Codename Gaby — Nik Morton

We are all history. And these stories reflect that. The human condition through history is fascinating. Much stays the same, no matter where you are or when. In these tales we travel to wartime France in 1943 and 1944 to witness betrayal and heroism. The effects of this war can also be seen from the perspective of 1995, looking back to 1943 and a loving family. Another conflict was the English Civil War, and here we meet some protagonists in 1645. Some conflict occurs behind the headlines, however, and can only come to light when secret documents are released. Here are two missions, in Turkey (1976) and China (1977). And in Tenerife in 1896 a deadly crime is thwarted by an unlikely duo. History is not all about battles, fortunately. It is also concerns people coping in a strange land, whether that's post-war Japan or the colonial days in 1830s Australia. Combatting the elements creates historical events, such as crossing the Atlantic before Christ or surviving a sinking troopship in that same ocean, or dealing with crime beneath the Indian Ocean in 1965. Political upheaval has its part in history, naturally, and the building of the Berlin Wall is hugely significant â€" as was its fall in 1989. The politics of mystic John Dee meant his imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1555, yet he survived by wit and guile. In London in 1857 witness the honouring of heroes by Queen Victoria. Travel far and wide, in the past and across oceans, in 18 varied stories.