WWII Spy Historical Fiction Book 2
Revell Pub
Feb 4th, 2024
Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin takes readers on a journey to the Scottish shore. This is one of her best, as she intertwines WWII history, spy craft, espionage, military intelligence, family disputes, strong character development, along with an emotionally wounded hero and heroine.
“I wrote the Scottish setting because my husband and I are part Scottish. He has been bugging me to write a book set here for years. As I explored it more, I found things that fascinated me. Then my youngest son, a mythology buff, gave me some suggestions, the Scottish legends, especially the story of the Selkie.”
The plot has Cilla van der Zee as a member of the Dutch resistance who infiltrates the local Nazi Party to gather intel. Because it is becoming more dangerous for her, she decides to escape the country by coming up with a plan. She agrees to be trained as a Nazi spy and sent to the U.K. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed. This is where the Scottish legend of the Selkie comes into play.
“The legend has a woman living as a seal at sea, but as soon as she comes to shore, she sheds her seal skin, turning into a beautiful woman. I started to imagine a German female spy landing in Scotland and being captured by this Scottish man who traps her on land by hiding her seal skin. In this case the skin was her rubber raft.”
British intelligence realize she is more valuable as a double agent. Readers will be fascinated to learn about the work of MI5’s Double Cross program, turning German spies into double agents. British intelligence employs her to radio misleading messages to Germany from the lighthouse at Dunnet Head in Scotland–messages filled with naval intelligence Lachlan must provide.
“The Double Cross Program was established in September 1940. The German military intelligence sent out spies to the United Kingdom. MI5, Britian’s intelligence group, caught every single one of the German agents. Germany never had an effective agent during the war. Of the Abwehr (German) Agents caught, sixteen were executed, but about three dozen were turned into double agents. Some were extremely effective including one agent that convinced the Germans that the D-day invasion was not going to Normandy but Pas de Calais. Regarding Cilla, I knew there were Dutch women agents who landed in Scotland, so I created my own character. She is much milder than the real spies.”
If the war is to be won, Lachlan and Cilla must collaborate. As Cilla and Lachlan work together, his initial distrust turns into curiosity and then attraction as the pair bond.
“They are opposites that attract. At first, he only saw her as a German spy. They do not trust each other and do not like each other. She blames him for turning her in to possibly be executed. She sees him as a fuddy duddy, while he sees her as free spirited and headstrong. They are forced to work together and the more they spend time together they see each other’s true character, willing to trust each other. She is sociable and teases him while he is vulnerable, dedicated, and protective. They can get into each other’s thoughts. The banter and how they sparred together was fun to write.”
There are also interesting facts about the Scottish Separatists who initially refused to fight for England. Sundin brings this into focus with Lachlan’s brother Neil. “I made up the group Free Caledonia. The real separatists were a fringe group before the war that continued during the early years of the war. They did not want to be a part of the allied war effort because they saw it as the “English War.” Neil was involved with this group and was imprisoned because he refused to register for conscription. He feels that Lachlan has portrayed Scotland by wearing an English uniform. I put in this book quote, ‘The Germans love to divide. That is how they conquer.’ If they saw a separatist group, they supported it.
This plot has nail-biting suspense and escalating tension that is eased with humorous banter between Lachlan and Cilla, who start out as enemies and slowly become friends.
