The Island Between Us: A dual-timeline journey of courage, betrayal and a love that endures through time

by Dougie McHale

Two lives bound by love and sacrifice, across decades, across an island, across time itself.

Carissa thought she had escaped her past when she fled Edinburgh for the sunlit island of Skiathos. But her peace is shattered when her former partner finds her, determined to drag her back into his control.

Her only strength lies in the friendships she forges with Thomas, a WWII veteran who carries the burden of betrayal and loss, and with Demitris, who offers the love she desperately needs. As Thomas recounts his wartime mission, where danger, loyalty, and love collided, Carissa finds the courage to stand against the shadows threatening her own life.

A gripping dual-timeline novel of love and survival, The Island Between Us will appeal to readers of Kristin Hannah and Victoria Hislop. A standalone in The Hellenic Collection, it is perfect for fans of sweeping historical stories, emotional journeys, and the enduring power of love.

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Praise for The Hellenic

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I love books relating to World War II, enabling me to understand and learn about the struggles, sufferings and bravery of people during that time.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I have visited beautiful Skiathos, so the vivid descriptions took me back there - the smells, the sounds, the delicious food and stunning views. The author’s affection for Greece, clearly shines through.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Island Between Us is another page turner from Dougie. He weaves storylines in a gripping but gentle way so the story takes a pleasing pace. He writes with deep understanding and insight into the human condition and emotions, and the characters feel so real to the reader.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I was so upset when this book ended, that I found myself reading it again, and again. A combination of historical Greece during WWII and modern day angst…
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Dougie’s description of Skiathos was perfect and I could just imagine myself sat with Tom listening to his time in the Second World War. It was so emotional.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Amazon

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2025

About the author

In a past life, I’ve been a dockyard worker, student, musician, and song writer. Writing has always been in my blood and bone, from my musical days of writing lyrics and now my novels.

My books encapsulate themes such as love, loss, hope, coming of age and the uncovering of secrets. They are character-driven stories set against the backdrop of Edinburgh and Greece.

I never intended to, but seemingly, I write women’s contemporary fiction and since 95% of my readers are women, I suppose that’s a good fit.

I identify with a physical place and the feeling of belonging; both are prominent in my writing.

I want my novels to have a sense of time and place, drawing the reader into the social and cultural complexities of the characters. I want my characters to speak from the page, where the reader can identify with them, their hopes, fears, conflicts, loves and emotions. I hope the characters become like real people, where the reader wants to know what is going to happen to the characters, where is their life taking them in the story.

The common denominator is, I want my novels to be about what it means to be human through our relationship with our world, our environment and with each other. Most of all, I want them to be good stories that the reader can connect with and enjoy.

Visit me at my website and sign up for the occasional update about new releases and book promotions. www.dougiemchale.com

Like me at Dougie @facebook.com/www.dougiemchale

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a totally engaging novel. I loved the dual narrative as the stories of the two characters Carissa and Thomas ecome intertwined. Carissa has moved from Edinburgh to Skiathos to take up a new job as a tour guide. She needs to escape from a toxic relationship. When she meets Thomas by chance their friendship develops as she continues to visit him. She learns he was a British WW2 veteran with an intriguing past.
Thomas opens up to her about his time in Greece during the war when Greece was occupied. His story was one of exceptional bravery and a time of immense hardship for the Greek people. Being part of the resistance or being found helping the allies could result in brutal retribution. I thought that the author had done some thorough research into the history of this turbulent time in Greece. This resonates with me as my own father and uncle fought in Crete during WW2. A dreadful period in time.
However, Thomas also helps Carissa escape from her dangerous ex partner.
A terrific and gripping tale of love, courage and endurance. Terrific storytelling.

[Suzi Stembridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profound narrative and one with a message.

This story is really two narratives merged into one, indeed I had expected that the merger would be of greater significance, even so the two stories one of WW2 heroism, fortitude and tenacity, the second of contemporary struggles, although with less jeopardy but still life-changing events, hold the readers attention emphasising how the decades have changed our priorities and principles.

Thomas’ bravery and that of his compatriots, and their extraordinary courage defines a generation almost unrecognisable in today’s consumer led, well protected society. By contrast modern day Carissa, from Edinburgh and her Greek friend Dimitris equally agonise over their circumstances showing are lives are all relative.

The two different locations, in today’s world the stunning idyllic small Greek island of Skiathos is a huge contrast to the settlements in the high mountain ranges of the Pindus just across the sea in the 1940s. Even today the remote areas of Thessaly and the Pindus mountains are far from the tourist trail, all areas I know well and whose histories I have followed. The account vividly depicts how foreign and frightening it would be to the courageous British forces dropped by parachute into this alien land with instructions from an Athens hierarchy which didn’t understand the various rivalries and fractions involved, to blow up a massive viaduct and change the course of WW2.

