David Crackanthorpe Libros

Set amidst the moral and political chaos of newly liberated France in 1945, this is an extraordinary novel of love, betrayal and sacrifice. As a student in France under the German occupation, Stephen Seagrave risked his life for the Resistance. But with the German defeat come dangers of another but no less frightening kind as he searches for the Gypsy whore he tried to save from the camps. His only weapon is a compromising photograph of a collaborator, now a powerful man in the new government, whom he must blackmail into helping him. But such a dangerous game will lead him into a deadly labyrinth of deceptions and betrayals where it is no longer possible to tell friend from foe.

In a Marseilles prison cell, Jason Ricardo’s prospects are shrinking fast. The French authorities take a dim view of smuggling, and an extended stay seems unavoidable—until his brother Hugh, upstanding head of the family shipping firm, turns up to bail him out. However, Hugh’s gesture is not entirely selfless. Their widowed mother, May, has fallen under the spell of Hungarian entrepreneur Charlie Seker, who’s siphoning off Jason and Hugh’s inheritance at an alarming rate. Hugh wants Jason to find out if there’s more to Seker than meets the eye. As Jason infiltrates Seker’s business dealings, he uncovers a horrifying world of depravity and corruption, and soon he’s wondering just what kind of bargain he’s made with his brother—and whether he might not be safer behind bars. Especially when Hugh’s alluring wife, Rosie, gets involved.