Changes

Paul Brandt returns home to his village without the arm he left at the Russian Front in defence of Germany. The village looks pretty much the same as he left it, with the exception of the lack of young men and a new building. His home now boasts an SS rest hut, providing officers with entertainment and respite breaks from the fighting. As Paul passes the hut for the first time, he sees something… or rather someone… that will make him return to work for those he despises. The subject of his decision? A girl he once got into trouble with under different circumstances – before she wore the stripes of a concentration camp prisoner.

With this story William moves us on from Korolev's time, towards the end of the war through the eyes of a German soldier who has indeed seen – and suffered – much. Paul Brandt is definitely battle weary and disillusioned. Not that, having been forced to join the army, he was ever illusioned in the first place. The reason for this enlisting is one of the many effective page turning drip feeds that entice us into this man of initial mystery. Gradually we learn more and the story becomes a historical thriller with equal emphasis on both the history and the thrills.

(Thank you so much Mantle for providing us with a copy for review.)

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