When Darkness Comes - John Anthony Miller

 

Books of World War 2 fiction sometimes get frowned upon.  I have read quotes such as “Why write fiction when the facts are so fascinating” “World War 2 books of fiction do not have the intrigue and suspense of the non-fiction books”.

‘When Darkness Comes’ dispels all those myths and so much more.

This is a story of three lives intertwined within the World War 2, based in Paris in 1942.  This story is about hope, about courage, about conviction, about love and about the humanity of helping other people. Together these three people hide Jewish refugees, giving them new identities and leading them to safety.   They appear almost invincible in their efforts, overcoming obstacles, defying danger until an innocent old man, walking his dog, notices something out of the ordinary, a coincidental action that has far reaching consequences.

The author John Anthony Miller has created a power force of a book in ‘When Darkness Comes’.  The writing is well researched with well-crafted characters drawing you into their world.  A story of its time but with a wider reader audience in mind.

The development of the story, building pace, twisting, and turning, playing on your emotions, setting out the horrors that were experienced, breath-taking but with humility and understanding keeps you engrossed from page 1.

With this book I loved the writing, I loved the fact the chapters were short and punchy giving a real feel to the pace of the action.   I love the development of the plot and the twist and turns.  I loved you got under the characters skin and understood their motivation.

This book reads so easily it gallops along, keeping the pace and suspense throughout.  This book is not just for those interested in historical war novels; this book is not just for someone looking for factual correctness in a war context.  This book is an opportunity for anyone who wants to read book of suspense, of intrigue, of horrific tragedies, of compassion and of a world that is not often written about in this context. 

If you only read non-fiction war books step out of your bubble and let this book wash over you. You will enjoy it; it is good to let your mind wander into fiction occasionally.

It is a great read that you can pick up and put down and still remember the plot and twists. The writing is so well developed I cannot wait to read another of John Anthony Millers books.

Very highly recommended. This book is for a wide range of readers: suspenseful, thrilling, a love story and historical.  It has been a real pleasure to read.