I am thrilled to be kicking off this brilliant tour.
Detangling the plot:
THE WESTERN FRONT, JULY 1918. Gregor Reinhardt is a young lieutenant in a stormtrooper battalion on the Western Front when one of his subordinates is accused of murdering a group of officers, and then subsequently trying to take his own life. Not wanting to believe his friend could have done what he is accused of, Reinhardt begins to investigate. He starts to uncover the outline of a conspiracy at the heart of the German army, a conspiracy aimed at ending the war on the terms of those who have a vested interest in a future for Germany that resembles her past. The investigation takes him from the devastated front lines of the war, to the rarefied heights of Berlin society, and into the hospitals that treat those men who have been shattered by the stress and strain of the war. Along the way, Reinhardt comes to an awakening of the man he might be. A man freed of dogma, whose eyes have been painfully opened to the corruption and callousness all around him. A man to whom calls to duty, to devotion to the Fatherland and to the Kaiser, ring increasingly hollow...
Bobs and Books honest review:
WW1 fiction is a real passion of mine so I jumped at the chance to be on the tour for this read.
This doesn't shy away from the horrors of war, or its aftermath. Buckle yourself in, and be ready to give this your full attention as its a very complicated plot and jumps around a bit. Characters pop in and out quite a bit too. An eye for detail will definitely enhance the reading experience.
If you love thrillers and war time, then this has the perfect concoction of components for you. Twisty, surprising and packed with plenty of action.
I read as a standalone and really enjoyed. A great murder mystery.
About the author: Luke McCallin was born in Oxford, grew up around the world and has worked with the United Nations as a humanitarian relief worker and peacekeeper in the Caucasus, the Sahel, and the Balkans. His experiences have driven his writing, in which he explores what happens to normal people--those stricken by conflict, by disaster--when they are put under abnormal pressures.