Sirens of Paris by David Leroy

The story is set in War torn Paris during the Second World War. Marc is an American, who truly wants to be an artist, ventures to France and is soon caught up in the ex pat world.

These are dangerous times and all too soon Marc is swept away in a world at War whilst many of his country men have fled home.  Marc experiences love and working for the Resistance. He also experiences betrayal from the one person he believed he could trust.

The book is bought to life by the amount of  research undertaken by the author. There are some very descriptive pieces about historical events such as the sinking of HMS Lancastria.

The plot is gripping and in many ways thought provoking.

Sirens of Paris by David Leroy - Excerpt

Amazon Summary

In German occupied Paris, a group of unlikely people join in collaboration to smuggle Allied airman south to Spain. One of those intrepid heroes happens to be American. The Siren of Paris, the debut work of historical fiction by David LeRoy, tells a searing story of love, betrayal, forgiveness, and war that brings to vivid life the shimmering City of Lights during its darkest hours during World War II.

The story starts in 1939, when Marc Tolbert, the French-born son of a prominent American family, takes off for Paris to follow his dream of becoming an artist. Marc’s life soon sparkles in the ex-pat scene in Paris. His new friend Dora introduces him to a circle that includes the famous Sylvia Beach, owner of the bookstore Shakespeare & Company; and he accepts a job with William Bullitt, US ambassador to France. At art school, he finds himself further enchanted by the alluring model Marie.

Marc’s Parisian reverie, however, is soon clouded over by the increasing threat from Germany. As Americans scramble to escape Paris, he finds himself trapped by the war, and nearly meets his fate on the disastrous day of June 17, 1940, aboard the RMS Lancastria. Upon returning to Paris, his fate grows more troubled still, as he smuggles Allied airman through the American Hospital to the Paris Resistance underground, until a profound betrayal leads him into the hands of the Gestapo and onto Buchenwald.

Rigorously researched and vibrant in historical detail, The Siren of Paris reimagines one of history’s most turbulent times through the prism of an American abroad in Europe’s most harrowing days. Poignant, gripping, and thought-provoking, The Siren of Paris mines the human dilemma of revenge versus forgiveness, and vividly captures the conflicted state of survival.

Excerpt:

     Marc decided to walk home instead of taking the Metro. He approached one of the main boulevards that led from the east train station. All along the road, people carried whatever baggage they could manage. A few were injured. Marc stood on the side of the street and watched as they passed. At first he was going to cross over, but then decided to join the crowd and walk for a bit. He knew after a few moments where they were going. He could overhear them speaking among themselves in French or Dutch. After crossing the Seine, and walking a few more blocks, 

     Marc briefly lost track of time. It had not been long, maybe only twenty minutes or so. The crowds grew denser. There was less room to walk on the sidewalks or even the street. In another block, he could see the façade of the station in front of him. He did not walk any further, and instead turned around. He walked against the crowds coming down the street, turning his back to the south train station with a horde of people before it. A herd of goats being led by a peasant farmer did not faze him, because livestock had now become common in Paris. After another thirty or so minutes, he stood in the street below his apartment. Bricks crushed a car on the other side of the street. People took what they could from the building. Marc stood in shock, as he looked directly up into the parlor room of his fourth-floor flat. He made his way in through the door and up the marble staircase as others were coming down. Marc opened the door to his apartment, and the evening breeze gently flapped the drawing he’d done of Marie back in early December. 

     He turned over the armoire, pulled out the clothes, and packed his bags. He found the keys that Nigel and Dora had given him. The bowl’s rose-colored glass lay shattered on the floor. He stuffed the francs from Dora into his jacket. Marc felt cold and detached as he gathered his belongings. He fully accepted the loss of the wall to the outside street below. It did not bother him at all that he was not sure where he was going to stay. He had two sets of keys, after all, for two other Parisian apartments. They could not have got all of them, he thought to himself. Nothing could take his mind off the crowds at the south station. The desperate voices, the stares of the other refugees looking to flee the city, echoed in his mind. Before he left the apartment, he looked around. He saw the drawing again on the wall, and remembered with a small laugh what the instructor had said. “This is what you came to France for, Marc.”

(LeRoy, David. The Siren Of Paris)

David Leroy did extensive research on the German occupation of France for his debut novel The Siren of Paris. This historical novel follows the journey of one American from medical student, to artist, to political prisoner at Buchenwald Concentration Camp during World War Two.

You can purchase The Siren of Paris in Kindle e-book format from 

Amazon (US) -- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088CA098 

Amazon (UK)  -- http://www.amazon.co.uk/B0088CA098/

and learn more about this author and novel at http://www.thesirenofparis.com/

For more information about this virtual book tour, please visit -- http://bookpromotionservices.com/2012/05/22/siren-of-paris-tour/

Why I Love... Ocean Liners by David LeRoy

A Native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life. The Siren of Paris is his first novel.

