Churchill's Secret Messenger

(Hardback)

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From the USA Today bestselling author of The Long Flight Home...Recruited from Churchill's typing pool to become an undercover spy in German-occupied France, a young woman from London bravely endures daring missions, audacious escapes, and harrowing imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp, risking everything for the country-and the man-she loves. A riveting story of World War II and the courage of one young woman as she is drafted into Churchill's overseas spy network, aiding the French Resistance behind enemy lines and working to liberate Nazi-occupied Paris... London, 1941- In a cramped bunker in Winston Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, underneath Westminster's Treasury building, civilian women huddle at desks, typing up confidential documents and reports. Since her parents were killed in a bombing raid, Rose Teasdale has spent more hours than usual in Room 60, working double shifts, growing accustomed to the burnt scent of the Prime Minister's cigars permeating the stale air. Winning the war is the only thing that matters, and she will gladly do her part. And when Rose's fluency in French comes to the attention of Churchill himself, it brings a rare yet dangerous opportunity. Rose is recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret British organization that conducts espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe. After weeks of grueling training, Rose parachutes into France with a new codename- Dragonfly. Posing as a cosmetics saleswoman in Paris, she ferries messages to and from the Resistance, knowing that the slightest misstep means capture or death. Soon Rose is assigned to a new mission with Lazare Aron, a French Resistance fighter who has watched his beloved Paris become a shell of itself, with desolate streets and buildings draped in Swastikas. Since his parents were sent to a German work camp, Lazare has dedicated himself to the cause with the same fervor as Rose. Yet Rose's very loyalty brings risks as she undertakes a high-stakes prison raid, and discovers how much she may have to sacrifice to justify Churchill's faith in her . . . "A rousing historical novel." - The Akron Beacon Journal, Best Books of the Year for Churchill's Secret Messenger

Reviews

Praise for The Long Flight Home

Tense, heartwarming and life affirming, The Long Flight Home gives a fresh slant on heroism in WWII.
Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author

Ive always been fascinated by homing pigeons, and Alan Hlad makes these amazing birds and their trainers shine in The LongFlight Homea sweeping tale full of romance and espionage, poignant sacrifice and missed chances, uncommon courage, and the ongoing costs of war. A compelling debut told with conviction and great heart.
Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wifeand Love and Ruin

Hlads debut snares readers with its fresh angle on the blitz of WWII, focusing on the homing pigeons used by the British, and the people who trained and cared for them Descriptions of the horrors of war and the excitement of battle are engaging, and the unusual element of the carrier pigeons lends an intriguing twist. This story will speak not only to romance readers and WWII buffs but also to animal advocates and anyone who enjoys discovering quirky details that are hidden in history.
Publishers Weekly

Alan Hlad tells a dramatic, fictionalized story about the real use of pigeons during World War IICompellingThe engaging plot and fascinating details of the National Pigeon Service make it a rewarding read. Many civilian pigeon-keepers volunteered to try to turn the tide of the war, not knowing if it would work or be worth the loss of their birds in the dangerous process. The Long FlightHome captures the contributions of the average citizens who, in a time of peril, rose to meet the challenge in heroic ways.
BookPage

This well-researched historical novel presents a wealth of period detail and develops a romantic story inspired by the actual discoversreported in newspapers more than a half century after the warof the skeleton of an English homing pigeon carrying a still-legible coded message. The destructiveness of war, particularly the random carnage caused by the bombing of civilian areas, is vividly described, as well as the bravery of many citizens, including the homing pigeons of the National Pigeon Service.
VOYA Magazine

Hlads debut delves into an obscure piece of World War II history: the covert mission of the National Pigeon Service, which deployed an army of homing pigeons to send messages to Britain from Nazi-occupied FranceOllies attempts to escape from France are gripping, and Hlad adeptly drives home the devastating civilian cost of the war.
Booklist

In Alan Hlads fascinating story based on true events, he explores the special bond between an orphaned girl who raises the homing pigeons and an American soldier desperate to help the Royal Air Force.
AFAR Magazine, The Best Summer Reads,

The state of Maine is left behind in Alan Hlads tale of heroism and romance, but its spiritstoic, modest, independentis well represented in OllieWith its accounts of Luftwaffe raids on Britain and the unusual operation called Source Columba, which employed 16,000 pigeons in intelligence gathering,The Long Flight Homeis a fresh avenue into a curious piece of World War II history.
Down East Magazine

Based on true events, The Long Flight Home has everything I love in a novelthe sense of discovery, the epic drama of a life-or-death situation, and the soaring sense of hope gained from the depths of despair. Its a gorgeous, impressive first novel by a hugely talented author.
Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

A story of loss and heartbreak, sacrifice and compassion, The Long Flight Home is ultimately a story of hope.
TheNew York Journal of Books

A charming historical novel. With clear, vivid prose [Hlad] recalls the mostly-forgotten, but intriguing RAF experiment, and sensitively explores the growing relationship between Ollie and Susan. As one who has spent thousands of hours watching birds, I was equally touched by Hlads depiction of the bond between his characters and their pigeons.
Historical Novels Review

Author Bio

Alan Hlad is the internationally bestselling author of historical fiction novels inspired by real people and events of WWI and WWII, including The Book Spy, Churchill's Secret Messenger, A Light Beyond the Trenches, and the USA Today and IndieBound bestseller The Long Flight Home. A member of the Historical Novel Society, Literary Cleveland, Novelitics, and the Akron Writers' Group, he is a frequent speaker at conferences, literary events, and book club gatherings. He currently divides his time between Ohio and Portugal and can be found online at AlanHlad.com.