Little Gloston, a postcard perfect village in Lincolnshire, England.

Danny Shaw has little time for school but lots of time for stealing apples from farmers' orchards and hanging out with his friends. It’s 1933 and life is simple for him, even if his parents seem worried when they listen to the radio. His father Stan, the strongest man in the village, had fought in the Great War, and he carries the scars and fear of battle with him daily.

Ladenburg, Germany, 1933.

Manfred Brehme is not living an easy life. His father is very strict and his mother always seems sad. Something is happening in Germany. One night the Reichstag burns down, and then a new group comes along that interests Manfred, the Hitler Youth. His father does not want him to join, but his father, the chief of police, is losing power daily.

War is brewing, and life will soon change forever for Danny and Manfred, who both become soldiers fighting against each other, and for very different reasons.

The Shadow of War is the first book in the Danny Shaw / Manfred Brehme Trilogy, which follows the lives of two boys that are destined to meet at the battle of El Alamein.