Winter in Madrid

A Gripping Historical Espionage Thriller Set in Wartime Spain

By: C. J. Sansom

Narrated by: Daniel Weyman

From the bestselling author of the Shardlake series, C. J. Sansom, comes Winter in Madrid, a standalone historical novel set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

1940: The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined, its people starving, while the Germans continue their relentless march through Europe. Britain now stands alone while General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war.

Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of old school friend Sandy Forsyth, now a shady Madrid businessman, Harry finds himself involved in a dangerous game – and surrounded by memories.

Meanwhile Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged on a secret mission of her own – to find her former lover Bernie Piper, a passionate Communist in the International Brigades, who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama.

In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom is an intimate and compelling tale which offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding, and the profound impact of impossible choices.

Critic reviews

Sansom adroitly draws the disparate strands of his ambitious saga together. His non-pareil evocations of time and place anchor his characters with satisfying precision

An unsentimental and utterly fascinating portrait of Spain in 1940 . . . Sansom wears his research lightly and gets right under the skin of his characters. The result is a tense, literate page-turner, full of twists, authentic detail and real pathos, a superb achievement

A convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller . . . Sansom has a good eye for detail that brings the time alive

Thoroughly researched, convincingly evocative and solidly entertaining

Sansom triumphs as he unravels the tissues of lies and deceptions . . . a gripping, readable story

See review

Great story of love and betrayal
My thoughts exactly!!
How lIttle i know of Spains recent history
A good example of why chutch and state separation is of utmost importance

Worthwhile

The story is a somber but gripping tale of Spain in the early days of WWII. The narrator is first rate and provides a flawless performance. Highly recommended.

Great story of love and betrayal.

This is a story of love and betrayal set against the backdrop of a Spain wracked by Civil War, and the scramble of politicians to place Spain in the best position at the start of the second World War. The plot and characters drags you along like a twig in a flooded river! It is impossible to leave for too long as the characters are whole and rounded and the plot is heart wrenching. It is a great book and the reader was great as well.

Great historical novel

Not only a gripping story in itself, Winter in Madrid gives a fascinating background to the Spanish Civil War.

Great adventure

Believable characters, a compelling story and insightful history, this one is really quite good. The reader is also very good. I read a review criticizing the characters as two-dimensional. I didn’t find this to be the case. For the genre, they are really well developed and I find their motives totally believable. Enjoy!