Red Lily

A whimsical spy thriller set in Paris at the end of the cold war, by the New York Times bestselling author of Firebird.

It's August 1989, and septuagenarian Lillian de la Pérouse is presumed dead, leaving her estate to her American nephew, Carl Box. Carl, who knows Lily only as a mysteriously disgraced relative, arrives in Paris with his faithful companion, a disabled dog named Billy. To his astonishment, he discovers his aunt to be very much alive and evading an unknown killer.

Lily, a former Dior model, romance writer and small press publisher, has been smuggling highly sensitive KGB archives from Moscow to Paris, documents she intends to leverage to free her long-lost love from prison. Lily uses Carl's unexpected arrival to lend credibility to her faked death, introducing him to her team of eccentric misfits and sending him on missions in her stead. Along with a beautiful Greenpeace activist Carl recruits along the way, they race through the enchanting streets of Paris, from the bustling markets of the Marais to the romantic banks of the Seine, trying to stay one step ahead of foreign agents, a French detective, and everyone else vying for the sensitive files.

As Lily introduces her nephew to her high-stakes world, she teaches him the art of living and challenges him to abandon his orderly life in Orlando. Carl soon finds himself transformed by the adventure, by Paris, by romance, and by the ever-growing bond between himself and his wildly unconventional Aunt Lily.

But once Carl gets his footing, he starts to wonder...why did Lily disappear all those years ago? What secrets is she hiding? And who is she, really?

Red Lily is both light-hearted entertainment and a touching portrait of a woman who risked everything in order to stay true to herself. It explores the themes of discovery and reconciliation, how families-like regimes-demonize outliers and what it takes to bring them together again.

"Janice Graham turns the thriller genre on its head with this captivating tale of clueless heroes and unlikely spies."

- Diane Johnson, Pulitzer prize finalist and author of Le Divorce

"...a masterfully written, whimsical spy thriller set in Paris just before the Cold War fizzles and the Berlin Wall crumbles....With its firm grasp of the period and punchy, believable dialogue, Red Lily is an irresistible offering....Highly recommended for fans of Mick Herron's Slow Horses and Linwood Barclay's Never Saw It Coming."

- BlueInk Reviews (starred review)

"... an intoxicating blend of espionage, family intrigue, and historical reflection....Graham weaves a story that is both thrilling and deeply human....One of the novel's greatest strengths is its protagonist, Lily-a woman whose past is as layered and complex as the secrets she has spent a lifetime guarding. Though she fits into the tradition of the wily older female sleuth, à la Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher, Lily's story is uniquely her own....This is historical suspense at its finest."

-Los Angeles Book Review

"...Graham does a remarkable job of building suspense throughout her novel....a striking balance of excitement, humor, and sincerity, perfect for anyone seeking a lively, twisty adventure."

- Kirkus Reviews

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