Reviewed by John Davis
If there is one period of history in which enthusiasm never seems to have dimmed it is the Second World War. Whether it’s the build-up in Europe during the 1930s, the conflict itself or the aftermath worldwide, the novels keep coming by the bookshop load.
According to the author this book had been in the planning for a number of years and he was finally inspired to get it written when he visited Sainte-Mere-Eglise, an actual town in Normandy on the Cotentin Peninsula.
The place is actually only a few kilometres from the legendary Utah Beach used during the D-Day landings and was one of the first towns to be liberated by American soldiers.
Rewind, and following the invasion of France, the Nazis, including a detachment of the Waffen-SS, arrive with a plan to occupy this quiet French town. Some of the locals, the French Resistance and later Allied forces have other plans though.
The narrative is certainly engaging and fast paced as we switch from one piece of action to another. Locations with date-lines are included so readers know exactly how things are progressing chronologically.
The diverse range of characters introduced are appealing and easy to identify with and, although some of the writing may be a little uneven in places, there is an excellent balance between actual historical events and fictional creations.
Personally, I found the section dealing with the refugees escape from France via the Pyrenees into neutral Spain over-long and could not wait to get back into France as D-Day loomed. But that’s a minor gripe in what otherwise is a very readable example of the genre.
Published by Vinci Books.
