2015 Carol award finalist! Increasingly wary of her father’s genetic research, Rachel Kramer has determined that this trip with him to Germany―in the summer of 1939―will be her last. But a cryptic letter from her estranged friend, begging Rachel for help, changes everything. Married to SS officer Gerhardt Schlick, Kristine sees the dark tides turning and fears her husband views their daughter, Amelie, deaf since birth, as a blight on his Aryan bloodline. Once courted by Schlick, Rachel knows he’s as dangerous as the swastikas that hang like ebony spiders from every government building in Berlin. She fears her father’s files may hold answers about Hitler’s plans for others, like Amelie, whom the regime deems “unworthy of life.” She risks searching his classified documents only to uncover shocking secrets about her own history and a family she’s never known. Now hunted by the SS, Rachel turns to Jason Young―a driven, disarming American journalist and unlikely ally―who connects her to the resistance and to controversial theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Forced into hiding, Rachel’s every ideal is challenged as she and Jason walk a knife’s edge, risking their lives―and asking others to do the same―for those they barely know but come to love. Saving Amelie is a moving portrayal of the fortitude and resilience of the human spirit. Gohlke has captured the beauty and sacrifice of those willing to help others in the depths of Nazi Germany. At times both emotional and suspenseful, this is a fantastic novel for those who love both historical fiction and human interest stories. 4 stars Romantic Times In this compelling and tense novel, Christy Award-winning Gohlke ( Band of Sisters, Promise Me This ) tells a haunting story of the courageous few who worked tirelessly and at great risk to themselves to save people they did not know, whom they would not see again. Reminiscent of Tatiana de Rosnay’s stirring stories of human compassion and hope, this should appeal to fans of both authors as well as to historical fiction readers. Library Journal SUMMER 1939 ONE LETTER, ONE REQUEST . . . On a trip to Germany with her father, Rachel Kramer receives a cryptic letter with a plea for help from an estranged friend. Married to SS officer Gerhardt Schlick, Kristine sees the dark tides turning and fears her husband views their daughter Amelie―deaf since birth―as a blight on his Aryan bloodline. . . . LEADS TO A TRUTH SO DARK . . . Once courted by Schlick, Rachel knows he’s as dangerous as the swastikas that hang like ebony spiders across Berlin. She fears her father, an eminent eugenics scientist, may know about Hitler’s plans for others, like Amelie, whom the regime deems unworthy of life . But when she risks searching his classified documents, she also uncovers shocking secrets about her own history and a family she’s never known. . . . THEY’LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING IT TO LIGHT. Now hunted by the SS, Rachel turns to Jason Young― a driven American journalist and unlikely ally―whose connections to the resistance help Rachel and Amelie escape the city. Forced to hide in Oberammergau, the Bavarian village of the Passion Play, Rachel’s every ideal is challenged as she and Jason walk a knife’s edge, endangering their lives―and asking others to do the same―for those they barely know but come to love. Saving Amelie By Cathy Gohlke, Sarah Mason Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2014 Cathy Gohlke All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4143-8322-4 CHAPTER 1 Rachel Kramer dropped her linen napkin across the morning newspaper's inflammatory headline: "Cold Spring Harbor Scientist in League with Hitler." She glanced up, willing herself to smile innocently as her father strode into the formal breakfast room. "You needn't bother to hide it." His eyes, bloodshot and mildly accusing, met hers as he took his chair at the head of the polished mahogany table. "I've already received a phone call from the Institute." Rachel glanced at their butler's stoic face as he poured her father's coffee, then carefully framed her statement. "It isn't true, of course." "In league with the Führer? You believe the ravings of that maniac hack Young?" he scoffed. "Come now, Rachel—" he jerked his napkin from its ring—"you know me better than that." "Of course, Father. But I need to understand—" "Which is why this trip is essential. You'll see for yourself that those foreign correspondents exaggerate—to sell American papers, no doubt, but at the expense of international relations and good men doing crucial work." She might be little more than an inexperienced college graduate, but she wouldn't be shot down. "He also claims that Hitler accuses the Poles of disturbing the peace of Europe—that he's blaming them for impending war, creating a ruse to justify an invasion. If that's true—if he'd truly attack Poland—then you really can't trust him, Father. And if this reporter is right about that, then people will believe—" "People will b