"July 1918, the Western Front. Gregor Reinhardt, a young lieutenant in the German army, begins looking into the murder of several fellow officers, an act allegedly perpetrated by his friend. He uncovers a conspiracy at the heart of the army aimed at bringing the war to a premature and questionable conclusion."
Fans of historical military fiction should now be very familiar with the name Luke McCallin. Twice short-listed for the CWA Historical Dagger, he hails from a similar mind and skill-set as William Ryan and Philip Kerr and has acquired a reputation for producing accurate and entertaining novels featuring Gregor Reinhardt, an intelligence officer tasked with investigating serious offences involving military personnel.
With three successful novel behind him, all set in WWII, McCallin has taken his character back to WWI, to the trenches and to German Society as it was at the time of the Kaiser. Read, be entertained and learn about events that influenced history. With the fire lit and a whisky on the arm of the chair, could there be a better way to spend an evening?
** LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER **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... PRAISE FOR THE GREGOR REINHARDT SERIES'Gritty and atmospheric - a new Luke McCallin novel is a cause for celebration' - William Ryan'Let's not mince words: historical thrillers don't come any better' - Financial Times'Reinhardt is a terrific creation' - Times (Book of the Month)'What makes the book terrific is the humanity and hope that shine through even the darkest of scenes' - The Herald'Assiduous research, often beautiful writing, and an engaging protagonist whose melancholy cynicism seems just right for the time and place' - David Downing'A compelling, addictive narrative... Superlative' - CJ Carver
Luke McCallin was born in 1972 in Oxford, grew up in Africa, went to school 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 - put under abnormal pressures. He lives with his wife and two children in an old farmhouse in France in the Jura Mountains. He has a master's degree in political science, speaks French, and can just get by in Russian. When he's not working or writing, he enjoys reading history, playing the drums, and heading into the mountains for a run.
