<div><p>Praise for Ben Pastor's <I>Lumen</I>:</P> <p>“Pastor's plot is well crafted, her prose sharp. . . . A disturbing mix of detection and reflection.”—<I>Publishers Weekly</I></P> <p>"Rivets the reader with its twist of historical realities. A historical piece, it faithfully reproduces the grim canvas of war. A character study, it captures the thoughts and actions of real people, not stereotypes.”—<I>The Free Lance-Star</I></P> <p>“And don't miss <I>Lumen</I> by Ben Pastor. . . . An interesting, original, and melancholy tale.”—<I>Literary Review</I></P> <p>Italy, September 1943. The Italian government switches sides and declares war on Germany. The north of Italy is controlled by the fascist puppets of Germany; the south liberated by Allied forces fighting their way up the peninsula.</P> <p>Having survived hell on the Russian front, Wehrmacht major and aristocrat Baron Martin von Bora is sent to Verona. He is ordered to investigate the murder of a prominent local fascist: a bizarre death threatening to discredit the regime's public image. The prime suspect is the victim's twenty-eight-year-old widow Clara.</P> <p>Haunted by his record of opposition to SS policies in Russia, Bora must watch his step. Against the backdrop of relentless anti-partisan warfare and the tragedy of the Holocaust, a breathless chase begins.</P> <p><B>Ben Pastor</B>, born and now back in Italy, lived for thirty years in the United States, working as a university professor in Vermont. The first in the Martin Bora series, <I>Lumen</I>, was published by Bitter Lemon Press in May 2011.</p></DIV>