THE WHITE FEATHER KILLER – R. N. MORRIS
In his fifth Silas Quinn novel, Morris conjures up the atmosphere of patriotic hysteria in London in 1914. War has been declared on Germany, men are queueing to join the army, and the white feather campaign begins, aiming to prod sluggardly cowards into doing their duty.
Even the police are viewed with suspicion. Are they using their ‘protected occupation’ to avoid the risk of dying for their country? CDI Silas Quinn, recently released from the Colney Hatch mental asylum, resumes active duty. His colleagues seem to be even worse than before he left them. The majority shirk from doing their jobs as another consequence of the war slots into place: fear of foreign spies and agitators. If anyone dies in London, a foreign agent must be guilty. German immigrants are particularly suspect…
Cleverly interweaving historical fact with incisive fiction, the origins, aims and rhetoric of the white feather movement are explored with dramatic effect when the daughter of a prominent advocate of the moment is found murdered – with a white feather in her mouth.
The Silas Quinn series gets better with every book.

An interesting take on the white feather theme as an alternative type of WWI story. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy reading about this time in history.