The H-Bomb Girl

The year is 1962 and the city is Liverpool. The Beatles are about to burst onto the music scene and tensions are riding high in Cuba – can a nuclear conflict be avoided? 14-year-old Laura is unexpectedly thrust centre stage when her military father gives her the key which controls a bomber and with which she could inadvertently trigger a global nuclear conflict.

She is pursued by several interested parties – some from the future who wish to change the past in order to manipulate events for their own ends.

Baxter handles a multi-layered narrative well, with imagination and credibility but the story is complex and would best be appreciated by a confident reader. A variety of thought-provoking issues are raised and readers are encouraged to both immerse themselves in the past and consider how the human race could avoid the annihilation of nations which currently seems inescapable.