Night of Flames by Douglas W. Jacobson (Book Review)

Title: Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II
Author: Douglas W. Jacobson
Publisher: McBooks Press

First sentence: Anna Kopernik slept on this hot, muggy night, but it was a restless sleep troubled by strange dreams.

My synopsis: Anna and Jan Kopernik were a young married couple in Poland when the Germans invaded in 1939. Jan was a Major with the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade and was in the field when the Germans bombed Warsaw. Anna was in Warsaw with her good friend Irene and her son Justyn to take care of everything since Irene's mother had just passed away. Irene's husband Stefan was in the cavalry with Jan.

After narrowly escaping the bombs that fell on Warsaw, Anna, Irene and Justyn make their way back home to Krakow. When their driver is killed and Anna injured they end up staying with an older farm couple, the Berkowicz until Anna is recovered. When they finally make it back to Krakow, it has been taken over by the Germans, but Anna's father Thaddeus is still safe. He is a professor at the local university. It isn't long before all the professor's are rounded up and sent to a prison camp in Germany. Since Irene and Justyn are Jews, they are forced to wear the Star of David on their sleeves. Anna knows they must escape and through contacts of her father's she is able to secure visas for the three of them to Italy.

The story continues of Jan's endeavors during the war and how he is eventually recruited as a spy since he speaks fluent German. He takes the chance to return to Poland so he can search for Anna. Meanwhile, Anna inadvertently becomes involved in the resistance in Poland and the Comet Line, which escorted fallen aviators out of the country. Will they both survive the war? If they do, how in the world will they ever find each other again?

My review: While I am not a WWII buff, this book was a great read! You did not need to know a lot about the war to be able to appreciate the sacrifices that everyday people made in the name of freedom. It was a very engaging read and I was instantly invested in the outcomes of Anna, Irene and Justyn. The author told the story in a very easy manner, going back and forth from Anna and the Resistance to Jan and his involvement. In this way, you moved through the war and actually got two different perspectives - one of the actual fighting, and one of the behind the scenes sabotage efforts. I wish that I would have taken some notes along the way though, as there were a lot of characters, and when they would go on a mission, they would use different names, so sometimes I wasn't sure who was who! It was still a really good story though!


*This book was provided for review from Dorothy at Pump Up Your Books.*

Night of Flames
Publisher/Publication Date: McBooks Press, Oct 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59013-166-4
384 pages

An Interview with Douglas Jacobson - author of Night of Flames

I cannot tell you how excited I was to have the opportunity to interview Douglas Jacobson. His book, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II drew me in from the very beginning and held me captive until the last page. I will be sharing my review, right here on Books and Needlepoint, very soon.


1. Hi, Mr Jacobson. Will you tell us a little about Night of Flames and what lead you to write this book?

A: Night of Flames is a historical novel set in Europe during WW2 that tells a story of the courage of common people caught up in the greatest catastrophe of the twentieth century. The main characters are a university professor in Krakow, Poland and her husband, a cavalry officer, who become separated on the first day of the war. For the next five years they try to survive and preserve their humanity while searching for each other across war-torn Europe. I have always been interested in WW2 history but my primary inspiration came when I got to know my Belgian son-in-law’s parents who were children during the German occupation of Belgium.


2. This really is a fascinating book! Was there a specific moment when you knew you wanted to be an author?

Yes, When my friends and I wrote horror stories in fifth grade to shock the teacher. She wasn’t shocked.

3. I had to laugh at that last answer. I want to know what an 11-year old Douglas thinks is shocking! Where is your favorite place to write - and do you need anything specific while you are writing?

Door County, Wisconsin and Longboat Key, Florida. All I need is time. Peace & quiet help as well.

4. Do you have any weaknesses as a writer and how have you overcome them?

Poor vocabulary. Thank God for the built in thesaurus.

5.You have overcome that very well! Do you have any strengths as a writer and how have they helped?

I think I’m a pretty good story teller. I practice with my seven grandchildren.

6. There is nothing better than sharing stories with kids! Especially since they tend to believe just about everything! During your research, who is the most interesting person you have met - or the most fascinating place you have been?

In NIGHT OF FLAMES I wrote about an organization founded by a 24 year-old nurse in Belgium called the Comet Line. These brave people (mostly women and teenagers) rescued more than a thousand Allied aviators shot down over Belgium during WW2. Most Comet Line agents were arrested by the Gestapo and executed. After my book was published in 2007 I was privileged to meet several surviving agents on the Comet Line in Brussels. They are all ladies in their 80s who survived imprisonment and torture. When asked why they did it, they simply said, “We did it for freedom.”


7. Your daughter Kerri recently accompanied you to Poland for research on your next book - Has she inherited your WWII enthusiasm?

Yes. But more than that, Kerri has enthusiasm for everything. She is my best and toughest critic and she is the model for my main character, Anna. Kerri is also a tireless researcher and she kept me on the go through Poland.

