A Dark Song of Blood
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bitter Lemon Press
Published:30th Jun '14
Should be back in stock very soon
Spellbinding multi-layered crime novel set in a fascinating period and place. Set in the first months of 1944, Rome is declared an 'open city' as the Allies steadily get closer. The German occupying forces know their days are numbered and yet the SS, the Gestapo and the Army desperately vie for power. The partisans attack the fascists and the Germans, triggering mass-murder retaliation. Controversially, the hero is an aristocratic German officer in the Wehrmacht. With echoes of Claus von Stauffenberg, he is torn between his duty as an officer and his integrity as a human being. He must investigate the deaths of a young German Embassy secretary, a Roman socialite and a cardinal, forcing him to confront historical characters like Field Marshal Kesselring and Monsignor Montini (the future Pope Paul VI).
Praise for the Martin Bora series: "The tone of LIAR MOON has a flu-like grimness, appropriate the 1943 setting. Pastor is excellent at providing details (silk stockings, movie magazines, cigarettes) that light up the setting." Booklist "Pastor succeeds at painting a memorable picture of Fascist Italy through the lens of ordinary police procedure carried out under extraordinary circumstances."Publishers Weekly "An impressive and intelligent novel." The Times "LUMEN's plot is well crafted, her prose sharp - a disturbing mix of detection and reflection." Publisher's Weekly "And don't miss LUMEN by Ben Pastor. When an abbess thought to have supernatural powers is murdered in Nazi-occupied Cracow, the Wehrmacht captain's investigation is complicated by his compatriots' cruelty and the Catholic Church's secrecy. An interesting, original and melancholy tale." Literary Review "LUMEN is a work of promise and fulfillment. A mystery, it rivets the reader until the end and beyond, with its twist of historical realities. A historical piece, it faithfully reproduces the grim canvas of war. A character study, it captures the thoughts and actions of real people, not stereotypes."The Fredericksburg Free Lance Star
ISBN: 9781908524300
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
283 pages