“Code Name Sonny” opens in 1944 with Joe (Sonny) and his friend Raymond witnessing the arrest of a local merchant as a spy by the FBI. Chapter 2, however, segues to New Year’s Eve, 1999, where a gala family celebration in under way at the Elk’s Club in a small New England town. For the first time, Joe’s son, Jack, is made aware of his father’s WWII adventures. From here on, author Ken Pottie does a great job of flashing back and forth between WWII France and the chilling adventures taking place in Joe’s hometown in 2000.
Joe, due to his fluency in French and a lifelong interest and knowledge of radio technology, is selected for a top secret mission behind German lines in France. His job is to help convince the Germans that the upcoming invasion of France will take place at Pas de Calais, not Normandy. Joe is only seventeen and not actually in the army. but he is a member of the National Guard. In that guise he tells his family he is being sent to Iowa for further training.
Throughout the book Sonny’s dangerous mission is juxtaposed with the equally life threatening situation back home almost sixty years later. The plot is rife with duplicity, action, and an ironic twist at the conclusion. The author has woven an intriguing story that will keep you looking forward to every chapter, whether it is behind enemy lines in France or on the quiet streets of this small American town.
Bookreview.com rates this book excellent fiction.
