The Dark Heart of Florence Tasha Alexander (novels for beginners .TXT) 📖

prewar years catalyzed the formation of intelligence services in both countries. One of the great triumphs of the period was that Britain developed its famous dreadnought battleship without the Germans so much as suspecting what their enemy was doing. Berlin, already too aware of Britain’s naval superiority, was taken completely by surprise when its enemy launched the dreadnought in 1906, rendering every other battleship in the world obsolete. During the development of the design, Colin and his colleagues would not have wanted to see the plans fall into German hands.

Darius Benton-Smith is loosely based on Kim Philby, arguably the greatest spy in history. Most secret agents are motivated by money, but Philby was a firm ideologue, believing from his days at Oxford that communism would benefit the British people. His astonishing story is brilliantly told in Ben Macintyre’s A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal. Finally, Colin’s superior, Sir John Burman, is named in honor of John Mortensen Burman, longtime supporter of the Albany County Library in Laramie, Wyoming. He is missed by friends, family, and colleagues every single day.

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ALSO BY TASHA ALEXANDER

In the Shadow of Vesuvius

Uneasy Lies the Crown

Death in St. Petersburg

A Terrible Beauty

The Adventuress

The Counterfeit Heiress

Behind the Shattered Glass

Death in the Floating City

A Crimson Warning

Dangerous to Know

Tears of Pearl

A Fatal Waltz

A Poisoned Season

And Only to Deceive

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

 About the Author

Tasha Alexander is the author of the New York Times bestselling Lady Emily mystery series. The daughter of two philosophy professors, she studied English Literature and Medieval History at the University of Notre Dame. She and her husband, novelist Andrew Grant, live on a ranch in southeastern Wyoming. You can sign up for email updates here.

    

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 Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Dedication

Epigraph

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

Bibliography

Also by Tasha Alexander

About the Author

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an