"The Paris Architect", Charles Belfoure

"The Paris Architect" by Charles Belfoure: I picked this up as part of research into Occupied Paris during WW2. It's a first novel written by a professional architect, featuring a protagonist who uses his skills to construct secret hiding-places for Jews -- initially on a cynical level because he is being bribed to do so, but eventually because he becomes emotionally involved.

The 'first novel' bit really shows at the start, unfortunately -- I could practically see the historical research sticking out in lumps, and it felt so stilted that I wondered if I was going to be able to get through the book. The only convincing parts were the architectural aspects. But either the author got better as he went on, or else he managed to draw me into his story regardless, because by the end I was really on edge and caring about what happened to the characters.

(Glancing back over it, I still think there's far too much info-dump in the opening chapters: "You've probably noticed that since May all Jews over the age of six are now required to wear a yellow Star of David...")