Winter in Madrid
A compelling thriller and love story set in post–Civil War Spain Fans of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind and Sebastian Faulks's Birdsong will fall in love with Winter in Madrid, the arresting new novel from C. J. Sansom. In September 1940, the Spanish Civil War is over and Madrid lies in ruins while the Germans continue their march through Europe. Britain stands alone as General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war. Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett, a privileged young man who was recently traumatized by his experience in Dunkirk and is now a reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of Sandy Forsyth, an old school friend turned shadowy Madrid businessman, Brett finds himself involved in a dangerous game and surrounded by memories. Meanwhile, Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged in a secret mission of her own—to find her former lover Bernie Piper, whose passion for the Communist cause led him into the International Brigades and who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama. In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid is an intimate and riveti
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Winter in Madrid
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In autumn 1940, shell-shocked Dunkirk veteran Harry Brett is sent by British intelligence into the cold capital of Franco's Madrid to make contact with his old school friend Sandy Forsyth, who is doing business with the Falange.
Yes. C.J. Sansom set the novel in 1940 Madrid and integrated real Spanish Civil War aftermath, Falangist politics, and British covert operations.
No. It is a standalone, separate from Sansom's bestselling Shardlake mystery series.
Winter in Madrid was written by C. J. Sansom, published in 2006 by Pan Books.
Winter in Madrid is 540 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Winter in Madrid takes most readers 8 to 12 hours to finish.
Winter in Madrid is a standalone novel by C. J. Sansom, not part of a series.
Winter in Madrid is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.