reviewed by Donna Ford

"For forty years he'd done all he could to shape his life in a way that the early experiences of war would dissolve and disappear."

A flashback to the 1940s, Chesterfield Tides is a novel about Englishman Terry Cooper who served his country as a soldier spying in Germany just prior to D-Day. Trained in the enemy's language and culture, Terry was dropped by air on a special mission. The young and daring corporal met his German enemies face to face. They became people—people Terry could sometimes respect. This did not alter his purpose to complete the sabotage that was his mission. But it did change Terry, as he discovered enemies who became friends one never forgot. Injured in an air strike and then rescued, he met a British officer who wielded authority without scruples, showing that even friends can be enemies. For his bravery behind lines, Terry Cooper earned the rank of lieutenant. Yet through it all, he retained his values and heritage—English stoicism spiced with a bit of Irish flair.

Ferris' first novel is populated with places he knows personally. He once lived in London and was likely familiar with Chesterfield Road in the Enfield Lock community. He resided for a while in California before making his current home on the west coast of Ireland, where Terry Cooper goes to recuperate after the war. Familiar places and people's faces elevate this wartime plot into an engaging story about a young man's growth and about those who molded and inspired him to become his own person. The 253-page paperback mixes war, intrigue, and touches of romance and whimsical prophecy. Chesterfield Tides provides an engaging read from start to finish…ending in 1984 with unexpected answers.

RECOMMENDED by the USR