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Reviewed by Raanan Geberer for Readers' Favorite
In The Torch Singer by J. William Penn, screenwriter Lawrence Ross is best known for “Torch,” a very violent police drama, but longs to be recognized for his more serious work, such as his PBS documentary about President Eisenhower’s early years. Then, a director taps him for a British mini-series about Sir Leonard Eastwick, a brilliant field commander in World War II who later became a rising star in the Conservative Party, only to switch gears and become a well-known patron of the arts, supporting half the theaters in London.
Once in Great Britain, Ross begins meeting regularly with Sir Leonard, a typical elderly, upper-class curmudgeon who complains about people on the dole, labor unions and socialized medicine. He also becomes involved with two women – one an American English teacher on vacation, the other a near-psychotic young woman with a voracious sexual appetite who works on Sir Leonard’s estate. Once at work on the mini-series, however, Ross becomes aware of a darker side to Sir Leonard – intimations that he may have been brutal to his wife and, above all, that he may have been linked to the massacre of more than hundreds of prisoners in Albania at the end of the war. Despite some subtle and not-so-subtle warnings, Ross keeps investigating the incident.
J. William Penn, author of The Torch Singer, certainly knows his World War II history, and British World War II history in particular. He’s also obviously very familiar with the world of Hollywood screenwriters. The writing is clear, concise and descriptive, and Penn is as adept in describing male-female relationships, particularly the relationship between Ross and his estranged spouse — who is now pregnant. All in all, The Torch Singer is definitely a good read and a worthwhile investment.
