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Working with the SS in German-occupied Britain was never easy for John Rossett. He has returned to his former job chasing criminals on the streets of London, but when an SS captain kills the U.S. consul in Liverpool, Rossett is ordered to bring in the missing soldier at any cost. Karl Bauer is a swift, cunning, and ruthless man known as “the Bear,” and it will take all Rossett’s skill to capture him alive.
While the Nazis maintain a stranglehold in London, Liverpool is controlled by criminal networks and the fractured British resistance. Rossett discovers that Bauer’s superior, Major Theo Dannecker, had been colluding with the U.S. consul and the resistance to smuggle large amounts of gold out of the country. But now the gold is missing, and the Germans, the British, and others will stop at nothing to recover it. Meanwhile, the Bear has repudiated his allegiance to the crumbling Reich and is focused on destroying Rossett one innocent victim at a time.
To prevent more deaths and protect what’s left of Britain, Rossett must trap the Bear and uncover the diabolical conspiracy that has brought Nazi officers and the British resistance together. Vivid and energetic, full of Schumacher’s trademark action and rich, conflicted characters, An Army of One reveals how the strength of one man can turn the tide in an uncertain world.
About the author
Tony Schumacher is a native of Liverpool, England. He is the author of The Darkest Hour and The British Lion, and was a finalist for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History in 2016. He has written for The Guardian and the Huffington Post, and he is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and London's LBC Radio. He has been a policeman, stand-up comedian, bouncer, jeweler, taxi driver, perfume salesman, actor, and garbage collector, among others. He currently lives outside Liverpool.
Summary
In this enthralling historical thriller set in post—World War II London, detective John Henry Rossett must stop a murderous ex—SS officer as the German occupation of England begins to falter.
Working with the SS in German-occupied Britain was never easy for John Rossett. Though he’s returned to his former job, the police inspector has been tainted by his Nazi associations. His suspicious colleagues see him as a collaborator, and he’s unwelcome at his old haunts. But the Germans aren’t done with Rossett. When decorated SS Captain Karl Bauer kills the US consul in Liverpool, then goes on the run, Generalmajor Neumann orders Rossett to find the missing killer—a swift, cunning, and ruthless man known as "the Bear."
While the Nazis still maintain control over London, Liverpool is run by criminal networks and the British resistance. A wasteland of burned-out buildings and mountains of rubble, the northern port city is the perfect place for a clever warrior like Bauer to hide. Neumann and Rossett’s search also turns up damning new information: Bauer’s superior, Major Theo Dannecker, has been colluding with the US consul and the British resistance to smuggle large amounts of gold out of the country. As for the Bear, the fervent SS officer has repudiated his allegiance to the crumbling Reich and is now focused on destroying Rossett, the famed "British Lion," one innocent victim at a time.
To prevent more deaths and protect Britain, Rossett must trap the Bear and uncover a diabolical conspiracy that has brought Nazi officers and the British resistance together. Vivid and energetic, full of Schumacher’s trademark action and rich, conflicted characters, An Army of One reveals how the strength of one man can turn the tide in an uncertain world.
Additional text
Praise for Tony Schumacher: “Within this foggy moral atmosphere . . . Schumacher creates a believable yet depressing occupied England, frozen and snow-covered. . . . Believable alternate history laced with multiple gunfights, turncoat duplicity, and an ending sure to propel the British Lion back into action.”
