GUEST BLOG POST by Author Mark Ellis:
I have written two
novels set in World War Two London and featuring the Anglo-Spanish police
detective Frank Merlin. The first novel, Princes Gate, saw Merlin investigating
the deaths of employees at the American Embassy in London in the very early
days of the war in January 1940. In my recently published second novel,
Stalin's Gold, it is September 1940 and Merlin enquires into the disappearance
of a Polish RAF pilot as the Battle of Britain and the Blitz rage around him.
My stories are of course
fictional but set in a historical period which I have very thoroughly
researched. The period around January 1940 in London was called 'the Phoney
War' because there was no real sign of war activity in London, with a few
exceptions such as the steady increase of rationing and the blackout, while
British forces were not yet engaged in military action. This was also a time
when many powerful and influential people were supporters of appeasement and
favoured coming to a quick settlement with Hitler's Germany. One such person
was Joseph P. Kennedy, the American Ambassador and father of the future
President John F. Kennedy. He is joined in the book by other characters of the
same mind, some fictional some not. In Stalin's Gold, time has moved on and in
September 1940 the appeasers influence has waned, Churchill is Prime Minister,
the RAF is valiantly fending off the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, and
London is enduring heavy bombing in the opening weeks of the Blitz. One
surprising fact about the Blitz is that the looting of damaged buildings and
areas was rampant. Looters, RAF pilots, Russian crooks and spies and many other
interesting period characters feature in this book.
I very much enjoy mixing
real historical figures with the fictional characters in my cast. In Princes
Gate I have Joseph Kennedy, Cordell Hull (Roosevelt's Secretary of State) and
various British cabinet ministers. In Stalin's Gold I have been a little more
ambitious including, amongst others, Stalin, Beria, Churchill and the King and
Queen. I have not attempted any revisionist views of these characters and their
portrayal is based very much on the generally accepted historical perception of
them. Some have walk-on parts while others are more integral to the plots. I
love adding them to the mix and will continue to do so in Frank Merlin 3, which
will be set in Spring 1941.
About Author:
Mark Ellis is a Welsh thriller writer from Swansea and is a former barrister and entrepreneur. He is the creator of Frank Merlin, an Anglo-Spanish police detective operating in World War 2 London. Princes Gate(Frank Merlin 1) was published in 2011 and Stalin's Gold(Frank Merlin 2) is being published on March 1 2014.
His author website is at http://markellisauthor.com
Book Description:
Kilinski’s fellow pilots, a disgraced Cambridge don, Stalin’s spies in London, members of the Polish government in exile and a ruthless Russian gangster are amongst those caught up in Merlin’s enquiries. Sweeping from Stalin’s Russia to Civil War Spain, from Aztec Mexico to pre-war Poland, and from Hitler’s Berlin to Churchill’s London a compelling story of treasure, grand larceny, treachery, torture and murder unfolds. Eventually as Hitler reluctantly accepts that the defiance of the RAF has destroyed his chances of invasion for the moment, a violent shoot-out in Hampstead leads Merlin to the final truth....and Stalin to his gold. 
Great post. My dad likes your book, Stalin's Gold.
ReplyDeleteNice connecting with you, Mark. Interesting post. Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteI found this blog on Book Review Diva's Website/Blog hop.
Thank you Lauralee and Stella
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