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Beyond the Edge of Light

An unforgettable wartime novel about loyalty, honour and the unbearable cost of choosing a side, perfect for readers of The Rose Code, All the Light We Cannot See, and The Nightingale

Munich, 1938. Europe is on the brink of war when Julia 'Missie' Ormesby, a young Englishwoman, meets Conrad von Echlau, a German aristocrat whose conscience is increasingly at odds with the country he serves.

Their connection is instant, consuming — and impossible.

As Germany darkens under Nazi rule, Missie and Conrad are pulled apart by history. He remains bound to the Luftwaffe, while she returns to England, where her fluency in German leads her to Bletchley Park and the hidden world of enemy intelligence.

But when Conrad is chosen for a secret German mission, the war brings them back into each other’s orbit in the most devastating way.

Now Missie must confront the truth: the man she once loved is no longer just a memory. He is part of the enemy war machine. And as Britain’s intelligence chiefs close in, love, duty and country collide.

'This is a startingly brilliant first novel' Tom Bradby
‘This stunning novel will stay with you long after you turn the last page’ Lucy Foley
'A heart-stopping thriller, a heart-breaking love story, and a heroine to die for. I loved it’ Kate Mosse

© Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

A truly spell-binding love story about love and war, told by someone who has lived and breathed it in real life.

Tom Newton Dunn

About Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton served for twenty years in the British army, first in the Irish Guards and later as a troop and squadron commander in the SAS. After that, he worked for a girls’ education charity in Iraq, Afghanistan and Mindanao, before starting a safety awareness training company for media and charity teams working in hostile environments and for young people travelling for the first time. For ten years, until 2014, he was the principal private secretary (advisor and chief of staff) to Princes William and Harry and, latterly, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. He divides his time now between the corporate sector and supporting charities focussed on veterans’ welfare, the promotion of teachers globally and the HALO Trust (mine clearance).

He lives in his native East Suffolk with his wife, family and dogs. Beyond The Edge of Light is his first novel.
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