The Man with the Black Worrybeads

Book excerpt: In the port of Pireaus, Greece, the early summer rains stopped and the clouds cleared away. The sun, slowly gliding onto the sea, cast its last rays on the German fleet. After the night patrols ran past and the sound of jackboots faded, Petros Zervas, the young resistance fighter, ran down the hill and, for the first time in years, saw Lela Lellos. Eleven years had passed since the thirty-year-old Lela contributed to the delinquency of fourteen-year-old Petros, taking his virginity and transforming him into a man. He then disappeared, leaving Lela with nothing but her memory and his name tattooed on her stomach. She had no idea that Petros has turned out to be a successful young man. What she does not know is that he has also become a wanted man- pursued by the Germans whom he is fighting in Pireaus. But one man has seen Petros and believes he can rescue a religious icon held captive by German chaplains who will never appreciate its power or understand its beauty. Only Petros can perform a miracle for old Spyros Kanares; if he fails, though, both will surely end up in front of a firing squad. This compelling tale of heroism, based on true events, culminates in an unforgettable attack on the German fleet anchored in the port of Piraeus, as a powerful love story is tested in the crucible of war.