The Darkest Hour

A friend of mine passed along debut author Tony Schumacher's new thriller The Darkest Hour (#425) and told me I had to read it.  I gladly took her advice. 

This is alternative history, set in London after the Nazis have conquered the British.  There is a government in exile in Canada and an active British Resistance, but for most of the population, it's a return to as normal a life as they can manage under the Occupation.  For John Rossett it means returning to his job as a Detective Inspector after serving his time in an internment camp for captured soldiers.  His record as a DI is so good that the Germans choose him to work just as efficiently on the Jewish Question.  For Rossett, it's just a job until the day during a routine roundup he finds Jacob, a little boy hidden in the house by his grandfather.  The train has already left London that Jacob should have been on, so Rossett is stuck with him until he and his superiors can work out a solution.  But nothing is routine, and Rossett and Jacob are soon on the run for their lives from the Nazis, the Resistance and the communists, each with their own agendas.

Besides being a cracking good story, the characters in the book are interesting and multi-layered.  You want it to turn out well for all of them in the end, even Rossett's Nazi superior Ernst Koehler, even though you know it can't.  My friend thought that the author left a hint at the end that we might hear more of these people in the future.  I hope so, too, but I'm not sure that's too likely, all things considered.  Kudos to Mr. Schumacher.  If you're a WWII buff, definitely add The Darkest Hour to your reading pile.