Book
Theatre of War
First published 2008
In 1942 the Follies friends serve on several fronts at once. Richard performs as a cabaret singer while helping stranded British servicemen escape occupied France. Rose leads dancers entertaining troops under bombardment before receiving orders for a more dangerous posting. Merry follows the North African army as a phantom pianist, carrying music into the desert while grief and uncertainty shadow every performance.
Their separate assignments move through resistance networks, military camps and the campaigns that carry Allied forces from Africa towards Italy. Espionage depends on improvisation as much as theatre does, but mistakes behind enemy lines have fatal consequences. The novel brings performance and clandestine work together, showing each friend using the skills learned on the pier stage to preserve morale, conceal identity and survive a war without a reliable script.
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