Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Two cities. Two spies. Which woman survives?
Pianist: NOUN. Informal. A person who operates or controls a radio transmitter – often in code.
July, 1940
Blitz-ridden London: Marnie Fern’s life is torn apart when her grandfather is killed in an air raid. But once she discovers that he’d been working undercover as a radio operative – or pianist – for the Dutch resistance, Marnie knows she must complete his mission – no matter the cost…
Nazi-occupied Amsterdam: At the other end of the wireless, fellow pianist Corrie Bakker is caught in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse as she desperately tries to keep her loved ones out of the line of fire – even if it means sacrificing herself…
Bound together by the invisible wires of their radios, the two women lead parallel lives in their home cities, as both are betrayed by those they trust the most. But when the Nazis close in on one of them, only the other can save her…
The next gripping and heartbreaking WWII historical fiction novel from international bestseller, Mandy Robotham.
During World War II, nimble fingers created connections between Amsterdam and London in hopes that communication would allow the resistance to grow.
While the title of Mandy Robotham’s novel, The War Pianist, evokes images of concert halls filled with gifted musicians, this particular storyline highlights individuals skilled in rapidly communicating encrypted messages via Morse code.
Marnie stumbles onto the role following her grandfather’s death during a German aerial attack in London. He’s the “Gatsby” who sends messages to “Daisy.” When Marnie steps in and becomes “Lizzie,” she also shares ties with Willem, who is undercover.
What ensues is a fascinating story about the role these operators played in trying to outwit the Germans. When her Netherlands contact sends out an alert, Marnie and Willem band together for a daring rescue attempt.
The War Pianist delivers a beautifully written story highlighting a little-known aspect of World War II. For historical fiction lovers, this storyline is sublime.
Mandy Robotham is a Globe and Mail, USA Today, and UK, Canadian, US and Australian Kindle Top 100 bestseller. She has been an aspiring author from the age of nine, but was waylaid by journalism and later enticed by birth. She’s now a former midwife who writes about birth, death, love and everything else in between. She graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University. This is her sixth novel.
