Loyalties

Loyaltiesis the wrenching love story between beautiful Berthe von Hoffman, a member of the German resistance, and Jonathan Talbot, an idealistic American Navy Commander turned intelligence officer. They meet in Spain and become lovers as they try to persuade the American and the British to forego the ill-conceived policy of unconditional surrender. Their lives are caught in the crossfire of history, making Loyaltiesimpossible to put down until the last conflict has been played out and some hope and meaning have been glimpsed.

In scenes that range from Washington, DC to Madrid to London to Berlin, readers encounter both vivid fictional characters and starkly realistic portrayals of the war's leaders. There is Jonathan's estranged wife, journalist Annie Richman, daughter of a powerful congressman; Berthe's husband, submarine commander Ernst von Hoffman, who is determined to be the model of a "hard German"; mortally ill Franklin Roosevelt, clinging to the hatred of Germany he learned in World War I; ruthless Admiral Karl Doenitz, the leader of the Ubootwaffe; and elusive Wilhelm Canaris, head of the German secret service and the guiding spirit of the resistance to Hitler.

A rich, poignant story of men and women trapped in a world of chaos,Loyaltiesis also a revealing look at the political machinations, anguished decision making, and conflicted personalities behind World War II. It is an ambitious, powerful work that will further Thomas Fleming's reputation as an entertaining novelist who makes history come alive.