“The British government’s secret mission is pigeons?”
“Source Columba,” Bertie said.
“These pigeons are going to help us win the war.”

This is a must read for historical fiction lovers! Hlad did a fantastic job putting a new perspective on the thoroughly covered WWII genre. “A Long Flight Home” was well researched with an engaging storyline, sympathetic characters and some unlikely heroes. I enjoyed the action scenes and the love story woven throughout but was particularly pleased by the lack of predictability.

Thank you Goodreads for my first Giveaway win!!

Solid 4.25 stars. The market seems to be almost over saturated with WWII books currently, and although it is my favorite genre, a book has to be really special to stand out. This story was close as I had never heard of the National Pigeon Service so it was a new take. I liked all of the main characters - Bertie, Susan and Ollie and the story was engrossing. It didn’t have a wow factor, but definitely worth a read!

Thanks to Alan Hlad and Kensington Publishers for my advanced copy of this novel.

Mr. Hlad did a great job of catching my interest in this historical fiction novel. Susan, Ollie and Bertie were characters I wanted to know more about, I wanted to keep following their story as it went on and I could not wait to find out what would happen with Duchess and all the other pigeons. I was not aware that pigeons were used in this capacity during WWII. It was exciting to me to learn more about this while I read and followed the story. It was sad in the end to find out that Lt Boar was so wrapped up in ego that he ruined a potential relationship between Susan and Ollie but I also like the fact that this novel didn't just go there... I had to work toward the ending, I didn't just know a happy ending was coming like many other stories. I will keep an eye out for more books from this author. He has a writing style that keeps you wanting to learn more about what did happen in these times and what will happen to his fictional characters.

Spotlighting a little-known part of World War Two history, Alan Hlad, has written one of the most spectacular historical fiction novels titled, “The Long Flight Home.”

After reading “Churchill’s Secret Messenger” (to be published April 27, 2021) and being extremely impressed, I knew that I was in for a treat. This book did not disappoint. The author was captivated by a news report that the skeletal remains of a war pigeon were found in a chimney in Surrey, England. Attached to the pigeon’s leg was an encrypted message that was indecipherable for years. This served as his inspiration.

Hlad writes to reveal that combat wasn’t the only form of resistance against the Nazis. He draws on the importance of carrier pigeons that were trained to travel vast distances and deliver encrypted messages. Without the modern conveniences used to communicate, this innovative approach helped the home front support the Allies. Source Columba was an actual wartime code name for airdropping 16,000 homing pigeons as a method for locals to provide intelligence to Britain.
Susan Shepherd lost her parents to the Spanish Flu and was raised by her grandfather, Bertie. He taught her the skill of raising homing pigeons. When her farm in Epping, England, is taken over by the army, Susan becomes involved in Source Columba, a covert operation to air-drop homing pigeons in German-occupied France. Working on the mission, Susan meets Ollie Evans from Buxton, Maine, a young pilot who has enlisted in the Royal Air Force. Just as the romance is blossoming, Ollie’s plane is bombed and they rely on Duchess, Susan’s beloved pigeon, to exchange messages.

This engaging, clean romance wartime novel is definitely worth your time. I loved the strong, courageous female lead and the interesting, unique perspective to wartime historical fiction. Hlad’s writing style is easy reading and he has a way of teaching without readers being aware of his purpose.

I didn't want to put this book down. So I read it in one day. This was about another aspect of WWII that I haven't read much about (non-fiction or historical fiction) and enjoyed. As much as you could enjoy reading about war.

The story of Susan and Ollie starts off alternating between the two until they meet. It then goes back and forth when they are forced apart. And weaved throughout their stories is Dutchess, a pigeon trained to help send secret messages during the beginning of WWII before the US became involved.

If you're a fan of historical fiction novels set during WWII I highly recommend this one. And remember to be an egg.

I let this one go. Too similar to others. Maybe try it again in a few years.

Oh, I loved this book! The ending was so sad but at least the characters all found closure. I'd never heard the stories of how pigeons were part of the war effort and how so many were lost, and how pigeons breeders across England watched their beloved birds, entire family business, be destroyed during the war (with little compassion from those in the British government). I certainly know more about pigeons and have great respect for the birds and their handlers after reading this book.

This wasn't the greatest writing but the story was interesting and led me to google more about Source Columba and the roles pigeon played in WWII so I'm rounding up my rating because I learned something new thanks to this book.

Great book! Such a good story, but especially when these current days leave me looking for a bit of an escape. I wasn't really aware of the British use of homing pigeons to gather intelligence, but Alan Hlad did a great job incorporating historical information into an engaging story. A must read.

Would have been a 5 but I can’t stand the kind of ending where the author could have chosen a story with less suffering. It feels artificially sad for no necessary reason. But other than that I loved every bit of it!