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It's January 1941, and the Blitz is devastating England. Food supplies are low, Tube stations in London have become bomb shelters, and U-boats have hampered any hope of easy victory. Though the United States maintains its isolationist position, Churchill knows that England is finished without the aid of its powerful ally.
Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt's most trusted adviser, is sent to London as his emissary, and there he falls under the spell of Churchill's commanding rhetoric - and legendary drinking habits. As he experiences life in a country under attack, Hopkins questions the United States' silence in the war. But back home FDR is paranoid about the isolationist lobby, and even Hopkins is having trouble convincing him to support the war.
As Hopkins grapples with his mission and personal loyalties, he also revels in secret clubs with newsman Edward R. Murrow and has an affair with his younger driver. Except Hopkins doesn't know that his driver is a British intelligence agent. She craves wartime action and will go to any length to prove she should be on the front line. This is London under fire, and it's only when the night descends and the bombs fall that people's inner darkness comes to light.
In Sleep in Peace Tonight, a tale of courage, loyalty, and love, and the sacrifices one will make in the name of each, James MacManus brings to life not only Blitz-era London and the tortuous politics of the White House but also the poignant characters and personalities that shaped the course of world history.
"Evoking Herman Wouk's pop-lit classic The Winds of War, this hypnotically entertaining tale gets the smoky, whiskey-fueled mood just right, all the while seamlessly melding the history and the star-crossed romance." - Booklist
"That there are minor errors to be noticed by military and history buffs - cruisers are misidentified as battleships, etc. - doesn't distract from readability. Great fun for history buffs who enjoy imagining themselves in the bunkers." - Kirkus
"In Sleep in Peace Tonight, James MacManus brings a crucial period of WWII triumphantly to life, inviting us to understand the struggles and dilemmas of some of the key players of the time. His research is impeccable, and the story he tells is utterly engrossing." - Margaret Leroy, author of The Soldier's Wife
"Sleep in Peace Tonight sneaks the reader behind the curtain of the grand stage that became the Second World War. James MacManus's meticulous research breathes life into historical figures that largely shaped our current world. Through its political and personal complexities, the story serves as a reminder of the victories, losses, and sacrifices that were made on every front." - Kristina McMorris, bestselling author of The Pieces We Keep
This information about Sleep in Peace Tonight was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
James MacManus is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. He is the author of Ocean Devil, which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Language of the Sea, and Black Venus. He lives in London.
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