manages to traverse both European and emotional landscapes. A theft. A chase. A love story. The Continental Affair is a deeply satisfying, immersive story that isn't to be missed." --Ariel Lawhon, New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Helen

"Richly layered characters, opulent settings, and graceful prose elevate this captivating crime caper. . . . Mangan's character exposition and vivid depictions of exotic locales are sublime. This is a treat." --Publishers Weekly

"A thrilling chase through 1960s Europe with an emotional core and gorgeous prose...The novel is a smart riff on a familiar genre, with complex protagonists and a cliché-defying love story.... For fans of spy thrillers and literary romances alike." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Christine Mangan is the author of the national bestseller Tangerine and Palace of the Drowned. She has her Ph.D. in English from University College Dublin, with a focus on 18th-century Gothic literature, and an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Southern Maine. She lives in Detroit.