EO-N by Dave Mason
EO-N by Dave Mason
I don’t usually read books about the World Wars, but I agreed to review this one and I’m glad I did. This book grabbed me in the best way from page one. In each successive chapter the author unwound just enough of the plot to keep me reading. It began with a boy and his dog finding a scrap of metal buried in a glacier in Norway. Legible information on the metal identifies it as likely from a plane. A team of scientists converge and dig down very carefully. The first find is a bone, identified later as a child’s finger bone. Eventually the nose of a plane that disappeared in 1945 is chiselled from the ice. Meanwhile, in Seattle, thirty-something bio-tech executive Alison Wiley is at the end of her tether in her chosen profession when she is contacted by Scott Wilcox, a government agent. The plane found in Norway might have been flown by her grandfather, Jack Barton, who was declared missing in action toward the end of WWII. Alison jumps at the chance to accompany Scott to Norway to help with the investigation.
As the ice gives up more of its secrets, human remains are found that appear to belong to a German pilot. That information is very disappointing for Alison, but the mystery deepens. What is a German pilot doing in the plane known to have been last flown by Alison’s grandfather? What did happen to Jack Barton, and who does the finger bone belong to? A slow-burn romance develops between Scott and Alison as they try to unravel the mystery.
The best character, and the most compelling part of the story, is provided by Major Gunther Graf, a disillusioned Luftwaffe pilot who is heart-sick because of the atrocities he has committed from the air. He is sent to an installation to recuperate and there encounters evil beyond anything he has done, which gives him the chance to redeem himself even at the cost of his life.
This is a truly well-crafted story, a story of good and evil, courage and unspeakable cruelty. It confirms that our links to the past are never so badly broken that they can’t be resurrected by a small chance. However, there is a distinctly evil aspect which might be unsettling to some readers.
A couple of small niggles. The title EO-N, while being enigmatic, tells us nothing about the book. The author has passed up one of the most obvious and important opportunities to grab readers’ interest. Also, I think the cover would benefit from a little more drama. WWII stories are popular right now, which means there is a ton of them. This cover is very bland and the pale writing is almost invisible as a thumbprint, not to mention indecipherable.
It’s hard to believe this is the author’s debut novel. I’m sure he has more excellent stories to come. I have no hesitation recommending this book and giving it:
*****
