Mara Timon

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Mara Timon

Mara TimonMara TimonMara Timon
  • Home
  • City of Spies
  • Resistance
  • The Women of SOE
  • Blog
  • About Mara
Who can you trust when no one is who they claim to be?

City of Spies

1943. SOE agent Elisabeth de Mornay's cover is blown and she must flee Paris. Making her way to neutral Portugal, she receives a new identity and mission: to break a German espionage ring targeting Allied shipping before more men die. 


Shortlisted for CrimeFest's Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award 2020

City of Spies can be ordered from Bookshop.org, Waterstones, Foyles and Amazon

Lisbon, the real-life "City of Spies"

 As a European capital that was both neutral and a port city, during WW2 Lisbon quickly became a centre for intrigue, with exiled aristocrats, diplomats, businessmen, artists, smugglers, refugees and, of course, operatives, all obsessively watching (and often plotting against) each other, all under the watchful eye of  António de Oliveira Salazar and his state police, the PVDE.


On top of that, espionage rings operated out of Lisbon's port, wolfram/tungsten was smuggled out of Portugal, and up until the '70s, a "secret" passageway connected Rossio Station to the hotel next door, potentially facilitating a few dodgy meetings.  


Lisbon was the perfect backdrop for City of Spies.

Praise for City of Spies

'Perfectly captures the conflicted loyalties of wartime espionage in neutral Portugal...atmospheric.

'Perfectly captures the conflicted loyalties of wartime espionage in neutral Portugal...atmospheric.

'Perfectly captures the conflicted loyalties of wartime espionage in neutral Portugal...atmospheric.

- Sarah Armstrong, author of The Wolves of Leninsky Prospekt " 

'I absolutely loved this book... easily one of the top 3 if not top 2 debuts I've read this year.'

'Perfectly captures the conflicted loyalties of wartime espionage in neutral Portugal...atmospheric.

'Perfectly captures the conflicted loyalties of wartime espionage in neutral Portugal...atmospheric.

Phil Williams, Times Radio  

'Casablanca meets le Carre.'

'Perfectly captures the conflicted loyalties of wartime espionage in neutral Portugal...atmospheric.

'[Elisabeth] De Mornay is a welcome recruit to the ranks of female spies in disguise.'

 A. K. Turner, author of Body Language  

'[Elisabeth] De Mornay is a welcome recruit to the ranks of female spies in disguise.'

'Bond meets Blaise in WWII. Absolutely genius. Car chases. Intrigue. Love. Danger...Empathy.'

'[Elisabeth] De Mornay is a welcome recruit to the ranks of female spies in disguise.'

James Owen, the Times

"[City of Spies] makes a very promising debut.'

'Bond meets Blaise in WWII. Absolutely genius. Car chases. Intrigue. Love. Danger...Empathy.'

'Bond meets Blaise in WWII. Absolutely genius. Car chases. Intrigue. Love. Danger...Empathy.'

Adam LeBor, Financial Times

'Bond meets Blaise in WWII. Absolutely genius. Car chases. Intrigue. Love. Danger...Empathy.'

'Bond meets Blaise in WWII. Absolutely genius. Car chases. Intrigue. Love. Danger...Empathy.'

'Bond meets Blaise in WWII. Absolutely genius. Car chases. Intrigue. Love. Danger...Empathy.'

Derek Farrell, author of Death of a Diva

'I’m not normally a fan of spy fiction but I enjoyed this hugely.'

'Carefully researched and full of fascinating historical details, a splendid and gripping read.'

'Carefully researched and full of fascinating historical details, a splendid and gripping read.'

Joy Kluver, author of Last Seen

'Carefully researched and full of fascinating historical details, a splendid and gripping read.'

'Carefully researched and full of fascinating historical details, a splendid and gripping read.'

'Carefully researched and full of fascinating historical details, a splendid and gripping read.'

Malve von Hassell, author of Alina


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