Massawa
Book 1 of the Vichy Conspiracy
Pam Webber
She Writes Press
June 2026
Massawa by Pam Webber is a tale of espionage, love, and illusion with a strong female protagonist, Kit Thomas. Instead of the well-known European battlefields, the story transports readers to Eritrea and the Red Sea, bringing this to the forefront. A plot by Nazi sympathizers threatens Allied operations in North Africa. Little was known about the espionage narrative that detailed Eritrea’s strategic role.
“This was the first in the series. The vehicle that I’m using for the story are the early days of the OSS, which was the precursor to the CIA. And the utilization of women. The first director of the OSS was a guy named Bill Donovan, and Billy Donovan was a brilliant man, but he was also a notorious womanizer. But in all of that, he also recognized that women were the best, most natural to find men’s secrets. So, he hired women by the thousands, and sent them all over the globe, as part of the OSS, primarily because in most countries, women were not suspected, even though women have kind of been spies for their homelands for centuries. He had an organized effort of women to be intense intelligence gatherers all over the world. And Bill Donovan started that.”
In 1942, a novice female American spy, Kit Thomas, is sent to northeastern Africa to investigate the disappearance of millions of military dollars. Instead of partnering with her young OSS boss, Jake Morgan, her partner will be MI6 Agent Mark Williams. Nazi sympathizers, Vichy cell members, members of the resistance movement, unskilled Eritreans and skilled Italian POW laborers as well as military and civilian members of the Allied forces are all an integral part of the little-known story.
“She was sent to Massawa to trace the money. Mark and the Brits are the ones who came in and said, ‘You know, we think this was bigger than just stolen money. We think there is a Vichy conspiracy with that money being diverted to help Rommel to the north.’ I would describe Kit as detailed, impulsive, intuitive, empathetic, and inexperienced. I think the first adjective to describe her is analytical. Kit was recruited to the OSS from the War Department, where she was working as an analyst. She’s the one that’s thinking six levels down about what’s going on. I would say analytical at the top, along with naïveté.”
In Massawa, Kit and Mark discover a conspiracy by Nazi sympathizers, known as the Vichy, to shut down the only Allied naval base on the Red Sea, an essential resource in stopping the Nazi invasion of North Africa.
“He is kind of off balance, manipulative. Likes to play games, confident, lonely. He lost his wife and brothers, so he has a facade. He’s not the tough guy so he tries to come across as the uncaring guy. He’s a man of secrets. Mark is coming in knowing that he’s got this novice female OSS agent, from a novice organization. So, he comes in with a little bit of skepticism as it is. He has a little bit of ego because he’s an experienced agent. Part of the dynamics of the story is how Mark and Kit work out their relationship, both on the professional level, to get the job done, and then on a personal level as well.”
The partnership between Kit and Mark adds the right amount of tension without overshadowing the central mystery. Their growing trust is mixed with suspicion and subtle romantic chemistry. Their relationship has undeniable chemistry, but also distrust and conflicting agendas.
“It was a natural thing to build in a little bit of romantic tension there. Kit has been in love with Jake since she came to the OSS. She thinks his feelings are reciprocated, but because he keeps everything so close to the chest, and he’s technically her boss, he’s never declared anything. And then here comes Mark, and over time, Mark obviously becomes invested and interested in Kit on a personal level.”
This is a riveting thriller that readers will be disappointed in having to wait a few years for its sequel. There are espionage, danger, political intrigue, and adventure with a blend of fiction and fact that makes for a very interesting story.
