The Harbour Master's Secret

Simon Thomas
To the outside world, Jacques Dumont masquerades as the friendly, unassuming harbour master of the Royal Flandrian Yacht Club. The visiting sailors and their families marvel at the way heeasily converses in their various native languages, yet none are aware of how he became so fluent. For beneath his charismatic façade, there are secrets Jacques has buried deep. Secrets that tell of a life resisting the forces of tyranny and oppression, suffering the torments of loss and heartbreak – the cries of his beloved daughter, cruelly torn from her loving parents – still haunting his dreams.  
How ironic, then, that the same authority who took his beloved daughter should anoint him as a war hero, celebrating his bravery as a member of the Belgian resistance against the Nazi regime in WWII.  
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Follow the life of Jacques Dumont, coming-of-age amidst the majestic wilderness and colonial racism of the Belgian Congo, where his character is forged and his heart broken. Journey with him across war-torn Europe as he evades capture for stealing precious classified intelligence, relying on his determination, ingenuity and luck to escape. And feel his sorrow in the aftermath of war, as Jacques returns to the tranquillity of Ostend, where one final secret remains to be revealed.  
Inspired by true events, The Harbour Master’s Secret takes readers on a thrilling journey of oppression, loss, betrayal, courage, and enduring love.  
And through it all, the compelling despair of a father searching for his lost little girl. ​

Publication Date: 30th April 2025
Genre and Classifications: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller