It’s 1953 and William Denning is set to leave the army and return to the States. Nothing could convince him otherwise… well, nothing except maybe one of the largest diamond hauls ever, which can only mean one thing… trouble. Set against the backdrop of breathtaking scenery in Switzerland, Denning discovers that there is more at stake than a simply heist and that his adversaries are some of the most unlikely and dangerous kind. The question is, will he at the very least get out with his life?

Pray for a Brave Heart by Helen MacInnes is filled with spine-tingling suspense, is richly authentic with memorable characters and has a lasting effect on the reader, even though it’s slightly dated. Then again, who can say no to a good book that revolves around finding Nazi loot, which is written well? Pray for a Brave Heart, unlike Above Suspicion, is set during the Cold War, but we can still find Helen MacInnes’ unique way of telling the story and hinting to World War II. Her characters are well crafted, which has become somewhat of a dying art lately, and Denning is memorable even by today’s standards.

It’s a very thrilling tale, which will leave you wanting more, and the suspense that MacInnes creates is downright nail-biting! You’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat in no time as you get transported back to a time when nobody could be trusted and governments were itching to cross a very fine line between supposed peace and nuclear war. However, what might be the most intriguing part of Pray for a Brave Heart is the contrast that MacInnes had created. We have a beautiful backdrop in the Swiss mountains, but the mission is dark and mysterious, which could very well be a sort of metaphor between the good and evil/ right and wrong/ light and dark scenario.

One has to remember when these books were written in order to understand what the author is trying to convey in the message of the novel. Of course, Pray for a Brave Heart won’t be the type of book that everyone will rush out to buy, but Titan Books’ republished version was a great read and I would advise anyone who’s in the mood for a Sunday read to get their hands on it.

(Originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com ) ( )

It could've flowed a little better. The Swiss setting was interesting and there were some unique characters. The mood is kind of bleak and Helen MacInnes makes it very clear that she does not think the Western world is worrying enough about communists. ( )

Set in Bern, Bill Denning, working unofficially for his friend Max Meyer, commits one of the biggest diamond heists in history. Francesca knew more than was good for her or those around her who called themselves her friend.