Book excerpt: CONRAD BENTLEY ENJOYS HIS RETIREMENT. By chance, he comes across a letter from WWI - a German father writes about his grief of losing a son to war - buried by his three comrades near a small French village. The letter resonates with Conrad and he commits to researching its backstory. Months later, Conrad makes contact with the fallen soldier's family. He falls deeper into their history and other untold stories from this era, including the fate of young Tasmanian soldiers who also fought on the Western Front. A Soldier's Quartet is inspired by true events, a story of perseverance and happenstance that transcends time and reaches across continents. It presents the human faces behind uniforms and battle plans, conveys love and hope set against various landscapes. Conrad's discovery of the letter brings the past into the present as he reflects on his own life and loss.