Description

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Driving an ambulance in France after the fall of Dunkirk, an American nightclub singer races to evacuate a British pilot and a Jewish orphan across more than 4,000 miles towards a precarious freedom in this emotional, action-packed story of sacrifice, hope, and devotion inspired by real wartime events.

France, 1939: A talented singer, Ruth Lacroix has left Maine to live with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of performing at the Casino de Paris. But with the outbreak of war, and the heartbreaking news that her cousin has been killed by German forces, that goal is supplanted by another—to support France in any way she can.

Though Ruth has never driven a vehicle larger than the tractor on her parents’ farm, she joins a friend in enlisting as a driver for the French ambulance corps. On their way to transfer injured soldiers to Dunkirk for evacuation, they encounter Jimmie, a British Royal Air Force pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF, who has bailed out of his burning plane. As Dunkirk falls, blocking off the route to the northern coast, word spreads of a daring Allied plan to rescue the remaining troops and civilians from ports in western France: code name Operation Aerial.

Over two hazardous weeks, Ruth and Jimmie will journey hundreds of miles together, helping other refugees as they rush to reach the sea before they are overtaken by the Germany army. But all their courage and resilience offer no certainty in wartime, when a single stroke of luck, or a split-second decision, can mean the difference between life and death . . .

About the Author

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Alan Hlad is the internationally bestselling author of historical fiction novels inspired by real people and events of WWI and WWII, including The Book Spy, Churchill’s Secret Messenger, A Light Beyond the Trenches, and the USA Today and IndieBound bestseller The Long Flight Home. A member of the Historical Novel Society, Literary Cleveland, Novelitics, and the Akron Writers' Group, he is a frequent speaker at conferences, literary events, and book club gatherings. He currently divides his time between Ohio and Portugal and can be found online at AlanHlad.com.

Praise For…

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Praise for Alan Hlad’s Novels:

“A sweeping tale full of romance and espionage, poignant sacrifice and missed chances, uncommon courage, and the ongoing costs of war. A compelling debut told with conviction and great heart.” —Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and Love and Ruin on The Long Flight Home

“Tense, heartwarming and life affirming, The Long Flight Home gives a fresh slant on heroism in WWII.” —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author

“The walled-off feeling of loneliness in a crowd pervades the pages of Hlad’s piercing historical thriller. Based on a fascinating and little-known true story of World War II… Hlad’s immersive portrayal of wartime Lisbon and its inhabitants, of the loneliness caused by the terror that anybody at any time could be an informant, plus his captivating thriller/romance tale make this a must-read, especially for fans of Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code.” —firstCLUE, Starred Review for The Book Spy

“A wonderful mix of deep historical research and writing craft...This important tale exposes a side of espionage that is often overlooked—the recruitment of ordinary citizens—and it reminds us to never underestimate librarians, guardians of democracy in more ways than one.” – Historical Novels Review on The Book Spy

“Hlad’s debut snares readers with its fresh angle on the blitz of WWII, focusing on the homing pigeons used by the British, and the people who trained and cared for them... Descriptions of the horrors of war and the excitement of battle are engaging, and the unusual element of the carrier pigeons lends an intriguing twist. This story will speak not only to romance readers and WWII buffs but also to animal advocates and anyone who enjoys discovering quirky details that are hidden in history.” —Publishers Weekly on The Long Flight Home

“Drawing on historical material, Hlad concocts an appealing and exciting story… intertwining the romance and action stories, treating both realistically and largely without melodrama.” —Booklist on Churchill’s Secret Messenger

“[A] rousing historical novel about daring Resistance workers in World War II… Hlad takes the story to torture cells and Ravensbrück concentration camp, incorporating historical elements like the daring Project Jericho raid and the 1942 detention of thousands of Jews, including Lazare’s parents, in a Paris cycling arena before they were sent to their ultimate fate. The sacrifice and valor of these characters is stirring.” —The Akron Beacon Journal on Churchill’s Secret Messenger

“Hlad dives deep into the history and pulls together several remarkable stories and fashions them into Rose and her role in Operation Jericho. This makes for an exciting, tense story with life-or-death drama unfolding on each page. Hope and love resonating between the characters and Hlad’s evocative writing make this a don’t-miss book.” —The Historical Novels Review on Churchill’s Secret Messenger

“Alan Hlad tells a dramatic, fictionalized story about the real use of pigeons during World War II...Compelling...The engaging plot and fascinating details of the National Pigeon Service make it a rewarding read. Many civilian pigeon-keepers volunteered to try to turn the tide of the war, not knowing if it would work or be worth the loss of their birds in the dangerous process. The Long Flight Home captures the contributions of the average citizens who, in a time of peril, rose to meet the challenge in heroic ways.” —BookPage on The Long Flight Home

“This well-researched historical novel presents a wealth of period detail and develops a romantic story inspired by the actual discovers–reported in newspapers more than a half century after the war–of the skeleton of an English homing pigeon carrying a sti”l-legible coded message. The destructiveness of war, particularly the random carnage caused by the bombing of civilian areas, is vividly described, as well as the bravery of many citizens, including the homing pigeons of the National Pigeon Service.” —VOYA Magazine on The Long Flight Home

“Hlad’s debut delves into an obscure piece of World War II history: the covert mission of the National Pigeon Service, which deployed an army of homing pigeons to send messages to Britain from Nazi-occupied France...Ollie’s attempts to escape from France are gripping, and Hlad adeptly drives home the devastating civilian cost of the war.” —Booklist on The Long Flight Home

“In Alan Hlad’s fascinating story based on true events, he explores the special bond between an orphaned girl who raises the homing pigeons and an American soldier desperate to help the Royal Air Force.” —AFAR Magazine, The Best Summer Reads on The Long Flight Home

“The state of Maine is left behind in Alan Hlad’s tale of heroism and romance, but its spirit–stoic, modest, independent—is well represented in Ollie...With its accounts of Luftwaffe raids on Britain and the unusual operation called Source Columba, which employed 16,000 pigeons in intelligence gathering, The Long Flight Home is a fresh avenue into a curious piece of World War II history.” —Down East Magazine on The Long Flight Home

“Based on true events, The Long Flight Home has everything I love in a novel–the sense of discovery, the epic drama of a life-or-death situation, and the soaring sense of hope gained from the depths of despair. It’s a gorgeous, impressive first novel by a hugely talented autho’." —Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author on The Long Flight Home

“A story of loss and heartbreak, sacrifice and compassion, The Long Flight Home is ultimately a story of hope.” —The New York Journal of Books on The Long Flight Home

“A rousing historical novel.” —The Akron Beacon Journal, Best Books of the Year for Churchill’s Secret Messenger