Will To Live

Marie Monin is on the most important mission of her career. Recruited by Henrich Froer and trained as a spy by the German SS intelligence organization known as the Sicherheitsdienst, she is now in Devon County, England, in search of information. The young German has just landed in England after a revenge killing in Belgium, and she is currently responsible for finding out everything she can about an upcoming U.S. military training exercise. Lt. Paul Schaefer is a German-born American soldier who has chosen to fight alongside the United States Army. Along with his fellow troops, he is training to invade on D-Day and preparing for an upcoming training exercise known as Exercise Tiger. Paul and Marie have no idea their paths are about to cross in Devon, let alone just how important this meeting will be—not only to their lives, but also to the course of history. If German intelligence gets their hands on the right information, they effectively will be able to sabotage Exercise Tiger—sinking American landing crafts and taking hundreds of lives in the process. The result? One of the most overlooked events of World War II history, devastating but hardly ever mentioned seventy years later. An intriguing work of historical fiction, Will to Live is based on actual events that occurred in April of 1944, at Slapton Sands, England. While rarely mentioned in U.S. history books, this military incident killed more than seven hundred American soldiers and sailors who were practicing for D-Day—more than were killed on Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion itself. To this day, it is a mystery exactly how the Germans were able to uncover the secret training exercise and sink the landing craft with their boats. Some suspect that Nazi spies were to blame, having found out about the exercise and relayed the information to German sailors. In the end, nobody can say for sure whether or not this was the case. Creative and compulsively readable, this historic mystery sheds light on a tragic and forgotten event, while introducing readers to the exciting life of a young German female spy and the bravery of an American lieutenant preparing for one of the biggest battles in World War II history. In the vein of Ken Follett, Seckington’s debut work of historical fiction maintains just the right balance of fact, fiction, history, and mystery. It will appeal to readers of all different backgrounds and tastes.