The Night Children an Escape from the Furnace Story by Alexander Gordon Smith

This is the third book I have read from Alexander Gordon Smith's Furnace series.  The first being Lockdown.  This story is a prequel.  It takes place in WWII and follows a small unit of men looking for a group that has been lost from their platoon.  While looking for them they discover horrible creatures that live in the forest, the Night Children.  A horrid take on Hansel and Gretel, these children once wondered into the woods and were taken in by a man who carried out experiments on the them.  This book is best not to be read before you read the first books of the series.  It ties together the creatures that are intorduced in those books and lets you know why the prison is ran in the manner it is. It is a suspenseful and creepy read but short so it was a fun beach read.