The Innocent Assassin

In the final days of World War II, Penny Tompkins has one last mission. She's a British assassin, trained by the Special Operations Executive, and her final target is a notorious SS officer, Yann Kohler. But when Penny wakes aboard a train with the man's lifeless body beside her and the murder weapon planted at her feet, she realizes the hunter has become the hunted. Framed for a murder she didn't commit, Penny must uncover who killed the officer and why someone would go to such lengths to expose her secret identity. Trapped at a quiet country inn with a roster of suspicious guests, she navigates a treacherous path of deception, betrayal, and buried wartime secrets. Her only allies are her elderly neighbor, her charming yet mysterious SOE handler, and a clever French detective who suspects there's more to Penny than her elegant exterior suggests. As the investigation closes in and her enemies grow bolder, Penny must stay one step ahead to clear her name and complete her mission. But with the war ending, loyalties shift, justice turns murky, and the line between ally and enemy becomes dangerously blurred. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of post-liberation France, The Innocent Assassin is a clean, PG-rated historical mystery and romantic suspense novel. It features a strong female lead, sharp dialogue, and a tightly woven plot steeped in espionage and moral conflict. This is the first installment in The Traveling Companion Series, a gripping journey through postwar Europe where justice isn't always legal, and the most dangerous secrets are the ones you carry alone.