Overview

Paris, 1941. William Gunnison, a British Private trying to keep a low profile in Nazi-occupied France, accidentally kills an old American man he mistakes for a German officer. The old man's butler Jacques, now alone in Paris with a secret the Nazis could kill him for, begs William to help him safely escape Paris. All he needs to do is deliver Jacques's letter of instructions to a man named Victor hiding in New York City, a letter he will refuse unless William uses the password: ""Olive Branch."" Desperate to redeem himself for killing the old American - among other things - William agrees to desert the British army at the height of World War II and deliver the letter that saves Jacques's life... but what William assumed to be a simple journey from Paris to New York proves to be anything but, forcing the young Private to outmanoeuvre not just the Nazis and Allied forces, but ghosts of his past as well. Utilizing David Schulze's trademark brand of complex characters, busted genre tropes, and mile-a-minute plot twists, OLIVE BRANCH is a unique wartime mystery combining suspense, contemplation and tragedy, exploring themes of messy ethics, the limitations of the human spirit, and mankind's life-or-death need for companionship.

Full Product Details

9781737037897

Table of Contents

Reviews

""The novel is fast-paced, jumping right into the action, and Schulze is a fine writer who imbues his characters with emotional depth while effectively incorporating the war's historical events."" - BlueInk Reviews ""Overall, as World War II novels go, this one packs a roundhouse kick that present-day readers will feel sharply."" - Kirkus Reviews ""Narrated by William as a letter to the friend who once saved his life, Nadine, the book is vivified by wartime images and the lurking uncertainties about the lines between friends and enemies. Moral and ethical questions abound, and the importance of interpersonal connections is emphasized."" - Foreword Clarion Reviews

Author Information

David Schulze (né Stehman) was born and raised in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. A lifelong admirer of movies, mythology, and classic literature, David loves stories across all mediums. In 2017, David graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing for Film and Television and a Minor in Literature. He has written nine feature screenplays and four shorts, many of them placing in screenwriting competitions. Falling back on his love of prose, David adapted his ninth feature, The Sins of Jack Branson (2018 Final Draft Big Break Contest Quarterfinalist) as his debut novel in 2021. His critically acclaimed second novel Andrezj of Hollywood won the 2024 IPPY Bronze Medal for West Pacific Fiction, and his novella unplugged was selected as one of the 100 Best Indie Books of 2024 by Kirkus Reviews. David lives in Marlton, New Jersey with his husband Howie.

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