A murder, a desertion, and a trial fill the pages of the fourth in the five book World War I series by author Anne Perry. With each book in the series the tales get more exciting and fast paced.
In this installment, Chaplain Joseph Reavley, after 3 years, is still serving with the English at Ypres in France. The devastation and loss of life is enormous. His sister Judith is still driving ambulances at the front, and Matthew, their brother, continues to look for a man called the Peacemaker, who murdered their parents just before the war began. Sister Hannah remains at home with her children while her husband, Archie, serves in the Royal Navy.
The regiment Joseph serves has lost it commander in
battle and a new man, Major Howard Northrup, is tapped to
lead the men. Northrup has no clue how to lead in battle and does not accept advice from the men who have fought for three long years. He continues to send men into useless and dangerous battles which are sure to get them killed. Finally the men can take no more, and Northrup is found shot in the head on the battle field. The claim that a German sharpshooter killed him is discounted when Northrup’s father, a General, appears to press the issue. Joseph’s commanding officer, Colonial Hook,
charges him to discover who may have shot Major Northrup. None of the men are talking, but when Joseph reports this, General Northrup begins his own investigation and has 12 men arrested, including Captain Cavan, a doctor who has earned the Victoria Cross and with whom Judith has great respect, and maybe something more... Except for Captain Cavan, the men escape their “jail”, which is an occupied farmhouse just behind the front. General Northrup is irate. He has Joseph thrown into jail when learns Joseph cannot locate the escaped men.
Judith visits General Northrup and tells him exactly how much of a mess his son made of command and how many men needlessly died following his foolish orders. The General has heard this report many times, and agrees to lessen the charges to something that doesn’t involve the firing line, but he can do nothing about the desertion charges which have been leveled at the escaped men. Joseph is again called on, this time by Colonel Hook, to find the missing men. Joseph gets a lead from an unlikely source that the men are making for Switzerland. When he finds them, Joseph learns the truth about the incident which resulted in Major Northrup’s death. After convincing most of the men to return and face trial, Joseph follows the trail of the one man who was the actual shooter. The trail of this man leads Joseph behind enemy lines in an attempt to find him and bring him to justice. Will Joseph survive?
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