V2: A Novel of World War II

This engrossing novel set in late 1944 from Thriller Award winner Harris (Munich) finds Section Officer Kay Caton-Walsh, of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, getting ready for the day after spending the night with her married lover and boss, Air Commodore Mike Templeton, in his London flat. Then a German V2 rocket damages Templeton’s apartment building, leaving Kay with minor injuries. After the emergency responders mistake Kay for Templeton’s wife, and the real Mrs. Templeton learns that she was erroneously reported hurt in the attack, Templeton begins to distance himself from Kay. That personal loss, coupled with Kay’s direct experience of the V2’s power, leads her to volunteer for a mission to Belgium, where she and several other women are to use their mathematical skills to trace the origin of a missile’s flight by working backward from its trajectory and impact point. Once on the continent, Kay gets on the trail of a saboteur. As usual, Harris brings the past to life through vivid characterizations and clever plotting. Fans of superior historical fiction will be rewarded. 75,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Michael Carlisle, Inkwell Management. (Dec.)