Derek Hart – författare

First Officer John Drake is Derek Hart''s latest hero, yet perhaps it''s the ship that takes center stage in this latest adventure. The Princess Carla is the setting for a tale of love and intrigue, romance and excitement, with some international criminals thrown in for good measure. Indeed Drake is handsome, dashing, and certainly entertaining, but it''s Interpol Agent Raylene Capri who creates all the mystery and torrid romance.

Danger Cruise takes place during a one-week roundtrip cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico with several scenic stops in between. While the characters and certain events are fictional, not only is the cruise timeframe based on fact, but also all the details about life aboard the Carla during those days are true, right down to the movies shown, the live shows, and the food served.

Derek Hart effectively blends real life on a cruise ship with intrigue and romance, propelling the capable John Drake straight into the arms of the equally gifted Raylene Capri. As an independent fashion designer and manager of Musical Fantasy, a Las Vegas Review dance show, she''s not only beautiful but concealing something too. However, complications arise when this man and woman fall in love, so everything becomes far more interesting and dangerous.

In response to the fear that the Nazis were developing an atomic bomb, the US government through the OSS (forerunner of the CIA) commissioned a super-secret mission to evaluate the status of German science and to assess their progress in the area of nuclear fission.

So what were the Germans really up to? The German scientists were all great minds capable of reaching the same conclusions as the American team. Were they morally against the bomb''s development or did they just not understand the technical problems and concluded its development was not feasible? We may never know, because they publicly denied the possibility that such a bomb could be built, even after learning about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

US Army Captain Robert Brock makes a personal promise to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to destroy all evidence that the Germans have actually perfected the design for an atomic bomb. The "favor" takes him to Greece, Italy, France, and into Germany itself, as ALSOS races to prevent the Third Reich from using their weapon of mass destruction. Go along for a fast-paced ride as Brock delivers whatever it takes to make good on his promise, offered as a favor to FDR.

Nathan Talbot participated in the 1936 Olympics, as captain of the Tyrian Tempest, representing the United Kingdom in the 6-Meter Class Yachting races. The competition was fierce and even though Talbot was a skilled sailor, he was disappointed with only winning the Bronze Medal, outmaneuvered by the German sailing master Werner Grossman. However, there were other darker issues plaguing the young Englishman once he returned from Nazi Germany. Something sordid and dangerous was simmering underneath all the pomp and circumstance of the new Fatherland.

Less than four years later, Nathan''s concerns were realized, as Germany plunged the world into yet another war. This time, Talbot took command of a Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) and this time set sail for combat in the English Channel. Nathan was soon to discover that his old nemesis, Werner Grossman, had been given command of an entire E-boat flotilla operating in the same area.

Then one night, while Talbot was sneaking about Occupied France, he literally ran into 19-year-old Elise Dub and it was love at first sight. While taking daring risks to keep the flames of romance burning, Talbot was also assigned to British Intelligence. It seemed that the former yachtsman''s first-hand experience with French ports would come in handy for more covert reasons.

There was just one problem. It also became obvious that Herr Grossman had also been captivated by Elise Dub''s charms and planned to seduce her. Failing that, the German officer had every intention of forcing himself upon her. While the war at sea was often decided with lightning speed and brutal results, World War Two became incredibly personal for Nathan Talbot, who would stop at nothing to rescue his true love.

Ice Flotilla is a story about ordinary people caught up in the extraordinary horrors and challenges of World War Two. In the midst of this terrible conflict, human beings were also faced with many of life''s seemingly mundane choices too. How they handled the pressures of war, the loss of loved ones, and still managed to discover their dignity during those tumultuous times, is what this book is all about. With a world at war, love still made a difference in so many ways.

Once again Iceland was a major locale for one of Derek Hart''s novels. Intrigued by the culture, the people, the landscape, and the history, the author felt motivated to write another book expounding the virtues and complexities of this fascinating nation.

Follow the life and death struggle of Richard Hathaway and his son Ian during the dark days of World War Two.