Red Snow

Royston Thomas has two secrets. He has an excellent skill in Morse Code although he doesn’t think it is all that remarkable. And, he hates the idea of conflict so much that when World War II finally breaks out, he becomes a conscientious objector. These two things draw him to the attention of people he assumes to be British intelligence. They train him in Russian and in code breaking. Then they send him to Russia, to work on British Embassy radio traffic and secretly spy for the government. The Great Patriotic War soon overtakes him and his work. One after the other he loses the morals that make him who he is: his horror of human conflict is dulled by what he witnesses; out of necessity, he learns to accept the machinery of war, strong drink and bad language, even if it is in Russian. He retains his loathing for killing, but loses even that in desperate times; and then when he meets Yeva he loses his heart. When the war ends, he realises the treachery he has been subjected to and must find a way to save the things he values most. He must make a terrible choice.

Author Wilma Hayes lives and works in the Welsh Marches and Red Snow is the third in a series from this beautiful area of the United Kingdom. The first two books: Freeing My Sisters and Secrets Lies Legacies begin the stories.