In the Mood
By M W Arnold
MY THOUGHTS
February 1944. The women of the Air Transport Auxiliary have more than a few mysteries on their hands, as well as trying to cope with everything that contributing to the war effort brings. All the women are devastated when the news comes that one of their members was shot down, and they must all band together to keep moving forwards when all of them just want to go back in time to get their friend back.
Through relationship trials and tribulations, and mysteries that range from causing some curiosity to potentially life-threatening, the women must stick close by each other, for friendship is the only thing they can trust, and their devotion to each other may just be the only thing keeping them all going.
Before reading this book, I am not sure I had ever heard of the Air Transport Auxiliary before. I have discovered that I have quite a love for WWII aerial fiction, and although this book focuses more on the mysteries the women face, and their relationships outside of work, this book still covered that niche that made me instantly fall in love with it. I absolutely loved learning about the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) as I read. As I have since researched and found out, the ATA was responsible for transporting things such as people and planes, so that combat pilots had everything they needed, and got where they needed to be, to fight. It amazed me to find out that the ATA recruited anyone, particularly those who would not make it as combat pilots, such as the disabled, and women. This book is obviously about those women, and there were some rather amusing times when they faced male army personnel who did not know quite how to address the women, for some of the women held higher army ranks than the men they were conversing with.
There are several mysteries in this book, the main one being that one of the women receives a blackmail letter, and the group must try and figure out who sent it before the person decides they have waited long enough and comes across the group with a gun in their hand. Of course, it is not just the women working together, for some of them have partners, but even though one of those partners just so happens to be a police officer, that does not automatically guarantee their safety. All the characters remain vigilant, even during the most mundane tasks, such as trying to plan a wedding.
I absolutely loved that this book went into the relationships between the women and that, while there were plenty of serious topics and moments, there is still humour. All the characters jest with each other, even if it’s something as small as trying not to let one member of the group make the tea, as they simply cannot make a good cup of tea. I also loved Bobby, the spaniel who follows them around and occasionally saves the entire base with his warnings. And not forgetting Duck, a duck who loves Doris, and only her, and will terrorise everyone else to the point of them all being more than a little afraid of him.
I was not entirely aware, going into this book, that it was book 4 of a series. While I did love reading this book, I am certain you would find it easier to follow the story if you knew the intricacies of the characters' backstories. There are a lot of characters, and it can be rather difficult to keep up with them all in certain circumstances, for example, who is dating who, and which of the women had which backstory. With such a wide cast list, I would recommend starting with book 1, although it is definitely possible to jump into book 4 and still enjoy it. I have said in many reviews of many different books that I will be going back and reading the rest of the books in the series, and so far have not actually done that with any books. However, I stopped writing this review briefly to go and buy the previous three books, and they are now sitting in my digital library, waiting for me to finish this review and start from the beginning. I think that is a testament as to how much I loved the characters, and how much I want to get to know them more.
Apart from having some initial trouble figuring out who was who, I absolutely adored reading this book. I read the entire thing in a single day, although part of that was from 11:30pm to 2am, so I don’t know if I can technically class that as a single day’s worth of reading. What I do know, though, is that I don’t regret staying up so late to read, even if I am now rather tired! I recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has a love for aerial/WWII fiction, or who likes a good mystery! This book has it all!
Jane slumped back into her seat, tore the headset off, and threw it onto the desk next to the radio she’d been about to attack. “I suppose you’re right. It only makes sense if she can’t receive what we’re sending. If I didn’t know her voice so well, I’d think someone was playing a trick on me.”
“Plus,” Betty added, “it’s on our frequency.”
Jane nodded in agreement. “Still, remind me to tear her off a stripe when she gets back…calling Hamble. This is Aston.” She ended with a nervous chuckle.
Betty joined in, eventually saying, “Still, you’ll have to give her points for originality, if nothing else.”
“I’ll give her something, all right,” Jane replied. “I’ll give her…”
“Mayday! Mayday! This is First Officer Aston. Am under attack by two Me109s!”
Jane and Betty stared at each other with open mouths, as the shocking statement blared out of the radio’s tiny speaker in Thelma’s unmistakable voice. When she’d simply been trying to get through earlier it had been in her normal, albeit frustrated, tone. Now unmistakable panic coursed through it.
The radio came to life again, only the first thing they heard this time was the chilling staccato chatter of gunfire! “I repeat, this is First Officer Aston of the ATA! I’m under attack. Rudder control is gone! My port engine’s on fire! Am going down, roughly northeast of Oxford…”
White as a ghost, Jane automatically made a grab for the microphone, “Thelma! This is Jane Howell. Do you receive? Over.”
After a few seconds, a voice came out of the speaker, barely audible, yet clearly that of their desperate friend, “Jane? Is that…”
And then, deathly silence…
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