Altar of Resistance

In this second thriller in the bestselling WWII Trilogy, the Eternal City of Rome during the Nazi Occupation of 1943-1944 is a besieged city with four parties grappling for control: the Allies--represented by Captain John Bridger of the American-Canadian First Special Service Force--trying to capture Rome as the first Axis prize of war but encountering stiff opposition; the German Occupiers--represented by SS Colonel Wilhelm Hollmann, the German father of John Bridger--trying to throw the Allies back into the sea while holding Rome hostage and using it as a staging ground and supply line to the front; Pope Pius XII, codenamed the "Chief," deeply involved in the plot to remove Hitler from power while struggling to maintain Vatican impartiality, save Rome from destruction, and protect the city's Jews and others from extermination; and finally, the Partisans represented by Teresa Hollmann, daughter of Hollmann and half-sister of John Bridger, who during the Occupation is transformed from