Publisher's Synopsis
1938. Darkness shrouds the horizon. The leaders of Great Britain prefer to ignore Churchill's warnings and act like ostriches wanting peace. They make a tragic mistake. In the spring of 1940, France collapses under the force of the Hitler's all-powerful war machine. England stands alone. Worse is yet to come when a British spy discovers that German scientists, under pressure from their Nazi leaders, are working on a secret weapon, a nuclear device of unthinkable power. Set in two parts, Barry Wood skillfully weaves together the lives of remarkable, captivating characters, and draws the reader into a whirlpool of a fascinating wartime novel. James Royce is a troubled mountain climber and an engineering genius, who struggles to keep his demons in check for the love of a woman. He is pushed to the brink emotionally when learning he alone possesses the secret to saving England and the free world. Daphne Elliot, a beautiful, independent American heiress, enters Royce's life in a dramatic way. Loved and then slighted by Royce, she turns her emotions into ambition to become a wartime ferry pilot and the finest aviatrix in England. Kenneth Sommers, the handsome, self-assured Squadron Leader in one of the RAF's famed Spitfire Groups, is in love with Daphne. He teaches her to excel in flying Hurricanes and Spitfires. Then, driven by his love for his country, he uses his skills against the German Luftwaffe in France and the Battle of Britain, knowing full well, his combat days will be numbered. Intertwining the lives of colorful and controversial characters with other individuals, both real and fictional, Barry Wood spins a fascinating tale. A chronicle of the times is revealed... a chronicle of courage, tenacity, danger and survival, in the period leading into WWII. It was a time of heroes. The history is real, the characters and events unforgettable, the action relentless-the ending, staggering.
