In 1939, for two young men, the start of World War II began with another adventure - a very personal one...
The Summer of '39
Britain is under attack on two fronts. The IRA is mounting a bombing campaign on the mainland, and agents of the German Secret Service are collecting vital information to help them if war breaks out.
Investigative journalist Roger Martin unearths a link between the IRA and Nazi Germany and, with the help of two teenage boys and Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, uncovers two plots which threaten Britain’s preparations for war.
Meanwhile, Roger discovers that the Gestapo are blackmailing a young Jewish girl who has come to England through the Kinder Transport and is working in the service of a senior Foreign Office Diplomat. A daring operation is mounted to rescue her parents from under the noses of the Gestapo in Berlin.
The Summer of ’39 is a tale of spies, terrorists and blossoming young love—an epic adventure set in the final months of peace before WWII.
In the summer of 1939, that Britain stood on the verge of war for the second time in a quarter of a century. Britain was on the brink of another conflict with Germany despite the best efforts of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain whose attempts to appease Adolf Hitler had come to nought despite his very best efforts.
The last few months before the outbreak were dominated by preparations for the expected conflict. Against this background, a conspiracy was also coming together as Irish terrorists (the IRA) struck a deal with the Germans who provided them with weapons, explosives, safe houses and training.
This, then, is the background to my novel THE SUMMER OF ’39. It’s a work of fiction with heroes, villains, traitors and patriots - and love too...