I love ocean liners because they have souls. When someone reminisces of a past crossing, you can hear in their voice how the soul of that ship seduced them for five or six days. Which brings me to the reason I know you love ocean liners, which is the same reason you love to read a good book, walk through a museum, or to make love, and that is to escape. The S.S. Normandie was the ultimate ship of escape before the Second World War. The dining room towered three decks high, exceeding the hall of mirrors at Versailles. Imagine the experience of passing through the large double doors and descending the stairs into this magnificent room. The ship elevated dining to a sacred rite carried out in a chapel of Rene Lalique crystal lights under the watchful eye of a statue of peace. Passengers escaped then to dance in the main lounge, surrounded by glass murals depicting the mythical tales of the gods. After a late evening smoke surrounded by gold lacquer Art Deco murals by Jean Dunand, they would bid goodnight.

Even the smaller ships have a soul. I sailed on the S.S. Constitution when it was in Hawaiian service. With my Kodak 110 instamatic camera, I terrorized the ship like a Japanese shutterbug tourist gone insane.

Years later I went searching for them again. Oh, and to my surprise I discovered people online who also shared an interest in the sister ships, S.S. Constitution and S.S. Independence. I found a small glimpse of the soul of this ship, taken from the bridge wind wing through my trusty 110 camera.

Of course, I was a highly dignified passenger, the most distinguished type of gentleman. I was the type of young man with dashing luscious looks, sophistication, and style. I imagine there were quite a few ladies with crushed hearts on that voyage when it ended. This is a picture of me on the boat deck at the lifeboat drill. How do you like my tube socks?

When a ship dies, we mourn for it like a living being. I give you Titanic. It has been over 100 years now, and countless movies have played out the drama of this great ship of dreams as it died. The memory of Titanic continues to haunt us to this day. People don’t do things like that unless there is a soul they have come to know and love.

My research for the book The Siren of Paris required me to understand the real transportation challenges of anyone in Europe after Sept 1st, 1939. I wanted to know not just how someone could escape war torn Europe to return to American, but how many ships, when did they sail, and anything else that could offer escape. I turned to the Steam Ship Historical Society for research assistance, and Alisha went to work for me trying to dig up records about what sailings were available, the cost, and the last time a ship left Europe with passengers. Marc, the protagonist of my story, has a particularly significant job with the American Embassy. He is the travel liaison for the over 30,000 Americans trapped in Paris after the outbreak of the war.

The discoveries made in this research were surprising to me. If you could afford it, then a ticket on a Pan Am Clipper could take you back to America from Lipson, Portugal through the Azores. The Italian line continued to run ships, just weeks up to the time they entered the war, for $2000 American dollars for cabin class. That is not adjusted for inflation. The S.S. George Washington and S.S. Manhattan started to come to Europe beginning in Jan 1940. Each ship had “United States,” in bold lettering, with large American flags painted on the side. The war could have turned out much differently if a U-boat had accidently fired upon an American ship, which almost did happen the morning of June 11th, 1940.

By accident, I discovered the RMS Lancastria, which is a small one stack Cunard liner that took on over 7,000 British soldiers and civilian refugees on June 17th, 1940. The exact number is unknown, because they stopped counting at 7,000. This discovery shocked me because even though I believed I knew a lot about ocean liner history, I knew nothing about this little ship. Winston Churchill covered it up during the war. The sinking was not reported on the D-System, and survivors were told not to talk about it under threat of court marshal. It was desperate times, and morale was everything for Britain, so the government felt another horrible news report was unnecessary. Yet many loved ones back in England never knew the fate of these men until after the war.

I ordered a book written by G. Bond in 1954 called Lancastria. In the pages of that book, I discovered just what happened and how many “civilians” were on the ship.

I thought it rather odd that the sinking is virtually unheard of, considering it is the single largest loss of life ever for a British Passenger ship. And the records, if they still exist at all, are reportedly sealed for 100 years. That did not seem terribly nice to me, and it is certainly unfair to the families of victims who want to know what happened. Titanic has the book A Night to Remember. There are documentaries on the Lusitania and the Andrea Doria, but the little old one-stack liner Lancastria had no such story.

“May the Lord be with you,” are the opening lines of this story. The graveyards of the dead are listed, calling the troops of these unseen ghosts into the story. The reader is hit with French name after French name like shells from cannons. The forces of shame and guilt pull upon the winds of Marc’s soul, facing the ultimate spiritual crisis of his existence as the full weight of the approaching war bears down upon him. A priest holds a staff with a clock that stops upon June 18th, 1939. Marc leaves the chapel of the S.S. Normandie, and passes through these doors to the dinning room for his last dinner at sea before he arrives in France. Through this beautiful threshold, Marc begins his journey into the worst war man has ever known, World War Two. “May the Lord be with you” is not just a wishful prayer, but also an omen of what is to come.

A Native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life. The Siren of Paris is his first novel.

Book Synopsis: David Leroy did extensive research on the German occupation of France for his debut novel The Siren of Paris. This historical novel follows the journey of one American from medical student, to artist, to political prisoner at Buchenwald Concentration Camp during World War Two.

You can purchase The Siren of Paris in Kindle e-book format from Amazon -- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088CA098 and learn more about this author and novel at http://www.thesirenofparis.com/

For more information about this virtual book tour, please visit -- http://bookpromotionservices.com/2012/05/22/siren-of-paris-tour/