Publication Date: August 7, 2026
Auschwitz, 1945. The gates are flung open. Prisoners flee for their lives. But as Celina stumbles toward safety, a man in a German uniform seizes her arm. She knows it’s impossible… but he looks just like her husband.
Celina has given up hope of ever leaving Auschwitz. Only memories of her beloved husband Noah keep her sane—her childhood sweetheart, her protector, once her entire world. If she allows herself to remember that he was killed, she knows she’ll be lost too…
Now, as the Soviets liberate the camp, Celina screams when a man in a German uniform grabs her. But the familiar green and gold sparkling in his eyes steals her breath. He looks exactly like Noah. But it can’t be him. Not here, not in this uniform…
As a Soviet officer hauls him away, Celina can’t let him go without making absolutely sure. Did her husband somehow survive the war, disguised as a German soldier?
To find the truth, she must follow as the Germans—now prisoners themselves—are marched away through the snowy forests of Poland. Staying hidden, and staying alive, will prove almost impossible.
But if it’s really Noah—and he’s still the good man Celina fell in love with—can she find a way to rescue him before she loses him all over again?
An inspiring, heartbreaking World War Two novel which celebrates the strength of human spirit and the power of love in the darkest of times. Perfect for fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, The Choice and The Nightingale.
Left behind with other sick Auschwitz prisoners, Celina is adamant that a familiar face saved her after an explosion—which doesn’t seem possible.
Author Shari J. Ryan crafts an emotionally gripping story set in the aftermath of World War II in The Lost Husband.
Told in a dual storyline, the story focuses on a young Jewish couple from Amsterdam beginning in 1939. It is a time of great uncertainty as the Germans invade and Jewish citizens find themselves persecuted.
For the expectant couple, a tragedy strikes that changes everything. In the present time, Celina and a group of other former prisoners try to survive with little food or shelter. Celina’s determination to find that familiar face puts her in harm’s way, especially since he’s wearing a German uniform.
The Lost Husband illustrates the powerful bond between a Jewish couple that not even the Nazis can extinguish.
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Historical Fiction writer. Her desire to write stories revolving Jewish livelihood during World War II stems from being a descendant of two Holocaust survivors. After the passing of Shari’s grandmother, she pursued an active interest in learning more about the inherited stories she yearned to understand better.
Shortly after earning a bachelors degree from Johnson & Wales University, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012. In 2016, Shari began writing her first Historical Fiction novel, Last Words, a story about a lifelong journey through the eyes of a Holocaust survivor, and Shari quickly found a new passion to share untold World War II stories within a fictional setting. In 2023 she will explore her first foray into the world of psychological thrillers with the gripping, twisty The Homemaker…
Shari is a lifelong New England girl who lives to make people laugh. She is happily married with two wonderful sons and a spunky Australian Shepard, who fits right in with the family.
