Books by James R Vance

Without Yesterday: Mona's War is a novel combining fiction with well-researched historical detail. During the Second World War in occupied France, the Gestapo, aided by the Milice, confronts resistance groups determined to achieve liberation. Two young women from vastly different backgrounds, victims of Nazi reprisals, meet under dramatic circumstances. Struggling to survive in a cauldron of lies and deceit where trust is a rare commodity, one has the opportunity to save the life of the other at the expense of her own life. Honesty and trust become rare qualities; everyone has choices to make with no guarantee of a secure outcome. Time is precious, lives are at stake and a Nazi leader is attempting to protect his future, unaware of its consequences. This compelling novel is a stark reminder of the dark years of WWII in occupied France by an author who takes the reader on a journey from the aftermath of the Great War to the barbarism of the Nazis during the occupation of France in WWII.

Historical fiction novel, set in France depicting the conflict that still exists amongst families since the Nazi occupation of WWII. Two young sisters discover war memorabilia hidden in their grandmother's trunk in an attic. They set out to trace their family history, an exploit that triggers devastating consequences.

Petra Rebovka aka Louise Charrière, an operational officer with the security services, travels on her first assignment to the Limousin region of France to infiltrate a people trafficking operation. In the guise of a student, she arrives in Limoges to work undercover. Her main contact is Jean-Marie Fauchet, a retired ex-gendarme. He assists her to meet Alexis, a potential informer who, not only leads her inadvertently into danger, but also forms a romantic liaison with her. His Russian grandmother befriends Petra and reveals a secret linked to the Russian revolution and kept hidden for almost a century. Fascinated by the old woman's reminiscences, Petra resolves to discover the truth. An investigation into the deaths of two young French males in the U.K. brings Petra into confrontation with her old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Massey, who arrives in France accompanied by a colleague. Clashes of personality and previous antagonisms hinder the inquiry until the action moves to Marseille. Petra and her detective colleagues are forced to put aside their differences to prevent the success of a plot to send Al Qaeda-trained suicide bombers to the U.K. A raid by the security services at the villa of Michel Dumas, a wealthy businessman suspected of involvement with terrorist activities, places Petra and the English detectives in danger. Petra is confused by the main aspects of the investigation and the roles of the participants in the security operation. Though masquerading as a student under an assumed name, she is determined to discover the truth about the assignment, the radical views of Alexis and the incredible ramblings of his grandmother. Once again, the mystery surrounding Nicholas II, the last Tsar of All the Russias, threatens to rewrite history. Added to this, the imminent threat of terrorist activity in the U.K. causes unexpected twists and turns in the outcome of Petra's journey of discovery

Following the Dunkerque evacuation of WWII, a young British soldier finds himself stranded behind enemy lines in France. He evades capture with the help of a French family intent on resisting the German occupation. On his return to England, the Special Operations Executive recruits the young man as an agent to organise secret escape lines in France. Returning to work with the resistance movement and the family who sheltered him, he matures from an innocent victim of war into an indomitable crusader for the liberation of France, endangering his own life whilst plunging his principles and his romantic liaisons into chaos. Almost seventy years later, his descendants literally discover the 'skeleton in the cupboard' when they learn the truth about a grandfather whose perceived war record had hidden his courage and risk-taking in the service of his country. The revelations about Geoffrey Miller's double life astound two families previously connected only by the English Channel.

Les Ruines paints a picture of life in southwest France during the dark years of the German occupation towards the end of the Second World War. Almost seventy years later, a young woman stumbles on a mystery from that period and embarks on a mission to seek the truth. Her quest takes her on a journey of revelation about the chaotic weeks that led to the fragmented liberation of France. With her marriage falling apart, she invites a close friend to accompany her, leaving her husband at home. The two women encounter a strange atmosphere of reticence amongst local inhabitants as they uncover evidence of grim secrets buried in the ruins of a former fortress and chateau. Her obsessive investigation brings her into contact with Marcel, a former member of the maquis. His reticence to discuss his own involvement leads her to delve deeper into the past. As she learns about the terrifying exploits of the Das Reich 2nd Panzer Division during its march from Montauban to Normandy, dark secrets begin to emerge. On her return to England, her personal life continues to unravel causing her domestic situation to reach crisis point. As the mystery in France appears about to be resolved, tragedy strikes.