They found the flying officer hanging in his hut - another man who couldn't take the relentless pressure of flying operations, it seemed, although his fellow officers hadn't liked him much anyway. Besides, what was one more death among the thousands dying on the Western Front? Except that this man's family had connections to Field Marshal Kitchener and no one wanted him distracted on the eve of the big push on the Somme. So Investigator Miller is sent to the squadron to tie up the loose ends, to tidy the incident away. For some reason they think he is well-equipped for that sort of thing. Only it is all Miller can do to keep himself alive, flying daily over the enemy lines. And then he finds the suicide isn't quite as straightforward as it is supposed to be. Particularly when a second man turns up dead, purportedly shot with his own pistol... Set against the backdrop of the Great War and infused with a sense of intrigue and high drama, this is a novel of unsettling force. With a keen eye for detail, Oldman evokes the brutality of mud splattered battlefields and aerial combat, bringing the reader right up close to the action. As events spiral and the war continues to impact upon the investigation, peril and suspense combine to create a real sense of unease and urgency, leading towards an unexpected and fascinating conclusion. AUTHOR: David J. Oldman is a writer and history enthusiast, with a particular interest in First World War military history. This is his first published novel.
