Brand new this week, Secrets of Malta by British author CECILY BLENCH is an atmospheric tale of adventure and espionage in Malta in 1943. Esther Lafferty meets the author to hear more and to ask what inspired her to set her story on these islands
The war in the air is over, but the battle for Europe continues as Margarita, a young singer in a Valletta nightclub, learns of the disappearance of her former lover Henry Dunn.
Margarita goes on to meet his wife Vera, an enigmatic archaeologist, and becomes entangled in the quest to unmask a dangerous Nazi spy.
This is the story that unravels in Secrets of Malta, a new novel by British author Cecily Blench published by Zaffre.
“Long before I ever visited Malta myself, I read about the country in the work of another English writer who found refuge there a century earlier,” explains Blench.
“Vera Brittain, a Red Cross nurse who later wrote extensively about her World War I experiences, arrived in Malta in September 1916, in mourning for her fiancé Roland, who had been killed fighting in France. She spent several months in Malta, which she called the ‘tawny island’, and it changed her life – she remembered the place years later with love and gratitude.”
Author Cecily BlenchBlench explained how Brittain shared memories of “golden stone buildings, of turquoise and sapphire seas, of jade and topaz and amethyst skies, of long stretches of dust-white road winding seaward over jagged black rocks older than history”.
“Vera’s wonderful descriptions were what first drew me to visit Malta,” Blench continues, “and I loved it at once, especially coming from a grey summer in England.”
The author explored Sliema and Mdina, cycled around Gozo, visited Ħaġar Qim, enjoyed local food, found hidden beaches and swam in the clear water of rocky coves. She went on to describe exploring Valletta’s narrow cobbled streets and imagining the secrets that could have been exchanged behind each honey-coloured wall and shuttered window.
Story inspired by numerous men and women who risked their lives
“Each time I return, I discover something new,” she said.
“As I read everything I could about the country, I discovered the importance of Malta in World War II; it was this that inspired Secrets of Malta. It seemed extraordinary to me that the war in the Mediterranean – spanning thousands of miles, dozens of countries and millions of people – was directed by the Allies from the Lascaris War Rooms’ nondescript underground offices!”
In the novel, the author followed the real timeline of the war as closely as possible, including military events in North Africa, the Middle East and mainland Europe which took place largely as described. While the spies in the novel are fictitious, the story is inspired by numerous examples of men and women who risked their lives as double or even triple agents.
“As well as the covert activities of the numerous intelligence agents – on both sides – who used the island as a base for their operations in the Mediterranean, I learned of smugglers who operated between Sicily and Malta, the daily struggles of Maltese civilians and Allied soldiers, and the impact of the siege,” she said.
“I also drew on eyewitness reports of the day King George VI visited Malta in 1943, dining at Verdala Palace where, I discovered, artworks were being stored as they were deemed unsafe in the galleries and state rooms of Valletta.”
Malta’s role in World War II inspired the author to write Secrets of Malta. Photo: Shutterstock.comThe author says fiction is “a wonderfully evocative way to look back in time”. “As an author, I find writing fiction liberating,” she said. “While a story like this is underpinned by lots of research, there’s an absolute freedom to develop the plot and characters and let your imagination fly.”
“For me, the most absorbing books are those with a strong sense of place: Malta has such a rich and unique character and varied landscape that it is an ideal backdrop for my characters – some of them Maltese, some British, some from elsewhere, all with varying histories and motivations – to interact and search for the truth, while the spy who eludes them is able to hide in plain sight.
“I know that writing about a country that is not one’s own is rather a presumptuous undertaking: I hope in Secrets of Malta I have managed to convey a taste of the island’s character, its complex history, its vital role in the World War II, and the friendliness and visual splendour that I have found utterly enchanting.”
Threads from Strait Street to Sicily
Beautifully written, this gentle-hearted thriller is a charming tale of drama and intrigue in which plucky Maltese heroine Margarita investigates a man’s disappearance, and in doing so stumbles upon the trail of a legendary Nazi spy, Nero. As the plot thickens, we follow the missing man’s wife Vera back into her past and her memories of time spent at an archaeological dig in Syria.
The narrative ticks along at a perfect pace, weaving together threads from Strait Street to Sicily, from Verdala Palace to North Africa, Oxford and London, and the story is resplendent with the gentility of this bygone age.
The flavours of Malta pervade every page despite the backdrop of the world war: you can feel the sun beating down and see the glistening sea as characters cycle through the golden landscape and discover hidden coves to unmask the danger in their midst. Perfect escapism!
Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench (Zaffre, 2024) is now available in bookshops across Malta.