Walking Away from Midnight

The Midnight Series Book 1

Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
418 Pages
Reviewed on 10/12/2024
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Tom Kane is a seasoned writer whose literary journey began at the age of eight with his first short story, Planet A for Acid. Armed with a pencil and notepad, he embarked on a lifelong passion for storytelling. Transitioning to a typewriter in his thirties, he penned tales whenever time allowed. It was the advent of the Kindle that spurred him to become an indie author and publish his debut novel, Operation Werewolf, based on his father's World War II experiences.

Drawing from personal and family narratives, Kane's writing evolved, exemplified by The Diary of a Debt Collector, inspired by his wife's professional encounters. This catalyst ignited a prolific period, yielding both fiction and non-fiction works.
During the Covid lockdown, Kane delved into historical fiction, crafting The Brittle Saga Trilogy comprising The Brittle Sea, The Brittle Land, and The Brittle Sky.
Currently, Kane's focus now lies on Walking Away from Midnight, his latest historical fiction endeavour poised to launch a promising series.

With an ever-expanding repertoire and a knack for weaving intricate narratives, Tom Kane invites readers to explore his diverse literary landscape, offering a glimpse into his writing style through his published works.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite

Tom Kane's Walking Away from Midnight is a gripping WWII espionage thriller spanning from June 1939 to June 1940. This is book one in The Midnight Series. The principal character is Jessie Fordham, a young Englishwoman who, in the summer of 1939,  is a recent graduate from Cambridge University. The story begins with Jessie's childhood and teenage days, with family life very much influenced by her father's career in the British military. In 1939, Jessie's father, Colonel Albert Fordham, was Britain's Military Attaché to France. Jessie, her younger siblings, her uncle Nev, and her father are at the family's summer home at Midnight Lake in the French Ardennes. When Germany advances into France in May 1940, Jessie's father instructs her to leave immediately with her younger siblings and go to Dunkirk, where the British Navy has a rescue mission in place. Jessica has a diplomatic briefcase with her, which her father says she must guard with her life and deliver to British intelligence in London.

I thoroughly enjoyed Walking Away from Midnight for its fascinating and diverse characters and its well-crafted, convoluted web of wartime mystery, espionage, and daunting and dangerous personal challenges. I particularly enjoyed the character development of Jessie Fordham. I liked how her character matures and her inner transformative journeys, particularly when she must undertake a dangerous trek across Europe, with German forces advancing on the ground and the ever-present threat of Luftwaffe attacks. The story gains great depth as Jessie's character development is interwoven into her family's life, and the characters of her father, uncle, and siblings emerge. Jessie's abilities, vulnerabilities and fears, and inner courage sprang into life for me through the other characters, as well as the evocative and atmospheric settings of Midnight Lake and the Ardennes. The characters, dialogues, and chaotic wartime settings are well-crafted, showing the perils of espionage and counter-espionage. Tom Kane has written a terrific espionage thriller in a tale of courage and determination. I immensely enjoyed the thread of humor that runs through the story.