Tim Murgatroyd

The Nazi’s Daughter is set in New York City and 1943 Europe at the height of WWII. Elise Van Thoof-Noman is the daughter of a very powerful Dutch Nazi. She is a prima ballerina that has suffered a career ending tendon injury. After recuperating in Paris, Elise heads off to a remote island off the coast of Holland. Once there she meets Pieter Goedhart a school teacher and reluctant resistance fighter. They are drawn to each other, but Pieter must take care with Elise. She cannot find out about the people he is hiding from the Nazis in his attic. If she does, it could jeopardize both their lives and the lives of those he is hiding.

Skip to New York City in 2008, at the beginning of the Great Recession, and we meet Elise’s granddaughter Jenni Malarkey. Jenni has just been let go from her job as millions of others were during this time. She also just found out that her grandmother has passed away and left her a sizable inheritance. When Jenni attends a life celebration at Good Hearts restaurant she discovers unknown facts about Elise’s life and hears a rumor that Elise may have been a Nazi. She decides that she wants to know more about this elusive person whom people say she looks like. She starts the quest by going through her grandmother’s New York apartment she has inherited. This starts her journey into the enigmatic life of Elise. With so much time gone, will she be able to find out the truth behind the real Elise Van Thooft-Noman?

Once I started reading I suspected this would be a tragic story as so many are from this time. I connected with the characters of Elise and Pieter. I found myself sympathizing with them and trying to imagine how hard life must have been during the Nazi occupation and how great of a risk Pieter took by hiding fugitives. Unfortunately, I did not connect with Jenni. Her character lacked the depth the others had. In addition, the plot was slow in places. Fortunately there was enough suspense to keep my reading.

Despite the few qualms I had, overall, this was a good story and I enjoyed reading it. Anyone who likes historical fiction will enjoy this one.

I received a free copy from Troubador Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

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