In the Shadow of Your Wings

Robinson (Bride Tree) follows interlocking tales based around a WWI German spy operation, in the vivid launch of the Northshire Heritage series. In 1915, the German army has begun its assault on continental Europe. Meanwhile, in Sussex, England, German spy Leila Durand has already accomplished her first mission: getting the attention of Malcolm Steele. Malcolm is the spoiled heir and only son of Thomas Steele, head of the Bank of England, and has the power to turn the war. In a separate plot, Will Thompson departs England to fight in France, leaving his wife, Eleanor, and daughter Abby behind. When Abby is killed in a zeppelin raid, Eleanor volunteers to go to France as a nurse in order to find Will. After Malcolm discovers Leila is a spy and is kicked out of his house by his father, who views him as a coward, he enlists in the army and makes his way to France as well, where his path inevitably crosses with those of Will and Eleanor. While the narrative sometimes moves too briskly, Robinson’s eclectic array of characters and high-stakes scenarios make for an immersive beginning to a series that will appeal to fans of war dramas. (Self-published.)