On the eve of the bloody Battle of the Somme, a group of English officers having a last drink before returning to the Front make a promise to each other: if they survive the battle ahead -- and make it through the war -- they will meet in Paris a year after the fighting ends. They will celebrate their good fortune by racing motorcars they beg, borrow, or own from Paris to Nice. In November 1919, the officers all meet as planned, and though their motorcars...

"A peaceful Welsh village is thrown into turmoil when a terrified boy discovers a body in the river. The man appears to have fallen from the canal aqueduct spanning the valley. But there is no identification on the body. The local police turn to Scotland Yard for help. Inspector Ian Rutledge is given few clues to go on--a faded military tattoo on the victim's arm and an unusual label in his shirt. But eventually they do lead to the victim's identity:...