Publication Date: February 4, 2025
A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff
London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.
Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.
Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.
As if the horror of being placed in a German concentration camp wasn’t enough, Hitler turned a renowned Paris furniture store into a detention center and forced Jews to sort and sell goods that had been stolen from their homes.
Last Twilight in Paris focuses on Helaine, a Jewish woman imprisoned in the store. Author Pam Jenoff brings the atrocities to light as a way to preserve the legacies of those who lived during this difficult time period.
Helaine’s backstory unfolds via an alternating past and present timeline. She leads an affluent life that she walks away from in order to be with Gabriel, but being Jewish during World War II is dangerous.
Meanwhile, a second storyline introduces Louise, who finds a necklace while in London almost a decade after the war. As a Red Cross volunteer during the war, Louise believes she has seen the necklace before and begins searching for clues.
The atrocities of the war shine through the perspectives of two different women. Helaine’s story, particularly her imprisonment, will haunt readers.
Last Twilight in Paris delivers an impactful story about another way Hitler targeted the Jewish community.
Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris and The Woman with the Blue Star. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her J.D. from UPenn. She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia, where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.
