The Escape Game by author Marilyn Turk is a Christian historical romance novel. Set in Leeds, England in 1941, this is a World War II story inspired by real events. It is centered around prisoners of war and a board game that helps them. How intriguing is that!
This is the story of Beryl Clarke. She is a secretary at a Game factory in Leeds, England, and also is an Air Raid Warden. Her brother, a pilot, is a prisoner of war along with his friend American Kenneth Borderlon.
The author has done a great deal of research for this book. She takes readers into the middle of the war and POW Camp. Her characters were believable. Their conversations sounded authentic. I learned a lot from this book. It was fascinating to read how a board game helped the soldiers.
I had trouble becoming invested in the story and characters for the first part of the book. It seemed slow to me. Finally I did and I was glad I stuck with it. This book leaves readers with her findings on the war. It provides a story full of intrigue, adventure and romance. Be sure to read the author notes at the end.
Even though I had difficulty with the first part of the book, I would recommend it. It is a different type of war story and fascinating. I loved that it was based on true events. There is much to be gleaned by reading it. It gets a 4 star rating from me. A copy was provided by Celebrate Lit and NetGalley, but these are my honest words.
About the Book
Book: The Escape Game
Author: Marilyn Turk
Genre: Historical Christian Fiction
Release date: March, 2023
A Board Game Holds Keys to Prisoners’ Escape
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
After the Nazis started the bombing blitz of England, Beryl Clarke puts her college on hold to return to Leeds, care for her mother, and work as a secretary at the Waddington game company. While she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. When he is shot down, injured, and captured, James meets American POW Kenneth Anderson, and they plan to escape the Nazi prison camp. Beryl knows there is a board game with escape plans being delivered to POWs by the Red Cross. But how will the men discover the game’s secret?
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Award-winning author Marilyn Turk writes historical fiction flavored with suspense and romance. Marilyn also writes devotions for Daily Guideposts. She and her husband are lighthouse enthusiasts, have visited over one hundred lighthouses, and also served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine.
When not writing or visiting lighthouses, Marilyn enjoys boating, fishing, gardening, tennis, playing with grandkids, and her golden retriever Dolly.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers; Faith, Hope and Love; Advanced Writers and Speakers Association; and Word Weavers International.
More from Marilyn
The Story behind The Escape Game
In the process of writing my books, I’ve become fascinated by the real stories that happened during World War II. I’ve discovered information I didn’t know before and am finding out that many people I know, even those older than myself, didn’t know either. Every time I come across an interesting tidbit, I want to write about it. Since my husband knows I look for such things, when he came across a story about how the Monopoly game was used during the war, he shared it with me.
The true story was kept top-secret for over fifty years after the war, so few had heard about it, especially outside the United Kingdom. Of course, my writer’s mind set off asking “What If?” So the story developed about a woman who works for the company that makes the game and what happened after she found out about the secret. What if she had a close relative who had been captured before the British informed their soldiers about the game and he needed to know the information? How could she convey that to him?
I wish I could have gone to the UK for research, but that was not a possibility. Maybe someday. However, the people I contacted there were very helpful, and I was thrilled to make contact with the great granddaughter of the president of Waddintons, the company which manufactured the game. She was able to fill in a few details about the company, although when she was a child, her grandfather ran the company.
One thing many people find hard to believe, based on the horrible treatment the Nazi army inflicted on people they thought inferior, is that the treatment of POW’s was somewhat better, especially for pilots. Thanks to the rules of the Geneva Convention after WWI, the Germans abided by them for the most part. That involved treatment of prisoners who escaped. Most of them were caught and returned to the camp from which they escaped. And normally, the punishment was solitary confinement. The biggest hardship of the POWs besides lack of freedom was the meager food they were given, especially as the war continued, since the Germans themselves were facing food shortages.
The challenge for me as a writer was to accurately describe life in both England and the POW camp. The other big challenge was writing a love story when the two characters were apart for so long. But it’s true that many soldiers fell in love with women they corresponded with back home. That fact is verified in the many letters on record, including the ones my father-in-law wrote to a fellow soldier’s fiancé after the soldier was killed in action. Their relationship grew into love, and after the war, the two met in person at the train station for the first time and married the same day.
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 30
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 30
Texas Book-aholic, March 31
Pause for Tales, March 31
Sylvan Musings, April 1
deb’s Book Review, April 1
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 2
Labor Not in Vain, April 2
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 3
Cover Lover Book Review, April 3
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 4
Connie’s History Classroom, April 4
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 5
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 5
Stories By Gina, April 6 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 6
Betti Mace, April 7
For Him and My Family, April 7
She Lives To Read, April 8
Remembrancy, April 8
SodbusterLiving, April 9
Holly’s Book Corner, April 9
Lily’s Book Reviews, April 10
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, April 10
lakesidelivingsite, April 11
A Good Book and Cup of Tea, April 11
Lights in a Dark World, April 12
Blossoms and Blessings, April 12
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Marilyn is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon eGift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/25256/the-escape-game-celebration-tour-giveaway
Politely, of course, but she sure had me grinning.
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess 