Escape!

The exciting events of this tale begin with young Russian emigre, Alexi Gertoff, meeting a mysterious boy on the streets of Amherst, Nova Scotia. The boy, who barely speaks English, turns out to be the son of Leon Trotsky, and he has come to town to spring his father from the wartime prison camp. Alexi and his family become involved in a dangerous attempt to reunite Trotsky with his wife and children. Based on the real-life imprisonment of Trotsky at the Amherst prison camp during the month of April 1917, the story moves to Halifax and to the Ukraine in the former USSR, as we follow the travels of Alexi Gertoff. Rich in historical detail, this fictional tale is an absorbing read for young adults with an appetite for suspense and adventure.

Excerpt from ESCAPE!

Lev spoke again. “That brings me to your alternative. The other possibility is that you send Trotsky and his family back to Russia. That way, you will rid yourselves of a troublesome problem, and Trotsky’s document will never see the light of day.” Lev stopped to let this sink in, and the officer too was silent for a moment. “You understand,” he said carefully, “that I am no more than an intermediary.” He would have continued, but Lev hissed him into silence. He had heard something. We listened. I heard it then, and the officer must have heard it too. Horses’ hooves, getting louder. And this was not like what we had heard half an hour before, just a single rider. This was sounding more and more like a cavalry charge. I couldn’t see Lev’s eyes clearly in the dark, but I could sense that they were blazing. ‘I warned you about treachery,’ he spat out in Russian, and this time there was no need for translation.

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