From the acclaimed author of A Flock of Ships, Ferry Down and the Trapp series comes a spellbinding new tale of maritime adventure and a fifty-year-old mystery. The myth of the Stollenberg convoy is one of the most enduring of World War II. As the Third Reich crumbled, orders were sent out from Berlin to hide the countless art treasures looted from all over Europe. According to the myth, the most precious item was entrusted to an SS colonel, Manfred Stollenberg, but it never reached its destination. Ever since, rumours of the treasure's whereabouts have fascinated military historians and treasure hunters alike. Merchant sailor Michael Kyle first hears the story from flatmate Dr David McDonald, a historian obsessed with the case. When Kyle returns from sea only for McDonald to die in an unusual accident, he refuses to believe the official explanation. The more he looks into the recent activities of his old friend, the more convinced he becomes that there is a connection with the Stollenberg myth -- and that his own life is in grave danger.
Brian Callison is the author of 22 best-sellers published by HarperCollins, Severn House, Futura, and Ostara. His novels have been translated into over a dozen languages including Japanese, Polish, Icelandic and Finnish. They have been printed in Braille, released as audio books, issued in large print editions and are used as creative writing references by several international learning institutions.
A former Merchant Navy officer sailing in cargo liners to Australia and the Far East, Callison subsequently worked in commerce before becoming a full-time author. Following service with the 51st Highland Division Provost Company (TA), Royal Military Police, he returned to his seafaring roots to maintain an active 35-year connection with ships as a Naval Control of Shipping Officer in the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service.
More recently he completed a three-year tenure at the University of Dundee as a Fellow of The Royal Literary Fund. His latest title to be reissued in print is 'A Flock Of Ships' (Ostara Publishers 2011: also available on Amazon Kindle). On first publication of that now-classic work, Alistair McLean wrote, "The best war story I have ever read. No qualifications, no reservations, no exceptions as to type and time: it's the best. Makes 'All Quiet On The Western Front' look like one of the lesser works of Enid Blyton".
He continues to help new writers become published writers (www.writermentoring.co.uk). 'Hopefully putting something back into a trade that has been good to me.' Writing: guiding aspiring novelists: teasing out the very essence of professionally-competent authorship is what he excels at, and he submits a portfolio comprising some two million published words as evidence.
'A Ship is Dying' is his second title to be published in electronic format. A further 17 Callison titles are scheduled for release as Kindle eBooks during the winter/ spring period 2011/2012.
