The Dark of the Moon - by Fiona Valpy (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the bestselling author of The Dressmaker's Gift. She's spent a lifetime searching for him. Is this her last chance to find the truth?

Philly Delaney risked everything during the war. From flying planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary corps, aka the 'Attagirls', to working with the Bletchley Park codebreakers, and life-or-death missions as an SOE agent in France, she and her colleagues pushed their courage--and their luck--to the limits.

Joining biographer Kendra and her family on the stunning, sun-drenched Île de Ré, Philly is ready to reveal her extraordinary life story. But she has another reason for being there: she's never given up searching for her beloved pilot husband, Ben. Shot down during a dangerous mission, this is the only place left where she might discover what happened to him.

Listening to Philly's war stories, Kendra's young son Finn decides to use his own unique skills in maths, logic and persistence to track down Ben's final resting place--and the answers that Philly longs for. Can they solve the decades-long mystery of Ben's disappearance together? Because sometimes, lost people are still out there, just waiting to be found...

A wonderfully immersive, atmospheric and moving story of wartime resilience, hope, loss--and the enduring power of love.

Review Quotes

'The Dark of the Moon is an involving and very touching read. It offers readers a fascinating exploration of a too-little-known element of Bletchley Park history and a moving personal story. The present day narrative interweaves cleverly with the past and I was gripped throughout.' --Anna Stuart, author of The Midwife of Auschwitz

'The Dark of the Moon is a dazzling and tremendously moving story about love, courage, and the importance of finding answers. Told from the points of view of ATA pilot and Bletchley Park codebreaker Philly Delaney and Finn, her friends' young son who helps Philly as she tries to locate her husband's final resting place, this gorgeous novel is both a tale of wartime daring and bravery as well as a tender exploration of grief. Fiona's beautiful prose brings the characters and their struggles into vivid perspective and the settings in Britain and on sunny Île de Ré off the coast of France are wonderfully immersive. Atmospheric and thoroughly captivating, I couldn't put it down!' --Linda Wilgus, author of The Sea Child

'The Dark of the Moon is a poignant, compelling and charming novel, taking us back to wartime France and immersing us in the work of the women pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary and the codebreakers of Bletchley Park. Told through two distinct voices, and with a dual timeframe, I felt empathy for both narrators and willed Philly to find her much-needed "closure". Well-researched and sensitively told, Fiona Valpy celebrates women's courage and the behind-the-scenes heroes of wartime, while also giving us a tender and touching portrait of an intergenerational friendship.' --Caroline Scott, author of The Photographer of the Lost

'Fiona Valpy has written yet another captivating WWII novel, showing us the war through the eyes of a woman in her 90s. Cleverly weaving the past with the present, The Dark of the Moon is a thought-provoking and beautifully written historical story that I thoroughly enjoyed.' --Soraya M. Lane

'A captivating and poignant story of wartime bravery and enduring love, told with warmth and heart. Unforgettable.' --Imogen Clark, bestselling author of In a Single Moment