In this story, Petra, the sister of Pansy (Richard Bloombury), Beastly (John Barnett), and one of their best friends, start off in search of Pansy, who has disappeared on a holiday to Scandinavia before enlisting in the British Service. This is the coming of age of total worldism (not really a word, but my way of telling the ways things were quickly becoming), as the world grows closer and smaller in the immediate aftermath of the war. England gets easier to go to and from, and the rest of the world’s nations are not so isolated from each other. Neither are the individuals who participated in that last war of wars. Harry and his love, Jenny, are thrown into turmoil and doubt along the way while falling deeper in love and even get married. But will this marriage last? Captain and Kristy are the stalwart ones and hold the fort down while maintaining a life of relative closeness. Harry gets his doctorate and begins teaching and sponsors an expedition that has to do with the study of microbiology and the viruses of different places and climates. One of those climates is Iceland. There Harry discovers links to the war that he has just gotten over. Those links are up for grabs in the new espionage and cold war tactics that are rampant all over Europe and the Continent. Harry, his expedition to Iceland, and the students become targets of would-be world dominators of power.

This book is a charming and whimsical look back. All the while you see things in a different light concerning world politics and war-faring. I would recommend reading all three books of the series to gain the whole experience. Time is well spent getting to know these people and their lives on a personal level. Wonderful read and a well orchestrated effort, D. Edward Bradley. Your memories and thoughts have taken flight and become a serious look at a challenging time in history.