Bravo's Veil

by Michael Croucher

A beautiful billeting official sends an evacuated school boy on an apparently simple errand. The boy becomes a pawn in the botched defection of a German officer.The tragic outcome fractures an already devastated family and sends the boy's brother on a decades long quest for truth and closure.

220 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2010

About the author

Michael (Mike) Croucher is an independent author. His publisher closed when the industry went through its major downsizing a few years back. He has two published novels: Bravo's Veil and Diamond Run and is working on his third. He is putting together a collection of short stories and narratives, 40,000 words that will be released in 2023. Some of his short stories have appeared in various anthologies, the two latest being in Hill Spirits IV published by Blue Denim Press

An award–winning writer, he is a member of the Toronto Writers and Editors Network and the Spirit of the Hills Writers Group. When he’s not writing, Mike reads a great deal of fiction.

Mike served on the Metropolitan Toronto Police Department for 18 years, and was an original member of The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit investigating organized crime.

Over the years, he has travelled extensively for business and pleasure. When possible, he has enjoyed museums, art galleries, and historic sites around the world. Mike has kept notebooks faithfully since 1963. They trigger memories that inspire much of his writing.

Reviews

[Karen Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dual timeline book, 'Bravo's Veil' follows the story of two brothers, Paul and David who were separated in 1939 when the older brother, Paul, was evacuated to Penzance in World War 2. He never came home, and nearly 60 years on David decides to act on his feeling that the story he was told about Paul's death is untrue.
What follows is a story full of intrigue, spies, double and triple crossing, with great characters, action and an emotive representation of how the evacuations affected everyone involved.
Highly recommended.

[Gord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging dual narrative shifting between WWII and recent times. Clever plot development and intriguing characters. Mystery unfolds with several twists and turns. Author captures the wartime atmosphere in Britain in a most convincing manner. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to the author's next book.