In Mortal Danger

 In Mortal Danger

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       May 24, 2015

 

Author  Lorraine Campbell

Distributor:     
ISBN:                 978-099254934-3
Publisher:         Palmer Higgs Pty Ltd
Release Date:    

Website:    http://www.palmerhiggs.com.au 

This second novel and follow-on from ‘Resisting the Enemy’ is a well-constructed and enjoyable sequel that flows well even if you did not read the first book, which is tribute to the author.

The characters are very comfortable to get to know and you immediately slip into the world of France during the German Occupation, to a time when life was tough and the wrong step could get you killed, simply to prove a point.

As a Resistance fighter in France, Valentine de Vaillant (Valli) knows what it is like to run a risk of capture on a daily basis as she goes about her life in and about Lyon. Valli is well aware that the risks she takes could either get her killed or end up in a concentration camp somewhere in Germany.

After a close call with some German soldiers at a check point she vows to take a lot more care carrying out her work as a courier; making dates with two soldiers in one morning was really taking two great a risk.

She lives with her grand-mere at Villa Mimosa, a stately home requisitioned by the Germans to house one of their Officers Maximillian von Stahlmann, along with his aide and dog Apollo, which add additional danger to Valli’s undertakings.

 As von Stahlmann has seen some serious action and is no fool, she is sure he is aware she is a member of the Resistance but hopes that even if he does suspect, he will not take the matter further.

To complicate matters further, the more she gets to know him the more she realises that even though he is German soldier, and very definitely the enemy, her feelings for him in a romantic way seem to be growing, which places her in a serious dilemma. She is not at all sure how her feels toward her but hopes their growing friendship is a little more than just friendship.

When her friend Marguerite is arrested because she is a Jew, Valli has little choice but to go to her friend’s aid, but will this be the one thing that von Stahlmann will not be able to overlook.

Enjoyable and entertaining, with a very surprising twist at the end.

Fiction