Book Review | Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray

The Great War is over but not for Amy Vanneck. Her fiancé, Edward Haslam is missing, presumed dead. Against all odds, Amy travels to France, right into the battlefields to search for him.

But her quest is derailed by the discovery of a mass murder scene that no one seems to know about. She begins to suspect that there’s a reason for Edward’s disappearance. But in a place where blood runs like a river, the answers she’s looking for might be worse than she thought.

Beyond him, in the second chamber, the captain sensed movement, an almost imperceptible disturbance in the air, like the beat of wings.

Two Storm Wood is a historical fiction set just after the end of WWI. It’s about a woman’s search for her lover amidst the bleak, unflinching horrors of war. I found the book atmospheric and immersive, and the characters intriguing. It’s obvious the author had done his research because it felt like I was in the muddy trenches with the soldiers. I liked how the book shows the lingering effects of war, and how the deadliest wounds are not always physical.

Amy’s impossible quest takes her deep into the battlefields, where soldiers’ bones still remain. She’s incredibly determined to find the truth. But her determination hides a sense of guilt too, as the story unfolds. She meets other characters including the helpful Captain Mackenzie and the enigmatic Major Westbrook, all of whom have their own roles in the mystery involving unexplained deaths in the trenches. The book also portrays other often forgotten people in wars like the labourers, and the women who worked in brothels.

There were times when the premise stretches credulity with regard to Amy’s journey and how easily she slips into many different places. While the romance propels the story along, I wish we had gotten to know Edward more. I thought the story takes quite a while to get to its conclusion. Yet in the end, I found myself unable to forget the characters and the world they lived in.

Two Storm Wood would be perfect for fans of historical mysteries and war fiction.

CW: graphic violence

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.

About the author: Philip Gray

Photo by British Library