The Mapmaker: A Novel of World War II

Resistance fighters Charlotte and Philippe, an American woman and a Frenchman, brave death or worse to evade the Gestapo and get critical information to the Allies.

Resistance operative Charlotte Denneau has critical targeting information for the Allies, and the Gestapo knows it. On the run across occupied France, she must prioritize her mission over the lives of the agents and civilians she needs to aid her escape. Germans are taking down Resistance networks with disastrous results. Agents are being arrested, tortured, questioned, and turned. Charlotte communicates in coded radio calls to London, well aware the enemy is always listening. More than anything, she must find a flight out--before the Nazis drag her to an interrogation chamber.

Philippe Gerard, a French pilot who joined the British Royal Air Force after the fall of France, faces an impossible mission: He must find Charlotte, land by moonlight to pick her up in a farmer's field, and evade Luftwaffe fighters on the way back to England. But where is she? If he gets an all-clear signal over a dark pasture, is she really there? Or could the signal be luring him into a trap?

In the critical weeks before D-Day, every contribution counts: A well-drawn map, a timely aerial photo, or a daring landing in a muddy field might make the difference between triumph and defeat. Inspired by real-life events from World War II, The Mapmaker demonstrates how individual courage and sacrifice set the stage for victory.

Author: Tom Young
Publisher: Knox Press
Published: 07/22/2025
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9798895651247

About the Author
Tom Young served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and dozens of other countries as an Air National Guard flight engineer on the C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy. Military honors include the Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal. A retired airline captain, he now works as an aviation consultant and author.

Young has written nine novels, a novella, and one nonfiction book. Journalistic experience includes ten years with the broadcast division of the Associated Press.

Memberships include the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the National Press Club, the OSS Society, and the National Air and Space Society. Young also serves as the commander of American Legion Post 20 in Washington, DC.

He grew up on a North Carolina farm and holds BA and MA degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.