A Coat Dyed Black: A Novel of the Norwegian Resistance (Signed!) [J0007]

2022 signed PB in excellent condition. "A heart-wrenching and poignant story of bravery. An impressive debut; I loved it." -Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The World Played Chess and the Tracy Crosswhite series A young farmer turns into a courageous resistance fighter after Nazi Germany invades Norway and steals his way of life. Bjørn Erliksen lives a peaceful life on Norway's west coast and has never considered himself anything but a farmer. But when Nazi Germany invades, and his country's ill-equipped military collapses in less than two months, it falls on him and other ordinary Norwegians to fight back. He escapes to England, trains with an elite Norwegian special forces army unit, and is smuggled back into his homeland as a commando. When Bjørn's resistance work eventually reunites him with a lost love, they join forces to carry out dangerous sabotage missions, all the while working in the shadows to evade the Gestapo. He weighs love against duty, wrestling with his own conscience as he is forced to commit unspeakable acts and unexpected betrayals. Can Bjørn survive long enough to see Norway's liberation and find his own peace? Filled with thrilling historical details about a corner of Europe often forgotten in the story of WWII, A Coat Dyed Black illuminates the struggles and sacrifices of ordinary people compelled to do the extraordinary.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Fans of historical war novels will certainly enjoy this book. I was interested in it because of my Norwegian roots and have been in the areas where some of this took place. The pacing is a little slow in the first half of the novel, but when the main character begins his missions as a secret resistance fighter, the pacing and action pick up. Just when the plot feels formulaic, Pugnetti throws in some curve balls and the story pleasantly surprises with its realness, even if it is sad and hard to stomach."; "I began this book just prior to a trip to Norway and thoroughly enjoyed reading this fictionalized biography. Well researched and historically accurate."; "Very interesting to learn about the Norwegian resistance during WWII - apparently well researched. The writing was a bit weak. I didn't feel like I really knew the characters."