Review: The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy

Kerry Hammond is here to review the latest book by French author Marc Levy.

The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy was released in Hardcover on January 1 by AmazonCrossing. It was originally written in French and translated into English by Daniel Wasserman.  It is a story of greed and deception, love and hate. It’s about family, the things that draw family members close and the events that push them apart. It spans four generations, one world war, four countries, and two continents. It is masterfully told and cleverly plotted. I enjoyed it immensely.

One day Eleanor-Rigby Donovan receives an anonymous letter informing her that her mother had a mysterious past she never knew about….and in that past she committed a crime. Eleanor is still struggling to come to grips with her mother’s recent death and latches on to the note, and the quest it encourages,  as a sort of lifeline with the past—hers and her mother’s.

Her journey takes her from London to Baltimore, where she meets George-Harrison Collins. George-Harrison has received a similar letter and is on a bit of a quest of his own. His letter speaks of the father he never knew and challenges him to find out the truth about the man his mother would never speak of. Together they learn about their mothers and the things they kept from them. As their pasts intertwine, they begin to wonder if some secrets are better left alone, for once you learn them, you can never go back.

Levy is a wonderful writer. The story unfolds at just the right pace to keep the reader going. I was invested in the characters and the information they were seeking. I found myself taking sides, mistrusting information, and urging them on. The assumptions I made at the beginning of the book were shattered halfway through and I found myself surprised at every turn. A great read!

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

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