Stalking Ghosts

by Alexander Juden

“I just need a trusted messenger,” Winston Churchill said to me. “President Wilson and Senator Lodge know me and have some small respect for me. They will listen. They must. The ties between the recent terrorist attacks and the current massive labor strikes are undeniable evidence of the workings of Bolshevism in the United States. These are not the arbitrary, isolated events directed by a few uneducated immigrant anarchists. These are coordinated efforts promoted and guided by Moscow.”

September 1919. All combatants of the Great War, save Russia, have signed the Treaty of Versailles formally ending more than four years of slaughter. In Russia, civil war continues to rage, and the government in Great Britain sees a Red revolution as a very real threat to the world order. In the United States, the past four months have brought riots, strikes, and bombings. Against this uncertain backdrop, the world must hold its collective breath while it waits for President Wilson to overcome the opposition of isolationist American senators in order to win ratification for the treaty he promises will end all wars.

While traveling to Washington at the request of the British, John Griffin, Great War veteran and agent for Wilson and Colonel House, encounters a German plot to undermine Wilson’s efforts. He also learns, to his horror, that he is the key for the success of their plan. Pursued by enemies, real and imagined, and battling the demons inside his head, Griffin strives to escape his role in the scheme while protecting his friends and family. Betrayal hounds his efforts and, ultimately, upends much that he had come to believe.

414 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[Paul M]

It seems to have become an annual tradition…I buy the latest A Juden novel and have my wife wrap it up for a Christmas gift to me. Once again it’s the first book I read this year.

I continue to enjoy following the exploits of the novel’s main character, John Griffin. The book did a nice job of touching on a few tidbits from his earlier books; however, kept the storyline focused on the excitement of this period in his life. I find it intriguing to imagine how this author transitioned from writing dry legal documents as an attorney to the smooth storytelling that keeps me flipping the pages in his novels, wondering what lurks around the corner. I expect this won’t be the most gripping, technical, or knowledge-filled book I read this year. But I did enjoy it and have a good idea what my wife will be getting me for Christmas late this year. And the author somehow makes it believable that Mr. Griffin manages to meet with both a Prime Minister and a president of the US. I know it’s possible as my dad managed to meet two presidents:)

[Michelle]

I love historical fiction because I can be entertained while I learn some history and this book does not disappoint! I love being transported back to 1920 and the descriptions really let me picture it! Griffin and Mitchell continue to meet interesting characters, both real and fictional, while saving the world, or at least the fragile post Great War peace!

I went through a long period of time when I read a lot of books set around WWII and it is a very welcome change to now be reading about the WWI era!