Inspired by a true story, the New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan returns with an unputdownable novel of a community torn apart when a former Nazi family moves into town to work on NASA's space program
Berlin, 1934 Ilse Meyer is the aristocratic wife of a scientist whose post-WWI fortunes change for the better when her husband, Jurgen, is recruited for Hitler's new rocket project. But too late they realize the Nazis' plans to weaponize Jurgen's technology as they begin to wage war against the rest of Europe.
Alabama, 1949 Jurgen is one of hundreds of Nazi scientists offered pardons and taken to the US to work for the CIA's fledgling space program. Ilse, now the mother of four, misses Germany terribly and struggles to fit in among the other NASA wives. In a moment of loneliness, she confesses to a neighbour, Rachel Carlson, about Jurgen's membership in the SS. But she has trusted the wrong person.
When the scandalous news about the Meyer family's affiliation with the Nazi party spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart a community and a family before the truth is finally revealed - but is it murder, revenge or justice?
Praise for The Warsaw Orphan:
'A love story full of despair, grief and even some hope and kindness' Herald Sun
'It is about human deprivation and racial hatred but also survival, the power of the human spirit to prevail, the enduring love of family and ultimately it's a beautiful love story' Daily Telegraph
'Kelly has a special gift of capturing the essence of what it is to be human in her novels. This book, a reminder of what it means to find hope, strength and generosity of spirit in the midst of tragedy and heartbreak, is one that I'll never forget' VANESSA CARNEVALE
'Fans of Jodi Picoult have a new go-to author' SALLY HEPWORTH