Two families, two types of war, colliding with tragic results...
Two Families at War
Two families, one escaping the horrors of Nazi Germany, the other anticipating the illicit opportunities that the blackout and blitz will bring.
As the bombs begin to fall on London, the paths of the two families cross with tragic consequences as their lives race towards a dangerous and thrilling climax.
Two Families at War tells of the battle between good and evil, set against the terror of the second Great Fire of London, December 1940.
One of the chief characters in this book is Richard Walker, an important part of the plot of The Blue Pencil and he provides the link between the two novels. Others from my first novel do make fleeting appearances in Two Families at War.
In both books I tried to weave the fortunes of fictional characters into real events and this entailed a great deal of research because I was keen to be as historically accurate as possible.
I wanted to look in some depth into the lives of Jewish people in Berlin as war approached and into tales of internment on the Isle of Man. I spoke extensively to Blitz survivors, both in North London and elsewhere in the UK. I visited all of the locations in the book, including a whole week spent on the Isle of Man (in fine weather!).
Research for Two Families at War took about six months and the actual writing a further six months. If reading it gives you half as much pleasure I’ve had from writing it, I’ll be very satisfied.