The British Lion - by Tony Schumacher (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this crackling alternate history thriller set in the years after World War II--the riveting sequel to The Darkest Hour--London detective John Rossett joins forces with his Nazi boss to save the commander's kidnapped daughter as the Germans race to make the first atomic bomb.

With the end of the war, the victorious Germans now occupy a defeated Great Britain. In London, decorated detective John Henry Rossett, now reporting to the Nazi victors, lies in a hospital bed recovering from gunshot wounds. Desperate to avoid blame over the events that led to the shooting, his boss, Ernst Koehler, covers up the incident. But when Koehler's wife and daughter are kidnapped by American spies, the terrified German turns to the only man he trusts to help him--a shrewd cop who will do whatever is necessary to get the job done: John Rossett.

Surviving his brush with death, Rossett agrees to save his friend's daughter. But in a chaotic new world ruled by treachery and betrayal, doing the right thing can get a man killed. Caught between the Nazi SS, the violent British resistance, and Americans with very uncertain loyalties, Rossett must secretly make his way out of London and find Ruth Hartz, a Jewish scientist working in Cambridge. Spared from death because of her intellect and expertise, she is forced to work on developing the atom bomb for Germany. Though she knows it could end any hope of freedom in Europe and maybe even the world, Ruth must finish the project--if she, too, wants to survive.

From the Back Cover

With the end of the World War II, the victorious Germans now occupy a defeated Great Britain. In London, decorated detective John Henry Rossett, now reporting to the Nazis, lies in a hospital bed recovering from gunshot wounds. Desperate to avoid blame over the events that led to the shooting, his SS boss, Ernst Koehler, allows Rossett to return to his former life as a police officer. But when Koehler's wife and daughter are captured by American spies, the terrified German turns to the only man he trusts to help him--a shrewd cop who will do whatever is necessary to get the job done: Rossett.

Now working together, Koehler is forced to consider betraying his country, and Rossett must put aside his tense relationship with the German in order to save innocent lives. Caught between the Nazi SS, the violent British resistance, and Americans with very uncertain loyalties, Rossett must make his way out of London and find Ruth Hartz, a Jewish scientist working in Cambridge. She has been forced to work on developing the atomic bomb for Germany, though she knows it could end any hope for freedom in Europe and maybe even the world. And she must finish the project--if she, too, wants to survive.

Review Quotes

"The British Lion is good. In fact, it's very good. The characters continue to be complex, the action is great and we get to see more of occupied Britain. What I think I liked best about the book is the anxiety it gave me as I read it. . . . The British Lion definitely does both the thriller and alternate history genre proud. . . . Tony Schumacher is writing award-winning level fiction here and I would love to see him continue to do it for a long time." - Amazingstoriesmag.com
"The British Lion is . . . very good. . . . [It] definitely does both the thriller and alternate history genre proud. . . . Tony Schumacher is writing award-winning level fiction here and I would love to see him continue to do it for a long time." - Amazingstoriesmag.com
"An extraordinary and exciting tour-de-force... [and] breathtakingly imagined... Immaculate research and acute observation are allied to a dynamic cast of characters... A riveting, remarkable novel which makes one hope there is more to come." - Lancashire Evening Post
"[A] convincing and swift-moving debut, The Darkest Hour [is] an alternative-history thriller that makes an imaginary past vivid by dwelling not on larger what-ifs but on the perils of a handful of individuals... Schumacher's assured and atmospheric writing make this a memorable novel, reminiscent of writers from John Buchan to Ken Follett, and of directors from Alfred Hitchcock to Carol Reed. But it's the characters in The Darkest Hour-from the scene-stealing child to the SS secretary whose double (triple?) agent duties are provoking an identity crisis-who make the reader care what happens." - Wall Street Journal
"[An] action-packed, high tension, alternate history which features a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in a Britain run by Hitler's henchmen. . . . A powerful tale of corrosive suspicion and electrifying danger. . . . The Darkest Hour is an exciting and breathtakingly plausible first novel brimming with suspense and starring a superbly-drawn cast of characters, from the double dealers and brutal Nazis to the damaged, disillusioned detective who put his humanity on ice and the young boy who triggers the thaw and becomes the former war hero's road to salvation. . . . A cleverly nuanced and convincing thriller, intelligently written, frequently thought-provoking, sometimes disturbing . . . and guaranteed to keep the pages turning right up to the unexpected and stunning climax." - Lancaster Evening News (UK)
"Within this foggy moral atmosphere . . . Schumacher creates a believable yet depressing occupied England, frozen and snow-covered. . . . Believable alternate history laced with multiple gunfights, turncoat duplicity, and an ending sure to propel the British Lion back into action." - Kirkus Reviews
Praise for The British Lion: "Schumacher has done his historical research about Nazis, their sympathizers, and the Holocaust. He mixes those facts into a riveting story, creating an alternate history that will have readers trembling with the realistic possibilities. This is a must-read." - Blackfive.net
Praise for The Darkest Hour: "The Darkest Hour kicks into overdrive, morphing from a bleak tale of what-might-have-been into a high-adrenaline thriller in which the so-called British Lion, a one-man army, breaks into an SS stronghold to free the boy, then goes on the run within a city in ruin... Each cliffhanger chapter moves Rossett from the frying pan into a fire...It's an exhilarating roller-coaster ride that would have made a great Hitchcock movie." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"A stunning debut... The action never stops, as John discovers he can no longer trust his friends. Everyone he knows would give him and the boy up in an instant to save their own hides.... A brilliant work for the history and thriller fan who wants to see the past through a truly imaginative mind." - Suspense Magazine