Berlin, Germany, 1930—When the Nazis rise to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her academic husband benefit from the military ambitions of Germany’s newly elected chancellor when Jürgen is offered a high-level position in their burgeoning rocket program. Although they fiercely oppose Hitler’s radical views, and joining his ranks is unthinkable, it soon becomes clear that if Jürgen does not accept the job, their income will be taken away. Then their children. And then their lives.

Huntsville, Alabama, 1950—Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of many German scientists pardoned and granted a position in America’s space program. For Sofie, this is a chance to leave the horrors of her past behind. But when rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with the Nazi party spread among her new American neighbors, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results tears apart a family and leaves the community wondering—is it an act of vengeance or justice?

Review:

Moving, thought-provoking, and tragic!

The German Wife is a vivid, tender tale set in Berlin, Germany, as well as Huntsville, Alabama, between 1930 and 1950 that takes you into the lives of the Rhodes family. A family whose individual actions, decisions, choices and secrets made during the war will have long-lasting effects and irrevocably change lives forever.

The writing is emotional and tense. The characters are intelligent, torn, and distrustful. And the plot is an evocative tale of life, loss, heartbreak, prejudices, hope, tragedy, survival, friendship, love, community, and wartime politics.

Overall, The German Wife is an absorbing, heart-wrenching, beautifully written tale by Rimmer inspired by real-life events, Operation Paperclip, that does an exceptional job of highlighting her impressive research into this intelligence program that brought Nazis chemists, physicists and rocket specialists to America after WWII, without being tried for their previous crimes, in order for them to use their acquired knowledge to benefit NASA and other US government agencies.

This novel is available now.

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