Book Review - Island of Saints

Summary: While digging up a withering wax myrtle tree beside his waterfront home on the Gulf coast, author Andy Andrews unearths a rusted metal container filled with Nazi artifacts and begins an intriguing investigation that unlocks an unspoken past that took place in his backyard . . . literally . . .

. . . In the summer of 1942, as the country gears up for a full-scale commitment to WWII, German subs are dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to sink U.S. vessels carrying goods and fuel for the war. While taking a late-night walk along the coastline, Helen Mason - recently widowed by the realities of war - discovers the near-lifeless body of a German sailor. Enraged at the site of Josef Landermann's uniform, Helen is prepared to leave the lieutenant to die when an unusual phrase, faintly uttered, changes her mind.

Set in a period simmering with anger and suspicion, Island of Saints offers the very real chronicle of a small town preparing itself for the worst the world has to offer. As cargo from torpedoed ships begins to wash up on the beach, Josef and Helen must reconcile their pasts in order to create a future.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down! I was reluctant to read it just because I wasn't in a "war book" kind of mood, but that was secondary to the story. This book is a perfect example of why I love historical fictions - I learned new things about WWII and it's involvement so close to home. The author is a great story teller and I would definitely read more of his books. I'd also recommend this book to anyone!