A Question of Betrayal

I only borrowed A Question of Betrayal because it's set (partly) in Trieste, but I shouldn't really have bothered. Newbie MI6 agent Elena Standish is sent to the city in 1933 to rescue another agent, who broke her heart a few years ago, the charismatic Aiden Strother. There ensues pages of tortured conversation about treachery and back-stabbing, a convoluted plot about Nazi money-laundering through MI6 (really??), second-guessing about which side Aiden is really on, some historical detail about Dollfuss and the Austrian Fatherland Front, plotting to install Hitler as overlord. 

There is a small amount of description of Trieste's streets and canals, and the clothes sound gorgeous -- bronze-coloured evening dresses, grey silk and sequins, but I found it hard to summon up much interest in the story, despite the fascinating setting. A Question of Betrayal feels quite loosely edited; there were a few annoying inconsistencies in the plot, and a huge amount of yakking -- there was huge urgency to get Aiden out of the city as his cover was blown, and yet they spent days wandering about exchanging smouldering looks. 

A Question of Betrayal is book 2 in a five book series. Author Anne Perry died a year ago, but luckily completed this series before she left us. I'm sure there will be Elena Standish fans who are relieved about that, but I don't think I'll be seeking out the other volumes.