Title: Red Lily
Author: Janice Graham
Publisher: Vendome Books
Release Date: May 26, 2025
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Thriller
Synopsis:
Paris 1989.
A cold war is ending.
A new family is beginning.
And one dog is about to save the day.
Carl Box has never met his Aunt Lily. She was the family scandal — exiled, disgraced, and never spoken of. So when he’s named the heir to her Paris estate, he packs a bag (and his two-legged dog, Billy) and prepares for paperwork, not espionage.
But Lily is very much alive. And very much in trouble.
What begins as a simple inheritance turns into a Cold War caper filled with coded messages, eccentric operatives, and secrets that could still get people killed. Carl soon finds himself in the role of spy — dodging agents, covering for Lily, and wondering what exactly she’s been hiding all these years.
Red Lily is a warm, witty historical suspense about unexpected heroism and the mysteries of family ties — perfect for fans of Killers of a Certain Age, Jacqueline Winspear, and Only Murders in the Building.
Carl Box is a pretty average guy leading a pretty average life. He’s a paint consultant for Disney, and he spends his days enjoying faux European destinations at Epcot. He has only his two-legged dog, Billy, for companionship, he’s financially well off, and he’s pretty content. So learning he’s inherited the Parisian estate of an aunt who was persona non grata to his family doesn’t thrill him. After all, who needs Paris when all of Europe is right there in Epcot? But he takes the first-class plane ticket and goes to settle his unknown aunt’s estate, or so he thinks.
Surprise! Aunt Lily is very much alive, having faked her death in efforts to avoid an unknown assassin. Carl learns that Lily trafficks in information under the guise of publishing works by Russian authors that the Russian government won’t allow. In exchange for a sizable cache of smuggled information that all the big intelligence agencies – CIA, MI6, and the like – want, Lily is hoping to persuade them to spring her Russian lover from a Soviet gulag. And since her life is at stake, suddenly Carl Box, paint consultant, finds himself thrust into the role of somewhat reluctant spy – swept up in mysterious meetups, banned books, an inter-intelligence agency clash, and even suspected of his aunt’s murder (you know, the one that didn’t happen).
The story felt slow early on. It meandered, and various characters in Paris – none of whom were Lily – were introduced. But then it picked up, and the rest of the book was quite entertaining! There were flashes of humor and a good bit of witty dialogue that made me chuckle. And found family is one of my favorite tropes, so I loved seeing it used to good effect here.
I grew up during the Cold War, and Janice Graham used that time period as her story’s historical background quite effectively. The historical events portrayed were realistic, and the fictional events made up around the history blended well. It might be worth noting that there’s a fair bit of profanity in the story. If that’s a problem, this might not be the best book for you.
And while there were moments of tension, this is not one of those nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thrillers. The stakes felt relatively low even with a potential assassin looking for Lily and a political prisoner hoping for release. To me, that makes this book an excellent choice for those times you want something engaging, but still light and easy to read.
Recommended for summer reading adventures!
This review first appeared on Reedsy Discovery, and I received an advance copy of the book from them. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.
