Bomber’s Moon by Paul Alan Fahey

Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.” – Winston Churchill

World War II London was a place of suffering and sacrifice, a place where the strength and character of Great Britain was not exemplified only by those who fought on the front lines but also by those who remained in the city to fight the good fight, to stand strong and to be the backbone of a country, and it is in this place that Leslie Atwater is sifting through the dust and ashes of a life lost to the most brutal and unforgiving of enemies—Death.

A tragic accident robbed Leslie of a life kept secret by necessity but made rich by the love he shared with Edward Bridger. It was while Edward was on an assignment for The Globe that he lost control of his car, and it was at that moment that Leslie’s life went up in flames. But as much as it may have brought an untimely end to Leslie and Edward’s romance, this is far from the end of their story.

A quite strength, unarguable courage, collective sacrifice, and a clear and present danger was a way of life for the British during the Blitz. It was time of blackouts and rations and nightly air raids, when at any moment homes might be razed, neighbors and loved ones might be lost. It was a time when Wardens shepherded their flocks into underground strongholds with little more than a hope and a prayer that it would be enough to see them through. Not only has Paul Alan Fahey captured the mood and atmosphere of this time in history in Bomber’s Moon, but has also woven around it a story of intrigue and espionage and treasonous acts in which the cowardly choose sides, but only when they believe they can choose the winning one.

Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, the author threw in a lovely twist that took the story from a game of clues to one of discovery and deception and danger for Leslie. It’s a story of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. The problem with that, however, is that in wartime, it’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the two.

Bomber’s Moon is the story of a romance that refused to perish in one of the most unromantic times in modern history, and is one I enjoyed very much.

You can buy Bomber’s Moon here: