BEST EATEN COLD

A third of a million South African servicemen, two-thirds of them white and including many Afrikaners, volunteered to fight for King and Empire in World War II. Yet at home a secret organisation, the Ossewabrandwag, was actively working to sabotage the war effort. This sinister group was made up of Afrikaners who had never been reconciled to defeat in the Boer War. British victory in that conflict had finally been achieved through a ruthless policy of "concentrating" Boer families in badly-run, neglected and often unhygienic camps, where nearly 30,000 died, fuelling a resentment that still festers today. Furthermore, the "OB" membership included many pro-Nazis, imbued with a belief in the racial superiority of the Volk. There were frequent acts of violence against servicemen and active attempts at collaboration with the Germans. Against this background, the author has woven a fast-paced tale of intrigue and revenge, moving from the leafy countryside of the south of England to the rugged, beautiful - and strategically vital - southern Cape. An unlikely trio, consisting of a clergyman, a retired lawyer and their attractive accomplice, Penny, find themselves caught up a tangled web of deceit, murder and hidden treasure, as events of the 1940s find their echo in the modern day. This book is a gripping read and throws a welcome light on a forgotten aspect of the war.