This novel is set in the time before Hitler's troops invaded Vienna, Austria. A time when many Jewish people in Vienna thought that it would never happen. ( My grandmother in law was an Austrian and she remembers the tenseness in the country. She was never prouder than the day she became an American citizen.) The reason I tell you this is because this book is so explicit about the activities that went on before the invasion of Austria. The love story of Elisa and John Murphy begins in this first book of the series. Elisa's father is taken from her (she is an adult at the time) on a train out of Germany. They are Jewish and very wealthy. The Germans want his wealth badly. The book follows Elisa on her quest to find out information about her father. She finds out at the end of the book that Theo is in the Concentration Camp in Dachau. Dachau is the worst camp in which to be. She tries to get help from her ex-lover, Thomas, to no avail. Her father's friends' agonies in Dachau are unbelievably horrible.
This is an awesome book and is extremely well written and readable as well. I would recommend it to anyone. The love story is secondary to Elisa's quest.

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