Part of The Clifton Chronicles, book 2
First published 2012
Harry Clifton joins the Merchant Navy just before Britain goes to war with Germany. He cannot marry Emma Barrington and wants to flee buried family secrets. A German U-boat torpedoes his ship in the Atlantic. Nearly the entire crew drowns. The American cruise liner SS Kansas Star pulls Harry and a few other survivors from the water, including Tom Bradshaw, an American third officer. Bradshaw dies during the night crossing. Harry sees his chance to start over and takes the dead man's identity. He thinks he has escaped his complicated history. When the ship docks in New York, Harry discovers his terrible mistake. Whatever waits for Tom Bradshaw in America may be worse than what Harry left behind in England. He cannot prove who he really is. The identity he stole has trapped him in a new nightmare.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, identity-crisis
Setting: America, Atlantic Ocean, England, New York, United States
Period: World War II
352 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: death, violence