House of the Hunted by Mark Mills

I’ve always wondered the pressure authors are under when their first book is a runaway best seller, such as Mark Mills’ Amagansett. It was well worth the accolades. It had a marvelous story, interesting characters and great writing.

I’ll admit that I was disappointed with his next two offerings: The Savage Garden and The Information Officer. However, he’s on his way back with The House of the Hunted. Taking place in the early 1930s, it recounts the story of Tom, a retired World War I British spy who has purchased a villa in the south of France, living the high life. He’s surrounded himself with a group of friends and summers are filled with parties, the beach, sailing. One such friend is Leonard who now works for the Foreign Office. In 1919, Tom had fallen in love with Irina, who was imprisoned in Russia. Tom’s attempt to rescue her is unsuccessful and she is ultimately murdered.

Yet, sixteen years later, two attempts on Tom’s life are made within a few days. As evidence is uncovered, it all points back to Russia.

House of the Hunted is low on action and high on a description of Tom’s life, his friends, his god-daughter, Lucy (Leonard’s stepdaughter). In some respects it plays into the whole Gold Coast life of the rich and famous, describing the excesses of the rich when times are bad.

While House of the Hunted was surely enjoyable, it lacked something. It lacked conflict. All the characters were likeable, even the ones you shouldn’t like. It lacked an overriding struggle that readers can latch onto and care about. It lacked something to propel the reader forward, so that when the end comes readers feel surprised and satisfied.

I do recommend House of the Hunted. However it is not a mystery and it is not filled with espionage. It is a easy going story about the rich life in France in the 1930s.