Book Synopsis:
It’s May 1918. The Great War is finally coming to a conclusion. The German Spring Offensive appears to be winning the war before the recent arrival into Europe of American troops can have any military effect.
But the German Home Front is struggling. The Allied blockade of foodstuffs; a poor government and a potato blight have left the German people hungry and angry. In comparison, the introduction of rationing proves a great boon to morale in Britain. And just in time too. Because the American troops have brought with them something far more deadly than their own firepower. A deadly mutated flu virus.
In the East End of London, Mr & Mrs Nash have not bought into the war. He’s a tough ex-villain who hides conscientious objectors from the authorities. But the government’s net appears to be drawing in on him. She helps Sylvia Pankhurst run a nursery, restaurant cum soup kitchen and a toy factory, as well as badger officialdom to give more help to people. And as an ex-Suffragette she knows how to both use and circumvent the law when it suits her.
In the East End of Berlin, a nurse, a farmer, a black marketer, a soldier home on leave and a rich woman with a chauffeuse are all woven together as the Germany Home Front starts to collapse into starvation, retribution and rioting. Germany can’t fight the British, the flu and themselves.
It’s a fast paced page-turner, full of action and personal relationships, as the two stories and the people of two countries come together to solve a huge problem the war and the flu has created.
A Plague On Both Your Houses is available in paperback and ebook now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
This was a thoroughly enjoyable, fantastically research piece of historical fiction and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Firstly the author has clearly done his research for this book with all the little details making me feel that I was actually there watching everything unfold. I’ve not read a book based in the home fronts of both England and Germany before so it was very interested to be able to compare the two. The Spanish Flu pandemic is sadly quite topical at the moment so I found the information regarding this especially interesting.
The characters in this were brilliant and very well developed ones which I couldn’t help but like. Nashey with his inability to tow the line and the fabulously fiesty Ruby were fantastic to read about. I so enjoyed following them throughout the story.
Overall I thought this was a well plotted, fast paced book which always had lots happening to keep me glued to the page. I liked how the two stories gradually weaved together, leading to a very satisfying ending.
Huge thanks to Emma from Damp Pebbles Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Before he turned his quill to penning novels, Ian was a professional non-fiction writer. He wrote most of the original edition of the guide book Where to Ski & Snowboard. He contributed to non-fiction work on such diverse subjects as the Suffragettes, the Titanic, Jack the Ripper and Charming Small Hotels! He now lectures and guides walks, primarily in women’s 19th and early 20th century history. Which brings us to his novels. His first, Whitechapel, is set in the East End slums of 1888 at the time of the Whitechapel Murders. His second, the highly acclaimed Suffragette Autumn Women’s Spring, is set within the Votes for Woman campaign between 1912-14. This, his third novel, A Plague on Both Your Houses, is set in 1918-19 in the final months of the Great War and the following months, during the flu pandemic, in both the East End of London and the East End of Berlin. His next novel (title to be decided) is again set in the Victorian East End and will be published later this year.
Ian has a degree in history from the University of Birmingham, where he was awarded the Chancellor’s Prize for outstanding achievement. He is married, lives in Kent and when he’s not doing research or writing, likes to play and watch lots of sport.
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