The Continental Affair: A Novel

by Christine Mangan

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250788467
Publisher:	Flatiron Books
Publication date:	08/22/2023
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	347,555
File size:	3 MB

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.
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.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/22/2023

Richly layered characters, opulent settings, and graceful prose elevate this captivating crime caper from Mangan (Palace of the Drowned) above most similar fare. In the 1960s, 40-something Henri, once a gendarme in Algeria, now works for his hoodlum cousins in southern Spain, collecting and delivering illegal payments. A straightforward bag drop at a cemetery goes awry when Louise Barnard, an enigmatic 28-year-old British woman traveling across Europe, stumbles on the bag and makes off with the money. Though keen to recover the cash, Henri refrains from obstructing her getaway, leisurely pursuing her as she makes her way by train from Granada to Paris and Belgrade to Istanbul. Ashamed of his past and feeling displaced, he takes pleasure in leaving Spain, intent on discovering more about the woman. As for Louise, though she knows she’s being pursued, she remains committed to following in the footsteps of her estranged mother across the continent. As Louise and Henri’s journey nears its conclusion, tough choices, personal sacrifice, and high danger await them. Alternating viewpoints and a shifting timeline enliven the yarn, and Mangan’s character exposition and vivid depictions of exotic locales are sublime. This is a treat. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher

2023-05-24
A thrilling chase through 1960s Europe with an emotional core and gorgeous prose.

Henri and Louise fatefully cross paths one morning at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Henri is a former gendarme living in exile from his homeland of Algeria. Louise is running, too—from a shadowy past in London and the chains of gendered expectations. When she steals the money that Henri is supposed to protect, the two end up in a cat-and-mouse chase across continental Europe—from Granada to Istanbul, with stops in Paris and Belgrade. As the narrative unfolds and an unlikely bond forms between the thief and the enforcer, the reader learns about both their pasts—including crimes, secrets, and private shames. Alternating chapters weave together their final train ride (from Belgrade to Istanbul) with their individual histories and the two-week journey that has brought them to this critical point. The book is front-loaded with too much backstory, but a patient reader will quickly be rewarded by an unconventional heist narrative that is equal parts moving and thrilling. Although they try to resist it, an attraction emerges between Henri and Louise that is at once organic and bittersweet, informed by their shared pain and respective cultural baggage. Mangan’s prose is evocative and specific—she brings midcentury Europe to life through sensory descriptions that conjure the sights, smells, and tastes of each iconic city. The novel is a smart riff on a familiar genre, with complex protagonists and a cliché-defying love story. Even minor characters are imbued with surprising depth, making for memorable, and often humorous, interactions throughout. The world that Henri and Louise inhabit is, at times, heartbreaking, but it is never bleak thanks to the beauty of the language. Through Henri and Louise, the text offers insights about gender and colonization that are as relevant now as they ever were. For fans of spy thrillers and literary romances alike.

A cat-and-mouse caper with the usual stock characters replaced by complex human beings.

Kirkus Reviews