First published 2021
Millie Mosbach stands in the rubble of occupied Berlin, far from her scholarship days at Bryn Mawr. She escaped Germany with her brother David just before Kristallnacht, leaving behind parents and a little sister. Now she works for the Allies, identifying committed Nazis in publishing houses. David helps displaced persons while conducting secret nighttime operations. Both siblings search desperately for their missing family members. Millie battles conflicting emotions about her former homeland and its people. Her proximity to ordinary Germans makes hatred harder to sustain. Her boss, Major Harry Sutton, shows troubling sympathy toward German citizens. Berlin has become a lawless frontier where soldiers fight, black markets flourish, and unrepentant Nazis plot their return. Spies operate in shadows while forbidden relationships bloom between occupiers and occupied. Millie must confront a choice she made as a girl during a moment of terror. She must also reckon with the mysterious Major Sutton, who seems to understand her inner turmoil too well. The search for family becomes a journey toward forgiveness.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Berlin, Germany, Bryn Mawr
Period: Kristallnacht
336 pages · Kindle Edition · St. Martin's Griffin
Content warnings: violence, war