A Courage Undimmed
A WW2 Historical Mystery Perfect for Book Clubs
-
-
4.0 • 4 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
The third installment in the acclaimed, new, international World War II mystery series featuring pigeoneer, Olive Bright.
British pigeoneer Olive Bright is proud of the role her racing birds have played in the war effort and has hopes of becoming an agent herself . . . but first there is a baffling murder to solve.
In the cold, dark days of November 1941, fewer pigeons are being conscripted for missions into occupied Europe and Olive fears her covert program may be dropped altogether. In fact, the new CO of the Baker Street intelligence operation has expressed his doubts regarding her birds—not to mention Olive herself—and assigned her to a far more insignificant role: escort to a visiting officer of the Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch.
She’s none too keen on her assignment or her charge—the aloof and arrogant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming—but the last place she expects to accompany him is to a séance. While he remains tight-lipped about his reasons for attending the séance, his arrival with Olive raises eyebrows as she is still maintaining the ruse of dating Captain Jameson Aldridge. When murder occurs before her very eyes, Olive must trust her own instincts and not rule out anyone as a suspect—including the secretive Fleming—for one of them is harboring a hidden deadly agenda.
“The historical facts, engaging mystery, and the clever and charming Olive Bright put this series on my list of auto-buys!” —Dianne Freeman, Agatha and Lefty award–winning author of The Countess of Harleigh mysteries
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's late 1941 in Graves's spellbinding third Olive Bright mystery (after 2021's A Valiant Deceit), and headstrong, impulsive Olive of Pipley, Hertfordshire, is doing her bit helping out at a covert training center for saboteurs and assassins. Not even Olive's family knows she's been recruited by the enigmatic Col. Jamie Aldridge to secretly train homing pigeons for missions into occupied Europe. As a cover for Jamie's ubiquitous presence, the two pretend to be in love. But as the war drags on, Olive comes to the unsettling realization that her pretend love for Jamie may be only too real. Meanwhile, Pipley's newest resident, self-proclaimed medium Velda Dunbar, agrees to conduct a séance at the home of one of Olive's friends. But the show has barely begun when Velda dies. Poisoned, the doctor says. An accident, or was someone at the séance keen to punish the fraudulent spiritualist? The murder investigation is secondary to fascinating historical detail, as Graves paints a gritty picture of war on the home front. This portrait of sacrifice, bravery, and the unbreakable power of a community during WWII should win Graves new fans.
