November 16, 2020
In 1941, Olive Bright, the 22-year-old heroine of this enjoyable series launch from Graves (Austentatious as Alyssa Goodnight), has grown impatient knitting socks for the war effort in the English village of Pipley. She wants to make a meaningful contribution and live up to the example of her late mother’s heroic service to king and country in the previous war. For some time, Olive and her father have been hounding the army to enlist their prize racing pigeons as battlefield messengers, so when Olive is approached by two officers who invite her and her birds to join a covert operation, she’s delighted, even though her mission is complicated by her testy relationship with her handler, Capt. Jameson Aldridge, a handsome Irishman. When the body of the village scandal-monger is discovered near Olive’s dovecote, Olive sets out to unmask the murderer. In the process, she uncovers many long-hidden secrets in Pipley. Graves smoothly integrates the little-known story of the wartime pigeon service into the intriguing plot. Readers will look forward to seeing more of smart, energetic, and witty Olive. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co.