"I have another joke, if you promise not to tell anyone else....What is the difference between Christianity and National Socialism? [pause] In Christianity one man died for everybody. But in National Socialism everybody dies for one man."
-John Lynch, from the novel
This is one of several very engaging novels I have received free through Amazon Prime for my Kindle. It is historical fiction which I love but also very much a suspenseful thriller. I could hardly put it down so I have to rate it a 5.
In 1943 Franka Gerber is deeply depressed over the deaths of several loved ones at the cruel hands of the Nazi regime. She is looking for a place to end her own life when she comes across an unconscious stranger lying in the snow of the Black Forest Mountains. He is wearing the uniform of the Luftwaffe and carrying identification showing he is Hauptman Werner Graf, a German airman. The man is seriously injured and Franka, trained as a nurse, cannot leave him there to die. As the two begin to find a way to trust each other, they share their stories, Franka's dating back to the 1930's and the advent of Hitler, and his to 1942. Secrets are revealed.
The story is difficult to read in parts, which is true of most set in WWII Germany. The quote I used to begin is one of the few glimpses of humor. The setting, plot and characters remind me of The Honest Spy, The Nightingale and Beneath a Scarlet Sky, all of which are reviewed in my blog. Each involves characters of admirable bravery, compassion and perseverance.
The novel builds to a breathless climax with a fitting surprise at the end.
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