8. I know you are researching another book - can you tell us a little about it or when we can expect to see it?

I am just now finishing up a second historical novel set in Europe at the end of WW2. The story focuses on the aftermath and cover-up of one of the most notorious war crimes ever committed.

9. I have so enjoyed Night of Flames that I will definitely be looking for that one when it comes out! Have you had any surprising comments or questions during the promotion of Night of Flames?

The most surprising thing that has happened is that I read an article recently about a surviving WW2 veteran on the Polish army whose war-time journey throughout Europe was the exact same journey as my fictional character, Jan. This was a Polish veteran who was being honored by a Belgian-American newspaper for his service in the liberation of Belgium in 1944.

Thank you Mr. Jacobson for taking the time out to answer these questions!

You can find Mr. Jacobson at his blog - http://douglaswjacobson.blogspot.com.

Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 9-21-2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!




Only You by Deborah Grace Staley

I won this book from J.Kaye at J.Kaye's Book Blog.

A charming romance about the lives and loves of people in a small Tennessee town. In the tradition of Debbie Macomber. "Hey, ya'll. Dixie Ferguson here. I run Ferguson's Diner in Angel Ridge, Tennessee. Population three hundred forty-five. It's a picturesque town in the valley of the Little Tennessee River, established in 1785. In the early days, its first families--the McKays, the Wallaces, the Houstons, the Joneses, and, of course, the Craigs--staked their claims on hundreds of acres of the richest bottom land anyone had ever seen. After all the years I've spent behind the counter at Ferguson's, I could probably tell ya'll a story about near everyone in town. But we only have so much time, so I'll narrow it down to just two for now. This is a story about coming home. It's also a story about acceptin' folks for who they are. You could say it's a story about Josie Allen, a librarian, and Cole Craig, a handyman, but I say it's a story about finding love where you'd least expect to." (Amazon)

Only You (Book 1, The Angel Ridge Series)
Publisher/Publication Date: Bell Bridge Books, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9821756-3-7
208 pages

The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall

I received this for a book Random House book tour in October - There will also be a giveaway!

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store and serves as a contact between Amish craftsmen and Englischer retailers. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart every day, and she still wears dark dresses to indicate her mourning of her fiance. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow in an Englischer store, something deep inside bet's soul responds, and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after meeting Jonah, the artist, she is determined that Beth come to know this man whose hands create healing art. But it's not that simple--Beth has cut herself off from any possibility of romance. Will Lizzy's elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth new hope and a second chance at real love--or just more heartbreak? (book jacket)

The Sound of Sleigh Bells
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, October 2009
ISBN: 978-0-307-44653-4
208 pages

Last Breath by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins

I received this for a First Wild Card Tour in October.

With his last breath, a dying man whispered four stunning words into Shaley O'Connor's ear.


The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor, on tour with her mother's popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limo. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing. . . except the one thing she can't have.


Shaley is reeling after two murders on the Rayne concert tour. But she has no time to rest. If the dying man's claim is right, the danger is far from over.


Shaley's quest for the truth leads to the mysterious and wrenching past of her mother and father. Could what happened to them so many years ago threaten Shaley's life now? (back cover)

Last Breath
Publisher/Publication Date: Zondervan, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0-310-71540-5
240 pages

Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II
by Douglas W. Jacobson

I received this for an October book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

What price would you pay to keep your soul?

In 1939 the Germans invade Poland, setting off a rising storm of violence and destruction. For Anna and Ian Kopernik the loss is unimaginable. Anna's father is deported to a death camp, and Anna must flee to Belgium where she joins the Resistance. Meanwhile, Jan escapes with the battered remnants of the Polish army to Britain. When British intelligence asks him to return to Poland in an undercover mission to contact the Resistance, he seizes the chance to search for his missing wife. (back cover)

Night of Flames
Publisher/Publication Date: McBooks Press, Oct 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59013-166-4
384 pages

Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick

I received this book from Sourcebooks.

Three years have passed since the mists cleared to reveal the Pendragon Banner triumphant. Arthur is king. But the crown, once won, must be defended.

He is a man about whom legends will be told. With his loyal and fiercely valiant wife Gwenhwyfar by his side, and three sons to his name, twenty-four-year-old King Arthur takes on the burden of a country battling for its very soul.

But before the harpers sing of glory, before the tales of brave daring and skill, a young man must win his place as the greatest warrior of all Britain. . .and the greatest king of all time. (back cover)

Pendragon's Banner (Book 2, The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy)
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Landmark, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1889-7
496 pages

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
by Allison Hoover Bartlett

I received this through the Library Thing Early Reviewer program.

John Charles Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett befriended both eccentric characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, she not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes and how Sanders ultimately caught him, but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Immersing the reader in a rich, wide world of literary obsession, Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love. (back cover)

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
Publisher/Publication Date: Riverhead Hardcover, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59448-891-7
288 pages

What books found a new home with you this week?