Book Review: Shadow of Treason By Tricia Goyer

Shadow of Treason
By Tricia Goyer<p>
Review by Martha Artyomenko<p>

I was excited over this book, like the others from Tricia, but I love a good historical fiction book that teaches you something you did not already know.
This one was no exception! It is the second book in the series, the first book was A Valley of Betrayal where we met Sophie, who naively came to Spain and discovered a whole different world than the one she lived in America.
In this novel, she embarks on a venture that puts her in danger, but helps the country of Spain, which she has come to love. Can she do it though even though it requires her to pretend to care about the person that hurt and betrayed her the most? 
This is a fast moving story that will keep you riveted to the pages until the end, plus you will get to learn about the Spanish Civil War, which is not often talked about in books. <p>
Another thing I like about this authors books is how she uses things like letters and a old bible to teach so much about the Lord, through experiences we would relate to in our lives. We can use the story of all the different people in this book to learn about leaning on the Lord in our daily lives as well. They may not be as exciting as Sophie’s, but they have their moments! This quote from one of the letters in the book:<p>
“I have left everything behind for good, but I do not regret it. I have my bible and my paper to write my thoughts now and then.  I also have my Lord and I am finding He is enough” Letter from Eleanor Pg. 136 Shadow of Treason<p>

Here is also an interview with the author with some thoughts on the book:<p>

Q:
A Shadow of Treason follows A Valley of Betrayal. This is the first time you’ve written books as a series instead of stand alone. Which way do you like better? <p>
 
A: I love writing in series. It was great to continue with the same
characters. In my stand-alone books I fell in love with these people and then I had to say good-bye after one book. It was wonderful to be able to continue on.<p>
 
Q: In A Shadow of Treason Sophie must return to the person who betrayed her in an effort to help the Spanish people. It makes the book hard to put down because the reader has to know how Sophie’s heart will deal with it. Why did you decide to make this an element of the book?<p>
 
A: There are very few of us who go through life without giving away a part of our hearts to someone who didn’t deserve it. Even though Sophie had the best intentions, she gave away her heart and she was hurt-not only that she must revisit those emotions.
 I wanted to include this element-to delve into the topic that emotions are sometimes as big of a trap as any physical cage. Emotions are real and they guide us — even when we don’t want to admit it. Poor Sophie, not only does she have to deal with a war around her — she also has to deal with a war within herself. It’s something I’ve battled, and mostly likely others have too.<p>
 
Q: There is an interesting element that arises in this book and that is Spanish gold. I know you can’t tell us what happens in this book, but can you give us a brief history of this gold?<p>
 
A: Sure. When I was researching I came upon something interesting. The Spaniards, as we know, had taken much Aztec and Inca gold during the time of the conquistadors. Well, at the start of The Spanish Civil War much of this gold was still held in Madrid. In fact Spain had the fourth largest gold
reserves in the world at that time. The Republican government was afraid Franco would take the city and the gold. They had to get it out of Madrid and this included transporting priceless artifacts. The element of gold does make its way into my story. It was great to include this little-known (and true!) element into my story.<p>
 
Q: Another historical fact I learned about was the Nazi involvement during this time. Not only were the Germans active in Spain, but they had spy networks busy around the world. How did you find out about this?<p>
 
A: I love reading tons of research books. Usually I find one little element that I dig out and turn into a plot line. This is what happened with my plot-line for the Nazi pilot, Ritter. I dug up this bit of research of Nazi involvement in Spain — and the United States — because a lot of people aren’t aware of the Nazi involvement prior to WWII. The truth is they were busy at work getting the land, information, and resources they needed far before they threatened the nations around them. The Germans knew what they wanted and how to get it. And most of the time they succeeded!<p>
 
Q: A Shadow of Treason is Book Two. When will Book Three be out? Can you give us a hint of how the story continues?<p>
 
A: Book Three is A Whisper of Freedom. It will be out February 2008. The characters that we love are all still in the midst of danger at the end of Book Two. Book Three continues their stories as we follow their journeys in — and (for a few) out — of Spain. It’s an exciting conclusion to the series!<p>
 
Q: Wow, so we have a least one more fiction book to look forward to in the near future. Are you working on any non-fiction?<p>
 
A: Yes, I have two non-fiction books that will be out the early part of 2008. Generation NeXt Marriage is a marriage book for today’s couples. It talks about our marriage role models, our struggles, and what we’re doing right as a generation. It also gives advice for holding it together.
 I’ve also been privileged to work on the teen edition of Max Lucado’s book 3:16. It was a great project to work on. What an honor!<p>

 
Tricia’s website

This book is available at your local bookstores, but also online at Amazon