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.