A Colleague in Shadows

Kirk Johnson, a young American academic, comes to 1914 Europe at the outbreak of World War One as assistant to Colonel Edward House, the infamous special emissary sent by President Woodrow Wilson to stop the war. His path leads from idealism to disillusionment with American and European leaders and their policies. His love affair with Lisette Giroux, a French woman who works for the French Army, captures a fine line of conflicting loyalties..

Johnson’s travels take him from Paris to London, Berlin, and Petrograd with adventures in each capital. He becomes involved in various assignments about armaments, morale among the combatants, ethnic groups in Europe and around the world, and refugees. With the latter assignment he works with Herbert Hoover, a man he believes is slated to become President of the United States.

Kirk is subjected to a crude blackmail attempt, while a secret journal he keeps becomes all too public. Will it destroy his career?