A former professor descends into darkness in this provocative story of a Nazi soldier torn between duty and conscience.
East Prussia, Nazi Germany, 1939. History professor Erik Mueller is a model citizen and a family man. He’s also a decorated sergeant in the Gestapo. Proving his courage on the battlefields of Poland and the Soviet Union, and proud of the German army’s victories across Europe, he embraces what he thinks is the righteousness of the Third Reich’s cause.
But his loyalties are soon tested when he crosses paths with his old university friend Trude Bensheim. Forced into unemployment for being Jewish, Trude and her husband start a secret organization to help Jews escape Germany. But when they are betrayed by someone they thought they could trust, their lives hang in the balance.
Erik feels responsible for Trude’s capture, and he knows he’s in a position to help them. But when everything he holds dear is at stake, will he save his friends—or himself?
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The writing is clear and sharp, and I was immediately immersed in the time and the tale. I found myself alternately panting and holding my breath as I read. It is exceedingly well executed. Erik, specifically, was very well drawn, and so real and relatable. I loved his humanity and his inner voice, and his plight gave flesh to a German caricature.
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Amy Harmon, New York Times bestselling author of From Sand and Ash