Martin Langfield: The Secret Fire

I was in the city a month or so ago (Feb 2015) and noticed a sign advertising a book sale for the Atheneum Library in Collins St. For $1 per book, it was too good to pass up and I bought a book by an author I had never heard of, namely Martin Langfield. It is amazing how coincidences come to pass with books as I had just recently finished reading The Gods of Atlantis by David Gibbons, a book about Himmler and the Third Reich's obsession with the occult. Lo and behold, this new book was also bound around the idea of Himmler's occult dabbling and his desire to win WWII for the Third Reich and himself. The GoodReads summary goes like this.

The Secret Fire is a supernatural thriller set in London and Paris during World War Two and in the present day. It is a story of love, betrayal and forgiveness. The legendary Fenland Working, which helped shield Britain from destruction by its Nazi enemies during World War Two, is slowly dying with its maker. As the key anniversary of its casting nears, and its protective effects unravel in present-day London and Paris, a window in time begins to open that may allow history to be rewritten - for good or for ill. The fate of the modern world hangs in the balance. Two men of matched but opposite powers - the chilling, sadistic occultist Isambard and the American OSS agent Horace Hencott - battle across time for the soul of troubled double agent Peter Hale, while Horace’s proteges Robert and Katherine Reckliss must delve deep into the mysteries of their own families to come to his aid. "The Secret Fire" is both a stand-alone novel and a sequel to "The Malice Box."

Well, it was actually a good book, once you got over the fact that it was a sequel and I had not read the first book of the series. But I like a supernatural thriller and it was well written and flowed well. You had to have your wits about you as it jumped chapter by chapter between 1942 and 2007 but I always have my wits about me so was able to quote. I might even see if the library has "The Malice Box".