Part One: Assault
Early 1942: The fate of the Suez Canal and access to Middle East oil hangs on the fate of an island just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide: Malta. Determined to destroy the British forces threatening Rommel’s supply lines, the Axis powers drop more bombs on Malta than London endured throughout the Blitz. The population is forced underground, while the RAF struggles with inadequate resources to fend off defeat. Meanwhile, Britain’s Atlantic lifeline is fraying….
Voices on the Wind follows the fate of four of Malta’s defenders: Senior Intelligence Officer and former Battle of Britain ace, W/Cdr “Robin” Priestman; WAAF SigInt Officer Candice Weld, sent out from Bletchley Park to “man” the only X-machine outside the UK; F/O “Ned” Nettleton, a Beaufort torpedo bomber pilot engaged in suicidal attacks against enemy shipping; and Chief Officer Stevie Mackay of the British Merchant Navy, fighting to keep Britain’s own lines of supply open.
Coming August 2027
Part Two: Siege
Review Excerpts:
“This is the sort of novel that completely immerses you, drawing you deeply into the lives of its characters and leaving you desperately hoping they will survive….[It is] not a novel that can easily be forgotten. It is moving, exciting, and utterly captivating, lingering in the mind long after the final page. The characters and setting are rendered with such intricate detail that the entire story remains vividly real.” — The Coffee Pot Book Club
“Schrader adds a human perspective to the drama that unfolded in the Mediterranean at a critical period in World War II. … This extraordinary piece of writing captures both the ethos of the era and the human conditions that flow from war.” — Leonard Smuts for Readers’ Favorite
“Schrader manages to do with characters what many authors struggle to do — reveal their personality by placing them under pressure, where pretense becomes impossible to sustain. She also manages to, in the simplest way, let the reader know why Malta mattered historically, through lived detail and implication….[T]he book doesn’t just reference history but it actively integrates that history into its narrative mechanics.” — Historical Fiction Company
“What emerges from [Voices on the Wind] is more than a story of military operations. It is a portrait of service, endurance, and sacrifice viewed through multiple perspectives, each contributing to a richer understanding of a critical moment in history.” — Yarde Book Promotions