Harry Lloyd, British diplomat and former soldier is called upon by two of the world’s greatest leaders to penetrate German occupied England and retrieve the greatest secret of the war — the atomic bomb. Harry enlists the help of his friend George Hayes to try and stop the top Nazi, SS officer Reinhard Heydrich, from discovering the secret. Finding and rescuing the atomic research team leads the pair into one dangerous situation after another. Along the way Harry is surprised to find himself falling for the sister of the Nazi officer charged with stopping him.
Harry and George continue their struggle to free Britain from the Nazi grasp that they began in Desperate Times. In Desperate Measures, Harry and George are asked to rescue the scientists who have been working on the atomic bomb. The Germans don't know the experiments exist but are hunting down scientists from all of England's great universities. The pair also get involved in organizing a resistance network. Along the way Harry discovers an old love from his early days - unfortunately she is the sister of the head Gestapo agent hunting for the scientists.
Excerpt
“Tell us, Winston, just what did happen?” Roosevelt asked.
“We had too little left; too little aircraft, too little anti-aircraft
guns, and too little ships. We had bet it all on trying to save France.
When they succumbed to the onslaught and fled for North Africa, we
had little left in which to defend ourselves. They kept their fleet in
the Mediterranean to help protect their shores and what trade
shipping they could. We lost most of our capital ships to the aerial
bombardment during the rescue attempt at Dunkirk. I had not taken
into account the full potential of air supremacy and the Germans
have mastered it. They used their aircraft to attack and sink shipping
as well as to continually harass our airdromes and war factories.
“My people grew weary and hundreds of thousands were without
homes due to bombing. While your supplies were helpful, we were
never able to get enough unloaded. Our ports lay in ruin and
transportation lines were devastated. Hungry, scared and worn, our
people longed for any relief. Hitler’s propaganda machine supplied
that. I did my best to rally them, but words cannot replace food and
shelter. I failed them,” Churchill said as he shook his head in disgust.
“We happen to know you and your colleagues did your best.
Your predecessors did not leave you with which much to fight,”
Roosevelt said with sympathy.
Churchill nodded slowly. “Have you any news as to the King and
my colleagues?” he asked suddenly as if remembering for the first
time that they were still trapped...
Professional Reviews
Desperate Measures
Title: Desperate Measures
Author: Pat Johnson
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Publish America
Publisher Website: www.pjsoft.com/Desperate_Times/
Pages: 188
ISBN: 1-59129-680-3
Price: $ 19.95
Publishing Date: Sep 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Desperate Measures is a fine piece of speculative fiction/war story based on the premise of what if Hitler had won the Battle for Britain? This book is the second of a three part series, the first entitled Desperate Times, 0-59517-855-3 from iUniverse Publishing. We’ve used the author’s website because of the difference in publishers. The action takes place primarily in England, with forays into FDR’s office in America. Churchill has had to flee England, along with most of his ministers. The King is locked up in the Tower of London, and the Nazis occupy the British Isles. A group of nuclear scientists (several of them German Jews) must be spirited out of country if The Nazis are to be overcome. All the while, there are several major characters interacting and with their own agendas to help and hinder that effort.
This book is very well crafted, reading like an early W.E.B. Griffith Brotherhood of War novel but on a smaller scale. The author’s characters are complex in a pleasing way, showing very human attributes and weaknesses. The setting is well done, and the dialogue is perfect. The pace pulls the readers along, but without jerking them. In all, this was a very pleasant read. We rated the book five hearts.
Bob Spear
Publisher and Chief Reviewer
Heartland Reviews
410 Delaware
Leavenworth, KS 66048
bobspear@lvnworth.com
http://www.heartlandreviews.com
913-772-8253
Tralee, Ireland. September 1948.
An arrogant, and highly agitated, priest arrives home after 40 years.
Days later he's dead. Suicide? Or did his past catch up with him?
Ireland 1947. Seven weeks of relentless snow. Guard Eamon Foley is searching for a missing child.
At Toby Appleyard’s farm, he discovers the kitchen littered with dead cats. And the skeletal remains of a woman. Upstairs, Toby is dead in his bed.
