Christine Mangan’s latest novel, THE CONTINENTAL AFFAIR, is set in the 1960s but feels like it exists outside the boundaries of time. It is easily the best book she has written since her stunning debut, TANGERINE, and is the literary equivalent of a classic Bogie and Bacall film.

Henri, a Frenchman from Algeria, is approached by a woman in his train car who informs him that he is sitting in her seat. Even though they act like they have never met before, this is far from the truth. The novel jumps between the past and the present, and each snippet reveals another piece of their complicated relationship, which spans time, distance and the continent of Europe.

"THE CONTINENTAL AFFAIR is full of lush landscapes and beautiful prose, proving that TANGERINE was no fluke. Christine Mangan has found a great niche in which to write --- noir-style literary thrillers filled with international intrigue."

We learn fairly early on that Henri was sent by some nameless people to find Louise, who has something they want --- a satchel of money. She came upon it quite by accident and just slipped away with it. Henri is very good at his job; even when keeping his distance, he has Louise and the cash firmly in his sights. However, after meeting her, his mission seems to dissolve into the background as the two get to know each other. Henri’s own benefactors start to think they can no longer trust him to complete the mission and have sent someone to spy on both him and Louise as their train hurtles across Europe.

Louise is not the least bit surprised by Henri or his apparent intentions, yet she never seems to let on any of these feelings in their discussions. She is openly curious about him in a very real way, and any reader will be able to notice the connection they make with each other. This is what provides the suspense within THE CONTINENTAL AFFAIR. You wait patiently trying to guess what will happen next and if the story can have a romantic rather than a tragic ending. They seem bound by some sort of cosmic fate.

At one point, Louise hooks up with a small group of young people who are also traveling the continent and takes a brief side trip with them. After being confronted about her true identity, Louise loses the money --- or so she claims. I especially enjoyed the conversation she has with the much younger Iris about the writing of Dame Agatha Christie. It is not only a great passage but also displays Mangan’s love of fiction writing and is a noteworthy nod to the classics.

Once the individual flagging Henri and Louise meets up on the train with Henri, he tries to digest the story that Henri shares about money being found and then lost just as quickly. Of course, he doesn’t believe what he’s hearing, and at this point you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. The two new cohorts now explore ideas of running away and disappearing somewhere together. However, as Louise commented about Christie’s work, the villains always get caught in the end.

THE CONTINENTAL AFFAIR is full of lush landscapes and beautiful prose, proving that TANGERINE was no fluke. Christine Mangan has found a great niche in which to write --- noir-style literary thrillers filled with international intrigue. She gives readers the opportunity to escape to another place and time that is simultaneously more innocent and dangerous than our present world.