Martha Albrand (1914–1981)

Martha Albrand (Heidi Huberts Freie Lowengard) is hardly mentioned in our time, but one only has to track down one of her books to realize why she became so successful. Her novels of intrigue and suspense always had a dash of romance, and a splash of color. Nearly all of her books are so well written as to have a cinematic quality. Captain Carey, U.S.A., one of my favorite Alan Ladd films, was in fact based on one of her books.

With their colorful locations, excellent plotting, sense of danger and terrific narrative movement, they stand head and shoulders above most romantic suspense and danger novels. Albrand also often made her protagonist male, which was quite unusual. I would almost liken her to David Dodge in this sense: her narrative has such an easy flow that you are surprised to look up from the page and discover you’ve just gobbled up half the book.

Heidi’s sisters, Jutta Freybe and Johanna Sibelius, were also very talented, Jutta becoming an actress in Germany, Johanna a screenwriter there. Heidi already had a reputation in Europe — writing as Katrin Holland — when she voluntarily left Hitler’s Germany for America. Her sisters remained. Her novel Carlotta Torresani was a bestseller for decades in that arena.

A Day in Monte Carlo is somewhere close to the center of her fiction output, No Surrender being published in 1942, and A Taste of Terror being published in 1976. This one is from 1959, and it’s a fun read. Like all her books — though it had been years since I’d read her before tracking this down — A Day in Monte Carlo begins swiftly, when artist and reporter Mark Travers witnesses the murder of his friend Phillipe Langlé. Phillips is the brother of Mark’s great love Monique, who died tragically. A meeting with Algerian rebel Timgad, a mysterious figure no one has ever seen, leads to Phillipe’s death. The deadly Timgad must be stopped in order to keep the Communists from using Algerian unrest to gain a foothold only a stone’s throw from Europe, and France. But political ramifications take a backseat for Mark Travers, who wants revenge for Phillipe’s murder. But revenge may come at a very high price.

Mark hooks up with Inspector Pierrier of the French Police and becomes sort of an unofficial operative for him, which is another way of saying bait. It is exciting as Mark attempts to discover just who Timgad is, as he could be just about anyone. A friend is murdered in a car wreck eerily similar to Isadora Duncan’s famous death, and an explosion rocks a café where Pierrier and Mark are meeting, once again bringing the horror and danger they face right up front. Complicating matters is the lovely Fleur Constant, with whom Mark has fallen in love.

All the elements of a true romantic thriller, from the exotic and colorful locations to the romance and danger, are beautifully balanced by Albrand as her page turning narrative drives the story toward its exciting conclusion. There are nice little touches scattered throughout, and while there isn’t a ton of depth, Albrand gives us just enough to make us care about the people so that we’re racing along with them to discover the identity of Timgad.

Marvelous stuff for a light yet thrilling novel of romantic intrigue and danger with a colorful backdrop. Another excellent writer sadly out of print. Those who enjoy well written, old-fashioned romantic thrillers from the past can’t go wrong with Albrand, who puts just enough bite — and surprises — into this one to make it a fun read. Highly recommended!… (altro)

Martha Albrand was an unknown author to me, but the book looked interesting so I picked it up in a book sale. Written in 1943, it is the story of an American soldier who has been captured in Italy. He wakes up one morning to find himself in a mental hospital. The doctor and staff insist he is someone else, an Italian.

The book is described as a mystery without a murder. The doctors call him cured and release him. He finds himself in Rome, searching for a woman who has vital information for the Allies.

It was a quick, enjoyable read.… (altro)

I actually picked up an old hardcover of this book at the dump, and, not knowing what it was beyond the blurb in the flyleaf, decided to give it a shot. I'm really glad I did - it's an excellent adventure set in a beautifully described location, and deals frankly with the aftershocks of World War 2 in a way that only a book written by someone who experienced it can explain. I'd really push reading this book, and I'd like to find more by the same author; it seems that in her day she was a very prolific writer.… (altro)

"With Anne gone, with nothing to live for, he had been willing to claim the guilt for a crime he did not commit. Then, by a miracle Anne returned, and life, freedom, love became desperate needs. An escaped prisoner, a convicted murderer, a man without rights, he stalked Europe for the one witness who could prove his innocence..." - back cover. Unfortunately, his witnesses were dead or scattered across the world; those who could be located were living under false names, involved in a crime ring and for varying reasons of fear, greed, or pure selfishness, had no intention of proving anything that would help anyone but themselves. A fun thriller read.… (altro)