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First published in Great Britain in 2016
by Electric Monkey, an imprint of Egmont UK Limited
The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Children’s Books,
a division of HarperCollins Publishers, New York, New York, USA
Text copyright © 2016 by Michael Grant
First e-book edition 2016
ISBN 978 1 4052 7382 4
Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1654 3
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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I dedicate this book to the magnificent Kurdish women soldiers of Kobani. How could I not?
And to my equally magnificent if slightly less deadly wife, Katherine (K.A.) Applegate, our son, Jake, and daughter, Julia.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE: 107TH EVAC HOSPITAL, WÜRZBURG, GERMANY—APRIL 1945
PART ONE: VOLUNTEERS AND DRAFTEES
1 RIO RICHLIN—GEDWELL FALLS, CALIFORNIA, USA
2 RIO RICHLIN—GEDWELL FALLS, CALIFORNIA
3 FRANGIE MARR—GREENWOOD DISTRICT, TULSA, OKLAHOMA, USA
4 RIO RICHLIN—GEDWELL FALLS, CALIFORNIA
5 RAINY SCHULTERMAN—NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA
6 FRANGIE MARR—GREENWOOD DISTRICT, TULSA, OKLAHOMA
7 RIO RICHLIN—GEDWELL FALLS, CALIFORNIA
8 RAINY SCHULTERMAN—NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
9 RIO RICHLIN—CAMP MARON, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA, USA
10 RAINY SCHULTERMAN—MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SCHOOL, CAMP RITCHIE, PENNSYLVANIA, USA
11 RIO RICHLIN—CAMP MARON, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA
LETTERS SENT
12 RIO RICHLIN—CAMP MARON, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA
13 FRANGIE MARR—CAMP SZEKELY, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA
14 RIO RICHLIN—CAMP MARON, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA
15 FRANGIE MARR—CAMP SZEKELY, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA
16 RIO RICHLIN—CAMP MARON, SMIDVILLE, GEORGIA
17 RAINY SCHULTERMAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
18 RIO RICHLIN—GEDWELL FALLS, CALIFORNIA
19 FRANGIE MARR—FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA, USA
20 RIO RICHLIN—ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY, NEW YORK HARBOR
PART TWO: WAR
INTERSTITIAL: 107TH EVAC HOSPITAL, WÜRZBURG, GERMANY—APRIL 1945
LETTERS SENT
21 RIO RICHLIN, FRANGIE MARR, RAINY SCHULTERMAN—ABOARD USS TIBURON, OFF THE COAST OF PORTUGAL
22 RIO RICHLIN—OUTSIDE TUNIS, TUNISIA, NORTH AFRICA
23 RIO RICHLIN—MEDITERRANEAN SEA, OFF THE COAST OF TUNISIA
24 FRANGIE MARR—TUNISIA
25 RIO RICHLIN—A BEACH NEAR SOUSSE, TUNISIA
26 RIO RICHLIN—A BEACH NEAR SOUSSE, TUNISIA
27 RAINY SCHULTERMAN—MAKTAR, TUNISIA
28 RIO RICHLIN—TUNISIAN DESERT, NORTH AFRICA
29 RAINY SCHULTERMAN—MAKTAR, TUNISIA
30 FRANGIE MARR—TUNISIAN DESERT
31 RAINY SCHULTERMAN—MAKTAR, TUNISIA
32 FRANGIE MARR—TUNISIAN DESERT
33 RIO RICHLIN—TUNISIAN DESERT
34 RIO RICHLIN—TUNISIAN DESERT
