The Watchmaker's Daughter by Dianne Haley

 

"Can we ever be sure of anything, Valerie?.....Or of anyone? For every brave soul like Jean and Emile risking their lives helping people escape from France, there are twenty others prepared to turn them over to the authorities without hesitating."

               -Marianne, from the novel

I am definitely a fan of historical fiction but it had been quite a while since I read a WWII era novel.  This one was quite good, rather a page turner. I give it a 4 rating only because I wasn't very satisfied with the ending.

Valerie Hallez, the daughter of a watchmaker (no surprise there!) in Geneva, Switzerland, is working for the Resistance. It is 1942 and the Nazis have recently overtaken France; Switzerland faces the threat of being next. Valerie delivers secret messages along with deliveries from her father's shop, unbeknownst to him. She helps Emile (mentioned above) hide and care for fugitives from France in an unused warehouse until their escape can be arranged.

Valerie and Philippe, her soldier amour (see my use of French there?), have difficulty communicating since he is away training for possible war and they get only short and infrequent visits. When she finds his name on a secret list, she sees trouble for him and bravely sets out to save him. 

I have read historical novels involving the Resistance in France, the Netherlands and even Italy but this was the first occurring in Switzerland. I find them all inspiring with their tales of great courage and determination. This one was no exception and apparently is the first in a series with these characters.