With a compelling first chapter that leaves the reader invested in Aleida and her dedication to finding her son, Aleida soon takes a job that allows her to search in London and beyond. BBC reporter Hugh Collingwood befriends the young widow and she quickly becomes his favorite air warden to interview for his radio broadcasts.
When a murderer is on the loose, Hugh and Aleida grow closer but a mistake drives them apart. And the question becomes not only will she find her son, but will she survive to continue her search?
There were so many things that delighted me in this story of faith, dedication, and fighting against the odds. I particularly loved that a small event pays off as I’d hoped, the way the story highlights the plight of refugees in war ravaged England, and the scenes where Hugh, and eventually Aleida, interact with the other journalists.
Sarah Sundin’s Embers in the London Sky is her fourth stand-alone novel and, though I’ve yet to read all of her backlist, in my opinion it is one of her best. Well researched and written with emotional depth, this is the type of World War II fiction that, like Rachel McMillan’s post-war set novels The London Restoration and The Mozart Code, has me wanting to loop back to the beginning and read it all over again.
Highly recommended.
This review refers to both a purchased paperback and a library audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Book
London, 1940
As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.
When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes.
The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But time is running short–and the worst is yet to come.
Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin | Revell, February 2024 | paperback, 400 pages
Library audiobook narrated by Lisa Larsen for Tantor Audio.
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