Book description:
Her music captivates crowds.
His mission exposes secrets.
Their courage defies a dictator.
Against the simmering backdrop of impending war, blind virtuoso pianist Chaisley Frappier embarks on a concert tour through a rapidly changing Europe. When she learns that Hitler's regime of injustice is targeting other disabled people, Chaisley realizes she is in a prime position to help those who are threatened reach safety. But the Führer's growing fascination with the celebrated musician endangers her undercover mission and forces her to walk a tightrope between her fame and her calling.
When Rick Zimmerman receives his next assignment from the British Secret Intelligence Service, he is surprised to learn he'll be acting as the personal driver of a world-renowned pianist as she tours Europe. The role gives him the perfect cover to complete missions of sabotage and intelligence-gathering, but he soon suspects the brilliant, alluring pianist has secrets of her own. As Chaisley and Rick confront evil at every turn, it will take every bit of faith and courage they possess to triumph over hate--and survive.
My review:
Ever since I heard this author was doing a departure from her usual writing, I have been wanting to read this book. Tonight I sat down and read it from cover to cover, and have feelings I don't normally have after reading a fictional novel.
It is a masterfully written novel. If you have ever read any of this author's historical novels, you know she excels at research, and that came through as I read this book.
But the subject matter. Man. The author has no graphic content at all, but in all my knowledge of Hitler and what he did, I still learned some things...or maybe I forgot. Such as handicapped people being exterminated and some were sterilized early on so they could not reproduce.
The author did an amazing job of showing the horrors and evils that Hitler and the Nazis did, yet infused the story with hope, relating stories - some of them true - of people who risked everything to save lives. The book made me think more than the average Christian fiction novel. There has been so much in our own country in the last several years that concerns me....and what Hitler did was so gradual, and so many people looked the other way. It is sobering.
This is not the first novel that I have read set during this time period, but I feel it is the best one that best described what was going on then without graphic details.
And then there are the main characters. Chaisley (where DID the author come up with that name? 😀) Pianist extraordinaire, she has her own handicap (read the book to find out what), and she is determined to help people no matter what. And Rick, an undercover British spy determined to do what he can to help people and hinder Hitler. The two of them together - though fictional characters - give a glimpse into what real live heroic people actually did back in those days.
It is difficult to pigeon hole this book. Yes, it was entertaining, and even has a slow burn romance....but it was also sad and challenging to read. In one novel, Woodhouse challenged me, and made me want to do better in standing up to hate and bigotry. This may be her best historical novel to date.
Special thanks to the author for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
A Song In the Dark releases September 23 from Bethany House Publishers.
About the author:
Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of thirty-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandkids, and research all the history around them. You can connect with Kimberley on her website, KimberleyWoodhouse.com.
