The Linden Tree & the Legionnaire
A Latvian Tale of Blood and Treasure
Diana Mathur, Author
Kārlis Smiltens, Artist
The Ghastly Year
In 1940 Latvia, the Russian occupation is in, and high school graduation is out for Kārlis Pērkons and his friends. Resisting the Communists by any means, from pagan rites to Molotov cocktails, Kãrlis fights to survive the Stalin vs. Hitler meat-grinder with his dream intact.
The Ghastly Year binds the first three books in the series, Article 58, Witch Hammer, and The Knock at Night into one unputdownable read, 500 pages.
These tales are inspired by the art and accounts of Corporal Kārlis Smiltens (1922 - 2017) de facto war artist of the Latvian Legion.
Cover art and interior illustrations were painted by Smiltens as a young man, while experiencing the events described in this fictional series.
Smiltens has donated over two hundred paintings to the Latvian War Museum in Riga.
