On Wings of Death

A military aviator investigates a suspicious death in a novel of mystery, action, and intrigue set against the backdrop of the First World War.

They found the officer hanging in his hut—another man who couldn’t take the relentless pressure of flying operations, it seemed. His fellow officers hadn’t liked him much anyway. Besides, what was one more death among the thousands dying on the Western Front? Except that this man’s family had connections to Field Marshal Kitchener, and no one wanted him distracted on the eve of the big push on the Somme.

So Investigator Miller is sent to the squadron to tie up the loose ends, to tidy the incident away. For some reason they think he is well-equipped for that sort of thing. But it’s all Miller can do to keep himself alive, flying daily over enemy lines. And then he finds the suicide isn’t quite as straightforward as it’s supposed to be. Particularly when a second man turns up dead, purportedly shot with his own pistol . . .

Set against the backdrop of the Great War and infused with a sense of intrigue and high drama, this is a novel of unsettling force. With a keen eye for detail, David J. Oldman evokes the brutality of mud-spattered battlefields and aerial combat, bringing the reader right up close to the action. As events spiral and the war continues to impact upon the investigation, On Wings of Death creates a real sense of unease and urgency as it barrels toward an unexpected, fascinating conclusion.