Erika Robuck Knihy

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Buzzfeed · Bookbub · BookTrib · and more! Two women, two countries. Nothing in common but a call to fight. A heart-stopping new novel based on the extraordinary true stories of an American socialite and a British secret agent whose stunning acts of courage collide in the darkest hours of World War II. 1940. In a world newly burning with war, and in spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia d’Albert-Lake decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down, they’ll survive. But is surviving enough? Nineteen-year-old Violette Szabo has seen the Nazis’ evil up close and is desperate to fight them. But when she meets the man who’ll change her life only for tragedy to strike, Violette’s adrift. Until she enters the radar of Britain’s secret war organization—the Special Operations Executive—and a new fire is lit in her as she decides just how much she’s willing to risk to enlist. As Virginia and Violette navigate resistance, their clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbrück concentration camp. The decisions they make will change their lives, and the world, forever.

“An extraordinary profile of immense courage and daring.”—Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Left Cuba “If you only read one WWII book this year, make it this one."—Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Orphans In the depths of war, she would defy the odds to help liberate a nation…a gripping historical novel based on the remarkable true story of World War II heroine Virginia Hall, from the bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl France, March 1944. Virginia Hall wasn't like the other young society women back home in Baltimore—she never wanted the debutante ball or silk gloves. Instead, she traded a safe life for adventure in Europe, and when her beloved second home is thrust into the dark days of war, she leaps in headfirst. Once she's recruited as an Allied spy, subverting the Nazis becomes her calling. But even the most cunning agent can be bested, and in wartime trusting the wrong person can prove fatal. Virginia is haunted every day by the betrayal that ravaged her first operation, and will do everything in her power to avenge the brave people she lost. While her future is anything but certain, this time more than ever Virginia knows that failure is not an option. Especially when she discovers what—and whom—she's truly protecting.

Set against the Prohibition Rum Wars, this gripping tale brings to life two real women on opposite sides of the law in a deadly game of cat and mouse. In 1926 Washington, D.C., the Coast Guard is struggling in the Prohibition Rum War but has a secret weapon: Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a brilliant cryptanalyst and devoted wife and mother. Meanwhile, in the Bahamas, Cleo Lythogoe, known as The Bahama Queen, announces her retirement while sharing thrilling tales of her past. Marie Waite, eager to take her place, devises a plan to ascend as rumrunner royalty and secure her family's financial future. However, as her operation becomes more sophisticated, she attracts the attention of federal agents. Elizebeth, the only codebreaker tackling numerous smugglers, faces mounting pressure from her work, which becomes increasingly personal when she realizes her main adversary is Marie Waite. From the glamorous world of D.C. Intelligence to the sultry shores of Florida, this story is based on the true events of two women masterminds locked in a high-stakes battle of wits, revealing the complexities of ambition, crime, and the fight for survival during a tumultuous era.