The chapters, which cover these feats of sabotage and outright battles in the bitter days of WW2 and the following Civil War, although relying on biographical sources for several of these characters who were real people are masterful.

This book should be a must-read for those lying on comfortable sunbeds, indeed in these uncertain times for everyone who needs reminding how valuable the progress of our society has been in the last eighty decades and how important it is to preserve it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Island Between Us is the newest book in Dougie McHale's collection of World War II historical fiction and is another winner. Written with a dual timeline and set on a small Greek island, the author tells two compelling stories. Carissa's story of dealing with a controlling partner while trying to start a new life will ring true with many women. (The details of being stalked made my palms sweat, even though my own experience was more than 50 years ago.) Through the character Thomas, an elderly British veteran on the island, the reader gets an inside look at the difficulties faced by the Resistance in Greece during World War II. If you've ever spent any time in the Greek islands in the Aegean, you'll be transported by the descriptions of the food, weather, and people in this book. I appreciate that this author focuses on the part Greece played in World War II, which isn't often presented in fiction. These books can be read in any order as standalones. My only complaint is that the books make me miss the islands, especially the food. I highly recommend The Island Between Us, but maybe you should stock up on feta and olives first.

[Miss S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the story is extremely well researched & written in such a way that you feel like you’re standing alongside the characters.
The dual timeline format works really well & I learnt alot of historical facts reading this. I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Joanne Eglon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐

Dual timeliness historical fiction taking place between Edinburgh and Greece.

A good mixture of past and present.

Good plot and great characters.

Enjoyed both timelines but weirdly found myself invested just a little more in the present one (unusual for me).

Lots of different themes covered throughout this novel.

Would recommend 💕

[Mrs J Mannion · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read for a long time. I read it because it was was partly set in Skiathos a place I know well. The story was gripping just couldn't put it down. What went on in the war on mainland Greece and also present day Skiathos well worth a read

[Judith Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

the island between us

What a powerful story. Loved the characters and the story line.Couldn’t put the book down fascinating story. Will look for more books by this author.

[marlene bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story.

Really enjoyed it, well written and researched. Love Skiathos. Brought back sweet memories of when we were young and were on the Island.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, great historical content.

[Anastasia Lemaitre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I wanted it to be, way too much of a history lesson than anything else

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edinburgh, 2007. Leaving a relationship that had become dangerously toxic, Carissa takes a job as a hiking guide, on the beautiful Greek island of Skiathos. The change of pace, and beautiful surroundings, start to work their magic. Soon Carissa feels like her old self. 


One day, while on a tour, she discovers an elderly man who has collapsed in his garden. She stops to get him some much needed assistance. Wondering how he is recovering from his ordeal, Carissa decides to pay him a visit, and is astonished to discover that Thomas is British.


Thomas begins to tell Carissa of his World War Two experiences working alongside the Greek resistance, and the two become firm friends. As Thomas delves into the memories that haunt him, Carissa is forced to confront her own demons - especially when her past finds its way into the haven she has found.


The novel unfurls in two compelling timelines that weave together: following Carissa from the break-up of her relationship to a controlling partner called Stuart, in the present; and the story of Thomas' war-time adventures between 1942-43. As their friendship grows, Thomas introduces Carissa to fascinating, and poignant history about the events that happened after he was dropped behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Greece, as part of Operation Harling. Meanwhile, Carissa's new start in Skiathos is called into question by the arrival of creepy Stuart, who proceeds to stalk her from the shadows.


I was completely drawn into both storylines. McHale does a cracking job investing your emotions in Carissa's story, as her new life, with its romance with colleague Demitris, is threatened by the menacing Stuart - and he paints an authentically disturbing picture of what it is like to be stalked by a former partner. In parallel, McHale explores some really intriguing history about the work of the SOE in mainland Greece, by inserting fictional Thomas into real events amongst the divided loyalties of the Greek resistance, and he even incorporates a heart-rending forbidden romance for him to give an extra tug on the heart-strings.


I could not put this book down until all the threads of Carissa and Thomas' stories flowed to their tear-jerking conclusions. Although I wanted more from the romance with Demitris, I am impressed by the way McHale reflects his themes of love, loss, danger, betrayal, and much needed healing through both timelines.


I have not come across Dougie McHale's novels before, but the Victoria Hislop vibes hit the same 'heart-wrenching fiction meets engrossing history under the Greek sun' spot nicely.