The Listeners

What dark secrets lie behind the facade?

The year is 1942, America has just entered World War Two, and the luxurious Avallon Hotel and Spa has been repurposed by the State Department to “host” a number of Axis diplomats while their governments haggle over a prisoner swap. Avallon general manager June Hudson believes she can manage the balancing act of keeping her new guests happy and content while also supporting her staff, many of whom have loved ones fighting overseas against the Axis forces. FBI Agent Tucker Rye Minnick, meanwhile, is hard at work listening in on everyone’s secrets, trying to find a way to catch a spy and keep his job intact. Underneath it all, the mountain sweetwater which normally heals all troubles is beginning to turn sour with the weight of the hotel’s troubles.
Maggie Stiefvater’s first adult novel (she has numerous middle grade and young adult novels under her belt) is a wonder to read. This slightly fantastical story is still grounded in the realities of its characters and their troubles, while also creating a mystical atmosphere for its reader. I loved it, even though I am normally not much of a historical fiction reader.