Release Date: July 23, 2020 

In 1942, Eva Traube was a happy graduate student working with her favorite things in the world – books. However, her quiet life in Paris is quickly turned on its head when her father is arrested along with thousands of other Jewish people living in France. This sudden turn of events forces Eva and her mother to flee to the French countryside seeking shelter from the expanding Nazi forces. In the quaint village of Aurignon, Eva finds herself becoming involved in an underground resistance movement forging identities for Jewish children escaping to Switzerland. Eva risks her own safety for the lives of children and to protect their heritage writes their true names in code in a large volume in the small church of Aurignon. 

Eva becomes increasingly important to the resistance movement, but things become tricky as she forms relationships with the other members. The ties to her family and to her cause pull her in opposing directions, and she must make life changing decisions. The records she and her partner Remy keep in the Book of Lost Names are vital as the resistance cell begins to disappear. Years later, Eva Traube Abrams is called back to her past when she sees an article about the looting of libraries by the Nazis with the very same volume pictured in it. Eva faces another life-altering choice to continue in her new life or revisit her past with her most painful and most joyful moments.

Kristen Harmel is a New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names, The Winemaker’s Wife, and many more novels. This story has tension and mystery while also touching on themes of romance, heritage, and bravery. It is a wonderful work of historical fiction that will engage you with the characters’ resilience.