Folklore professor Max is spending Halloween alone on a deserted road in the middle of France after his car runs out of fuel. His partner Ethan is working overtime at a hospital in the US rather than accompanying Max on this trip of a lifetime, and Max is feeling a bit too much like an absent-minded professor without him. Trudging through the night and scaring himself with thoughts of werewolves, Max stumbles across a cafe.

Inside he meets a waiter, Jean-Marc, who tells him that he's waiting for a G.I. and that there's no gas to be had since before the war. Puzzled, Max thinks at first that Jean-Marc is setting up an elaborate role-play scenario. Then the G.I., Charlie, shows up and takes Max for an American spy. Charlie starts talking about the Resistance, and Max decides it's time to leave-as he goes, he sees Charlie and Jean-Marc in a passionate embrace. Next day, Max is told by the local police that there's no cafe nearby, and when Max goes looking for it, he finds the place has been derelict for many years...

Although the plot is simple, Esprit de Corps is still well told with a dash of creepiness and a lovely quiet sense of humour. G S Wiley has a nice eye for detail and in such a short story manages to give all her characters enough personality for the reader to care about them. Esprit de Corps is a tender, enjoyable read.

Reviewed by: Maija