Before reading The Long Flight Home by Alan Hlad, I had never heard of war pigeons, nor did I know how they were used by the Allied forces to help win WWII.

Hlad’s historical fiction account captured my attention and compelled me to keep reading (even while sick with the flu) from the first page to the last. It was one of those stay-up-til-I-finish-at-2 a.m. kind of books. The characters were well-developed, the plot believable, and the ending, though I wished for something slightly different, was satisfying. The shining star in the story is Duchess, the wonder pigeon, who ties the book together from start to finish. Grab a tissue and be prepared not to put the book down until you’ve turned the last page.