Tom Willoughby's Scouts: A Story of the War in German East Africa

"Tom Willoughby’s Scouts: A Story of the War in German East Africa" by Herbert Strang is a compelling historical novel where young Tom Willoughby journeys to German East Africa to see his father's coffee plantation, but quickly becomes entangled in the outbreak of World War I. Arriving in 1914, aboard the "Hedwig von Wissmann" on Lake Tanganyika, Tom is cautioned about the unethical behavior of his father's German partner, Mr. Reinecke, whom he meets soon after in Bismarckburg. As Tom adjusts to plantation life, he suspects Reinecke of shady dealings, leading to dangerous predicaments that test his resolve. Trapped in a world of moral ambivalence, Tom's adventure evolves into a desperate fight for survival where ideas of loyalty and treachery collide.