Cirrus@Austlit

'Could she be the secret daughter of the Prince of Wales In this dazzling novel by the author of Sisters of the Resistance, a young woman seeks to discover the truth about her mysterious past. Perfect for readers of Shana Abe, Bryn Turnbull, and Marie Benedict. 

'Cleo Davenport has heard the whispers: the murmured conversations that end abruptly the second she walks into a room. Told she was an orphan, she knows the rumor—that her father is none other than the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. And at her childhood home at Cairo’s Shepheard’s Hotel, where royals, rulers, and the wealthy live, they even called her “The Princess.”

'But her life is turned upside down when she turns seventeen. Sent to London under the chaperonage of her very proper aunt, she’s told it’s time to learn manners and make her debut. But Cleo’s life can’t be confined to a ballroom. She longs for independence and a career as a jewelry designer for Cartier, but she cannot move forward until she finds out about her past.

'Determined to unlock the truth, Cleo travels from London, back to Cairo, and then Paris, where her investigations take a shocking turn into the world of the Parisian demi-monde, and a high-class courtesan whose scandalous affair with the young Prince of Wales threatened to bring down the British monarchy long before anyone had heard of Wallis Simpson. ' (Publication summary)

'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?' (Publication summary)

'It should’ve been the happiest time of Lee Barnett’s life. She was married to a man she loved and trusted, Harris Todd, and she was pregnant with her first child. But things quickly turned from dream to nightmare when Harris walked out on her.

'Well-connected and prominent in their hometown of Charleston, USA, Harris attacked Lee’s reputation and mental health status, leaving her emotionally and financially devastated. And then came the final blow: she lost custody of her beautiful daughter Savanna, who was only nine months old.

'With all legal avenues closed to her after Harris had thoroughly destroyed her reputation in Charleston, and fearing Savanna’s future was to follow the same path under the care of Harris, Lee made the unthinkable decision to go on the run with her child. Lee and Savanna fled the USA, cutting all ties to their past. They travelled the world under aliases before finally settling in Queensland and living a happy and fulfilling life. Then one morning in 2013, almost twenty years after they first disappeared and on the other side of the world, the FBI knocked on Lee’s door.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.