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'Vivid and exciting. This author knows his stuff.' Richard Woodman, author of Malta Convoys Summer, 1942. Royal Navy fighter pilot Edmund Clydesdale is exhausted, war weary and stuck on Malta at the height of the siege. Each day could be Clydesdale's last, as he helps defend the seemingly doomed island against wave upon wave of German attacks. But as well as the enemy, Edmund must survive Sub Lieutenant Godden, a daredevil fellow pilot determined to hit back at the enemy any way he can. And when he meets Liena, a fiery Maltese woman working as an air-raid warden in the bomb-ravaged cities, he begins to find something to live and fight for. But the siege continues and Clydesdale odds of surviving the war are lengthened, when he is ordered on a special mission to fly into enemy territory. The fate of the island - and the pilot's life - will hang in the balance. Recommended for fans of Robert Ryan, James Holland and Patrick Bishop. "A gripping portrait of Malta and a careworn pilot, battling the enemy and inner demons... The author strikes a deft balance between historical insight and narrative drive." Richard Foreman, author of Warsaw "A remarkable insight into the doubts and fears of a fighter pilot, contrasting relentless action with cool post-combat de-briefs." Frank Barnard Matthew Willis grew up near the historic port of Harwich and seaplane station at Felixstowe, developing a lifelong obsession with flying and the sea. He worked as a motorsport journalist and media relations officer before becoming a full time writer in 2011. His books include the epic novels of the Norman Conquest 'An Argument of Blood' and 'A Black Matter for the King' co-written with JA Ironside, and the novelette 'The Battle of Alma'.
Author
Matthew Willis is a writer of historical and speculative fiction, and non-fiction. He is the author of the 'Fortress of Malta' series of novellas from Sharpe Books (2019-21) and co-author of the 'Oath and Crown' novels of the Norman Conquest (2017). In 2015 his story Energy was shortlisted for the Bridport short story award. 'Mustang: The Untold Story', a major history of the early variants of the immortal P-51 Mustang fighter, was published in 2021 by Key Books. Matthew studied Literature and History of Science at the University of Kent, where he wrote an MA thesis on Joseph Conrad and sailed for the University in national competitions. He subsequently worked as a journalist for Autosport and F1 Racing magazines, before switching to a career with the National Health Service. His first non-fiction book, a history of the Blackburn Skua WW2 naval dive bomber, was published in 2007. He now has nine non fiction books published including the first biography of test pilot Duncan Menzies. He currently lives in Southampton and writes both fiction and non-fiction for a living.
