Writer: Tom Kane
Publisher: Brittle Media
Release Date: May 18, 2024
Kindle ebook: $2.99 (Currently Free on Amazon)
Paperback: $16.99
When Jessie Fordham went to Cambridge University, she vowed not to follow in her father’s footsteps. Still, she took the courses he recommended. When she returns to her French home by the Midnight Lake, Jessie intends a short visit before returning to her home country. Will the impending war with Germany dash the British woman's dreams of attending journalism school in England? Let’s grab our kit bags, march into Walking Away From Midnight, and find out!
Story
Despite Jessie's plans to attend journalism school in England, the demands of home suck her in. Her father works as the Military Attaché for the British Ambassador in Paris. The woman who replaced her mother in her father's affections works for the French government. Her uncle Nev comes and goes, forcing Jessie to oversee life in the labyrinthine home. While Jessie manages the servants and looks after her younger siblings, she organizes diplomatic functions for her father and oversees his home office while he works in Paris.
While some foresee a German Blitzkrieg, the commencement of World War Two becomes a waiting game. Like many countries in Europe, French leaders lack the will to defy Hitler. So, when the Nazi forces march toward Paris, the French government flees to England. Her father’s diplomatic and Intelligence work prevents him from leaving Paris immediately, forcing Jessie to lead her family to safety.
While Tom Kane provides glimpses of Jessie’s childhood and her years at Cambridge, Walking Away From Midnight is aptly named. Jessie must wrangle her siblings into a troop that will follow her every command while fighting a battle of wills with her stepmother. She may have decried her father's strict, uncaring attitude while growing up. Yet Jessie realizes the wisdom behind his cold sternness. She vows to protect her family and make him proud. But as she and her family journey across the French countryside to a stretch of beach called Dunkirk, she will discover things about her father she never suspected.
Art
Tom Kane brings an epic feel to Walking Away From Midnight, showing world leaders making difficult decisions that will affect millions. He structures his novel with short chapters composed of even shorter scenes. Tom Kane introduces soldiers reluctant to kill others in the name of war, an American journalist who understands racial oppression, and a nurse from the last war who senses how much Jessie's family struggles between their loyalty to each other, their countries, and their ideals. Thanks to Tom Kane for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Amid a historical panorama evoking Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Walking Away From Midnight follows the development of the Enigma Machine, soldiers protecting a country their leaders have abandoned, and a young woman’s determination to protect her family while safeguarding the secrets that could secure her nation’s future.
5 Stars
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