Cirrus@Austlit

''War and what it does to people. No one escapes it’s clutches …’

'Two sisters are cruelly separated by war in tragic circumstances. Ania is imprisoned in a concentration camp in Poland and Danuta’s search for her sister leads her into the Polish Underground. They each do what they must to survive long enough to find each other. Their dream of being united ends in shocking circumstances. Amazingly, the opportunity for revenge presents itself 60 years later in New Jersey, USA. But faced with the ultimate decision what will be the outcome: seek justice or revenge?

'Spanning 60 years, Hitler’s Brothel follows the lives of two Polish sisters, separated by the vagaries of war. It examines their lives as well as those of their German masters.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'1938, as the world spirals towards war, Klara Koch is employed as Hitler's personal cook. While Germany reveres the image of the Fuhrer, Klara and the household staff are privy to the real Hitler – his secrets, his ailments and his addictions. As Klara observes those circling the Fuhrer, she realises that not all of them are his admirers. Hitler is right to be paranoid.

'This thoroughly researched and compelling story takes readers right up close and personal with Hitler as he spirals increasingly out of control in pursuit of his drug-fueled quest for world domination. This novel – the second volume in Steve Matthews’ gripping Nazi trilogy – takes you on a journey through World War II in Nazi Germany as seen through Klara’s eyes. It is a uniquely clever re-imagining of Hitler, his inner circle, and the absurdities and contradictions of his daily life.' (Publication summary)

'Nazi Germany has been crushed, but is the war really over?

'Klara, Hitler’s personal cook, swears she glimpsed him fleeing the Berlin bunker via a secret tunnel.

'The world needs undeniable proof of the Fuhrer’s death, but it’s not that simple. While Allied intelligence agents scour Europe to find such proof, and a Hitler double – ‘the Wolf’ – lays a false trail across two continents, the real Hitler hides out in a Polish monastery, desperate to find his gold train so he can fund the Fourth Reich.

'Klara, already pregnant with Martin Bormann’s child, is one of the countless women brutally raped as Russian forces take Berlin. She miscarries and can’t help wondering if she will ever be  free of the war’s burden.

'Meanwhile, her sister Natalka is working with the Polish government, tracking down and executing Nazi fugitives. She locates Klara and recruits her to help track Hitler: as his former cook, Klara can infiltrate his inner circle. They find Hitler’s hideout via a tip-off. Klara makes tentative contact: the Fuhrer, weakened and isolated, is thrilled to have her back as his cook – and companion. He feels no threat from her but – profoundly traumatised by the war, the death camps, the rape and miscarriage – Klara can take no more. Following a defining act of conscience, she gains closure at last, for both herself and the crippled world.

' But one final twist awaits, revealing a future she couldn’t possibly have imagined!' (Publication summary)