Description
It is 1943, and the German Army has been defeated at Stalingrad. The Russians have taken 91,000 prisoners; 145,000 German soldiers have been killed. The tide is beginning to turn.
But on Guernsey and the rest of the Channel Islands, the only British territory to have been occupied by German troops, such a reversal is unimaginable. Here, in idyllic surroundings, the reality of war seems a lifetime away. While resentment runs high, life goes on, parties are held, love affairs blossom and the Guernsey Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Players can still stage productions of Private Lives, Babes in the Wood and Peter Pan--albeit with suspiciously jackbooted pirates.
But when a young local woman is found murdered, both the islanders and the occupiers are forced to acknowledge that this most civilized of wars conceals a struggle that is darker and more bitter than anyone cares to recognize.
'How close is the relationship between menace and protection, how powerful the seduction of treachery and how intense the relationships forged in the crucible of a small island are vividly demonstrated by Binding...a novel of rewarding subtlety and insight into the best and worst of human nature' Jane Shilling, The Times
'Tim Binding is a very clever writer...As a murder- mystery, this is immensely readable. But it is much more than that...a thought-provoking study of men and women in a time of madness' Simon Linnell, Daily Telegraph
'Binding captures the essence of life under occupation with fine description of character and a taut plot...There are heart-stopping twists and turns in the way in which people behave and react...This is high-class fiction: tense, compassionate, surprising and moving' Catherine Pepinster, Independent on Sunday
ISBN:9780330350464
