The year is 1950 and four friends from Markham College in England are now young men in their early twenties. The Iceland Connection is the last book in the trilogy that follows their eventful lives during and after the Second World War. Richard Bloombury, nicknamed Pansy, has disappeared while on holiday in Scandinavia. His younger sister Petra and ‘Beastly' Barnett, travel there to search for him with surprising results for them both. Meanwhile, Harry Lockwood and his girlfriend Jenny Rawlings are living in Edinburgh. It isn't long before their idyllic romance is strained to breaking point by misfortune and betrayal. Throughout all this, the Captain and his wife Kristy are always available at their home in Cambridge to support their friends. As the years go by, Fate continues to point an invisible finger toward the Land of Ice and Fire. In the summer of 1953, Harry organizes a student expedition to Iceland from Scotland's Perth University, where he is a Lecturer. The scientific work goes well until an ominous link with the Second World War is uncovered. Disaster and horror strike. As soon as Harry arrives home, he sinks into unfathomable depths of despair until at last the mystery of The Iceland Connection is resolved.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
June 1953
The scenery was unlike anything Harry Lockwood had ever seen or imagined. Perched on a rocky ledge among the mountains of Northern Iceland, he gazed spellbound as the sun emerged from behind a nearby pinnacle that towered above him. Golden rays bathed the valley below, throwing the tents of the Expedition's base camp into bold relief. Rugged, snow-capped peaks marched in line from where he was sitting. On the opposite side of the valley, vertical cliffs at the rim of a plateau drew a rough boundary between earth and the dark blue sky. The mountains and cliffs merged in the distance to frame the blinding white tongue of a glacier that issued from the alpine heights marking the valley's end. As he absorbed the silent grandeur, Harry's mind wandered back to Scotland and he wondered if this daunting adventure would help him put his life back together again.
Professional Reviews
Midwest Book Reviews August 2006
This final book of Mr. Bradley's trilogy, like the prequels, can easily stand alone but I don't recommend reading only one of this series. I enjoyed all three books so much that reading only one of them is unthinkable from my viewpoint.
This final book spans four years, from 1950 to 1954. Life is far from idyllic for our lads in the post war years. The four friends are scattered throughout the UK and rarely spend time together. The free world contends with the threat of Communism. Nazis are still on the loose and pop up in the oddest places. As the story begins, old schoolmate Pansy – Richard Bloombury – has disappeared in Iceland. Why he went to Iceland in the first place is a mystery none of his chums can figure out.
Beastly – John Barnett – is still alone, but not for long. Pansy's sister Petra is a charming, quicksilver girl who needs John's help locating her brother. Their attraction for each other grows while chasing leads to Pansy's whereabouts through Iceland. Captain – Martin Bulman – is now married to the operative he met while imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain. He's still in service as an Intelligence agent, settled down in domestic bliss with Kristy.
And Harry Lockwood, always the strong and reliable one of the lot, has discovered he has feet of clay. His betrayal of wife Jenny with a seductive, manipulative student shatters their relationship. Harry is a lecturer at Perth University. He agrees to accompany a field trip to Iceland so students can study flora and fauna on site, and hopes the isolation will help stabilize his life. What Harry experiences in this land of desolate beauty is an unexpected lesson in love and loss when he meets, loves, and loses Esmie Strange.
From England to Sweden to Iceland to Morocco, Bradley puts the lads through their paces. Mystery, danger, and intrigue complicate the Icelandic expedition. The four friends and their women are charismatic characters, and the plot is exciting, with enough twists to keep readers guessing. But in this last book. the highlight for me is Bradley's stunning portrait of a strong man's gradual descent into suicidal depression.
Will Pansy ever resurface? Where has he been, and why? Who is the mysterious stranger living in the Moroccan enclave? And what will become of Marion, that unfortunate woman who is hopelessly in love with Harry? I'm craving answers, Mr. Bradley, and more stories of these four friends I've watched grow from boys to men.
The Commander and the Chief take on the rogue Deep State: the Gunfight at the UK Corral, missing Redcoats in the Nevada Triangle, and nuclear blackmail!
