Only Breath & Shadow

Only Breath & Shadow: A Gripping WWII Historical Novel of Sacrifice and Moral Clarity
Set in the atmospheric world of 1930s Vienna, Only Breath & Shadow is the final instalment of Andrew Tweeddale’s Castle Drogo series. Blending meticulous historical fact with a heart-pounding fictional narrative, this novel is perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See or Robert Harris's Munich and literary historical fiction exploring the humanitarian efforts of the Kindertransport.
Unique Blind Perspective - The story follows Christian Drewe, an English gentleman blinded and scarred during the Battle of the Somme. Now living in pre-WWII Austria, Christian navigates the darkening city through a sensory world of sound, smell, and touch.
A Desperate Mission of Mercy - When the Anschluss shatters the peace of Vienna, Christian’s Jewish friends, the Friedmann family, are arrested and sent to Dachau and Lichtenburg concentration camps. Left as the secret protector of their four young children, Christian must transform from a passive observer into a man of decisive action. Aided by Claire Astor, a spirited American cabaret singer, and his fiercely loyal housekeeper, Frau Agnes Huber, Christian orchestrates a high-stakes escape through a city crawling with Gestapo spies and the ruthless Major Ernst Schmidt, who is determined to hunt down those classed as degenerates.
Based on Extraordinary True Events - The novel weaves in the true story of Gil and Eleanor Kraus and Dr Bob Schless, the real-life Jewish-American heroes who risked everything to rescue fifty Jewish children from Vienna in 1939. Readers will also experience the tragic, factual account of cabaret artist Paul O’Montis, whose provocative satire made him a primary target of Joseph Goebbels and the Nazi regime.
Key Themes & Search Tags:

Kindertransport & Holocaust Rescue: Captures the urgency of the 1930s refugee crisis and individual action against global indifference.

Disability in Historical Fiction: A rare, immersive portrayal of visual impairment during wartime.

Espionage & Resistance: Features intense interrogation scenes, psychological games, and the underground mission to save innocent lives.

Vienna Coffeehouse Culture: Richly detailed setting of the Inner Stadt before and after the Nazi occupation.

Only Breath & Shadow is a sweeping tale of moral clarity in an era of darkness, providing a dramatic conclusion to the Castle Drogo family saga while standing alone as a profound exploration of sacrifice and love.