Subversion

February 1942. With the Nazis triumphant in Europe, North Africa and much of the USSR, control of the shipping lanes off the southernmost tip of Africa is an Allied imperative. At the urging of Prime Minister Jan Smuts, South Africa’s parliament has narrowly voted to join the British war effort, but the country remains bitterly divided. Feisty university student Anna van der Vliet returns to her family farm near Cape Agulhas during the holidays. Noticing strange comings and goings in the area, she begins to suspect that her father, a prominent Member of Parliament, may be involved in a clandestine operation to aid the enemy. As a patriot, Anna feels compelled to inform the authorities, but what if this means betraying her family and lover? Drawing on extensive historical research, Subversion is a unique tapestry of suspense, wartime intrigue and romance. (Previously published as Featherstream by Ian Sutherland)

After graduating with an MA in Creative Writing (UCT) under the supervision of Etienne van Heerden, Ian successfully debuted as a novelist in 2018 with his WW II thriller, Featherstream (republished as Subversion). His second novel, Catastrophe, is also a historical memoir-thriller, set in Cold War Ukraine. The novels have featured #2 and #1 respectively on Exclusive Books best seller lists. An engineer by training, he subsequently earned an MBA from Columbia University, and has worked in strategy consulting and finance in New York, Sydney and Cape Town, where he currently resides. Ian's work has appeared in publications including the Anthology of South African Short Stories and Engineering News. Passionate about history, travel, Ian enjoys doing intensive, immersive research.