It is August 1940 and Hitlers triumphant Third Reich has crushed all Europeexcept Britain. As Hitler launches a massive aerial assault, only the heavily outnumbered British RAF and the iron will of Winston Churchill can stop him: the fate of the Western civilization teeters in the balance. Johnnie Shaux is a Spitfire fighter pilot who must face Hitlers Luftwaffe. He knows the odds are against him; a hideous death is almost inevitable. While recognizing that he may meet his destiny somewhere among the clouds above, he must summon the fortitude to climb into his Spitfire and face the implacable enemy. Meanwhile, Eleanor Rand is struggling to find meaning and purpose while working in a mans world at RAF Headquarters. Somehow she must put her skills and insights to good use and escape subservience. As Johnnie becomes a rising star and Eleanor finds her place in the world, their lives overlap and they discover their true feelings for each other. As the Battle of Britain reaches its crisis point, Johnnie and Eleanor face the enemy, and their own hopes and fears, together. In this historical novel, a Spitfire fighter pilot confronts the enemy and his inner-demons while the woman he loves seeks purpose and meaning amid the savage conflict of World War II.

Author Biography

John Rhodes was born in World War II while his father was serving on an RAF Fighter Command airfield in southern England. Rhodes graduated from Cambridge University where he studied history. He now lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Rhodes has also published the detective stories Who Killed Callaway and A Painted Ship.