Prisoner of Night and Fog

by Anne Blankman

Series: Book #1 (no series title as of yet)
ISBN: 9780062278814
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: April 22nd 2014
Number of Pages: 401
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

My Rating:  

"Gretchen exhaled a shaky breath. The Jew is my eternal enemy. Those words had guided her heart for twelve years, thanks to her honorary "uncle" Dolf. She owed him so much. He had taught her about art and music, all the things that her father hadn't understood and her mother found dull." Prisoner of Night and Fog, 6

 Gretchen Müller is a 17 year old German who sees Adolf Hitler as an uncle. Her father died saving Hitler's life, giving Gretchen and her family a special place within Hitler's ranks. Gretchen has been taught to hate Jews her whole life but when a (cute) Jewish reporter, Daniel, makes contact, her whole life is flipped upside down. He insists that her father was murdered. As she explores this possibility with Daniel, she starts to realize that what she took as facts may indeed be lies. 

"She saw the truth now. The man she had loved as a father was a fraud. He kissed the backs of her hands and advocated war; he ruffled her hair and preached death; he had played with her on the carpet with toy soldiers, and all along he had been planning the extinction of an entire people." Prisoner of Night and Fog, 215

This was a very moving story and beautifully written. Most of the stories written about this time period are told from a Jewish perspective, now we have a German view. The way this story is told is realistic, and yes, some of the things said and done by other Germans are crude and inhumane. I appreciate that Blankman didn't sugarcoat things and depicted life as it would have been.

I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. It will appeal to those that like mysteries and it does have a romance too :)

It seems that this will be book 1 in a series and I will be continuing Gretchen & Daniel's journey whenever Blankman decides to write it!