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Tuesday 8 October 2024

Stepping Back Into The Past With Deborah Swift





About the Books
OPERATION TULIP

Holland, 1944: Undercover British agent Nancy Callaghan has been given her toughest case yet. A key member of the Dutch resistance has been captured, and Nancy must play the role of a wealthy Nazi to win over a notorious SS officer, Detlef Keller, and gain crucial information.

England: Coding expert Tom Lockwood is devastated that the Allies have failed to push back the Nazis, leaving Northern Holland completely cut off from the rest of Europe, and him from his beloved Nancy. Desperate to rescue the love of his life, Tom devises Operation Tulip, a plan to bring Nancy home.

But as Nancy infiltrates the Dutch SS, she finds herself catching the eye of an even more senior member of the Party. Is Nancy in too deep, or can Tom reach her before she gets caught?

Inspired by the true events of occupied Holland during WW2, don't miss this utterly gripping story of love, bravery and sacrifice.

Readers have been gripped by Operation Tulip!

'Swift is such a good storyteller … thrilling' 

'So hard to put down. I was completely immersed in Nancy’s world … will stay with me for a very long time' 

'The story shows humanity at its best and its worst' 

'A fantastic work of historical fiction' 


BUY link 




About the Author

In the past Deborah used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV, so she enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. More details of her research and writing process can be found on her website. She likes to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events.

Deborah is the author of more than twenty novels. The Poison Keeper was voted the Best Book of the Decade in the Wishing Shelf Readers' Awards.


amazon author page 
TikTok @deborahswiftwriter
Twitter @swiftstory

Read An Excerpt

 Operation Tulip by Deborah Swift

From Chapter 1

The noise of the van starting up and then a door opening. Nancy’s Resistance friends had seen the signal.

Obermayer glanced up at the old gas-powered fish van parked a little further down the road. His lips tightened and his gaze snapped to meet hers. His eyes were grey and knowing.

‘Excuse me,’ he said swiftly to Elmo, and abruptly, he began to walk away, powering down the street.

He’d smelled a rat, and there was nothing she could do. Should she follow? Already, she was conscious of her men moving on the street, closing in. They had to catch him where they could get him to the van, which was kerb-crawling close behind him. Elmo, the double-crossing swine, had melted away into the bank.

A glimpse of her friend Josef. He had the chloroform bottle in his pocket. He swung out to follow his quarry who was heading briskly for the Appololaan Hotel, a Nazi stronghold, close to where five canals meet.

But Obermayer didn’t get far before Josef leapt at him.

’Gestapo!’ Obermayer shouted, trying to summon help as he swung his fists at the men wrestling to pin him down and disarm him.  He was still trying to get to his gun, but Wim was trying to crush his hands together.

Josef brought out the bottle of chloroform and the rag and unstoppered it, just as her friend Wim swung his fist to hit the big man. Obermayer reeled, cannoned into Josef and the chloroform bottle shot out of Josef’s hand.

A sharp inhalation as the glass shattered. No. Don’t let him get away.

 The pavement glinted with shards of glass and running liquid, as Obermayer lurched out of their grasp.

Nancy ran towards them, uncertain what they could do now, but knowing the plan had failed.  Obermayer drew a pistol from his coat and aimed it at Wim.

But before he could fire, two cracks. Eva, who had been in the getaway van, had panicked, drawn out a revolver and fired two shots out of the window.

Obermayer hit the ground like a collapsed building, his head smacking on to the pavement. One bullet had gone through his head, the other his neck.

Shit. The sound of the revolver instantly brought the Greens running. Like lice, they emerged from the side-streets and buildings, shouting ‘Stop!’ ‘Stay where you are!’

The Greens were the Ordnungspolizei, the Order Police in green uniform who worked for Nazi Germany and were responsible for carrying out Nazi orders. They were tasked with the arrest, execution or deportation of what they called ’Enemies of the Reich.’

Already Nancy’s friends were scattering, leaving Obermayer’s body as a heap on the pavement. Wim jumped into the van, as Josef set off running and Eva reversed as fast as she could, foot hard on the gas pedal. Nancy was already on the move as she saw Josef dodge between the military trucks that had appeared from nowhere, and hare off alongside the canal. A patrol, alerted by the disturbance, was ready for him and cut off the route. He was surrounded by Wehrmacht helmets within seconds.

In the distance she saw Koos, one of their lookouts, being led away to a truck. She must get out of there. But slow. Act calm. Nothing to do with me.

She increased her pace and stepped straight into the chest of one of the Greens.

‘Name?’

‘Hendrika van Hof.’ Her sixth false name.

‘Did you see what happened there?’

‘No,’ Nancy said. ‘I just saw trouble. I was going to work, and now I must go another way.’

The man, a grizzled-looking man in his forties, looked her up and down. ‘Where d’you work?’

Her cover story was solid now. ‘The Prisengracht hospital.’

‘But that’s the other side of the city. What are you doing here on Nieuwmarkt?’

‘I needed to buy some press-studs from the market,’ she said, smiling pleasantly though light-headed with fear.

‘Well, Nurse Van Hof, you want to have dinner with me?’

She blinked. With him? He was old. The thought was repulsive. The question had come out of the blue and she didn’t know how to answer.

‘I will have to take you in for questioning,’ he said. ‘Or, you could answer my questions over dinner.’

He had a self-satisfied smugness about him that made her want to punch him, but she knew she had no choice but to agree. All women had no choice but to agree with the police in this war. And besides it would look more suspicious if she turned down a free dinner. Not now Northern Holland was cut off from their food supply lines. ‘That would be very nice,’ she said.

‘Tomorrow night at seven o’clock. Hotel de Gersterkorrel, near Dam Square. Okay?’

‘Thank you.’

‘And I’ll need your papers.’

In case I run away. She’d understood. Damn. She’d have to hand them over. She opened her bag for the second time that day and took out the papers. They were forged of course. Would he notice? Sweat gathered under the neck of her coat.

He took them and glanced at them again. ‘Aah, Hendrika.’ He rolled her name round his tongue. ‘I will see you tomorrow.’

‘Call me Rika,’ she said.

The man puffed himself up, pleased. Ugh. Every power-crazed Dutch creep had allied himself with the Nazis. ‘And I am Dirk. Dirk Van Meveren. If anyone asks, tell them I have your papers. They will be returned to you tomorrow.  I look forward to our dinner.’




STEP INTO THE PAST WITH 

3rd October J G (Jane) Harlond
4th October Susan Grossey
5th October Carol Westron
6th October Samantha Wilcoxson
7th October  Annie Whitehead
8th October  Debra Swift
9th October  Joan Fallon Cook
10th October Judith Arnopp
11th October Anna Belfrage
12th October Elizabeth St.John
13th October Nancy Jardine
14th October Helen Hollick
15th October Derek Birks
16th October Cathie Dunn
17th October Amy Maroney
18th October Tony Riches
19th October Cryssa Bazos

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5 comments:

  1. What I really appreciated about Operation Tulip is how much I learned from it. The thorough research shines through!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's tghe intreresting thing about well written - and well researched - historical fiction: an entertaining but also interesting read!

      Delete
  2. Thank you for hosting my extract Helen!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved this trilogy, I'm a big fan of all your books so keep them coming.

    ReplyDelete

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