The Alligator’s Trap by Antonio Soler

An elderly Spaniard ekes out an existence managing the reception desk in a seedy hotel in Toronto. Another elderly Spaniard checks in, triggering a flood of memories, back to the days when both men were activists in a revolutionary cell in Barcelona, days of armed resistence, action and adventure, romance and betrayal . . .

When Daniel spurns the priesthood after seven years secluded in a Spanish seminary, his sister makes him a generous gift: enough money to fund him for a year so he can explore the world and discover himself. After some months, he joins the crew of a small sailing boat. They run into a violent storm and Daniel is washed up on an island shrouded in fog, apparently all alone . . .

A young soldier, Gustavo Sintora, arrives in Madrid after Franco’s rebel forces capture Málaga. He is posted to the Republican army’s mobile entertainment unit who are billeted in a mansion on the city’s outskirts and put on shows for troops along the front line. There he meets Serena Vergara, a seamstress who is destined to become the love of his life. . .

After predicting that Hitler would become Chancellor of Germany, at a time when the very idea seemed laughable, Jan Erik Hanussen – the famous stage clairvoyant – becomes increasingly embroiled with senior members the Nazi party. But there is a secret he is keeping close to his chest, a secret that could put his reputation and even his life on the line . . .