Books like 'Touching the Wire'
Readers who enjoyed Touching the Wire by Rebecca Bryn also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical war suspense 20th century
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The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsLondon, 1995: When on the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz a news broadcast runs an appeal for information on the identity of a midwife who saved hundreds of lives, Emilia knows it is time to finally tell her story... -
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsAn Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller. From the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a spellbinding novel about one woman’s love, loss, and courage during wartime... -
A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAn unforgettable story of love, hope and betrayal, and a testament to the courage of humanity in history’s darkest days. As Nazis occupy his beloved city, Professor Josef Held feels helpless. So when he discovers his former pupil Michael Blum is trying to escape the Gestapo, he offers Michael a place to hide in his attic... -
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear
A milestone in historical mystery fiction as Maisie Dobbs takes her final bow! Psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs unravels a profound mystery from her past in a war-torn nation grappling with its future. London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion—the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing...Categorized as:
war 20th century suspense mystery historical heroine sleuth length-medium glimpses-kisses -
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The Violinist of Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsBased on the unforgettable true story of Alma Rosé, this novel brings to life one of history’s most fearless, inspiring, and courageous heroines.In Auschwitz, every day is a fight for survival. Alma is inmate 50381, the number tattooed on her skin in pale blue ink. She is cooped up with thousands of others, torn from loved ones, trapped in a maze of barbed wire... -
The Star and the Shamrock by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAriella Bannon has no choice: she must put her precious children, Liesl and Erich, on that train or allow them to become prey for the Nazis. Berlin 1939... -
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman, Robert Chandler
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsBased around the pivotal WWII battle of Stalingrad (1942-3), where the German advance into Russia was eventually halted by the Red Army, and around an extended family, the Shaposhnikovs, and their many friends and acquaintances, Life and Fate recounts the experience of characters caught up in an immense struggle between opposing armies and ideologies... -
The German Daughter by Marius Gabriel
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe band new absolutely gripping and heartbreaking World War II historical novel from master storyteller Marius Gabriel. What readers are saying about Marius 'A must read for fans of WW2 books , it not only educates you... but also breaks your heart .... Five stars for this book... I loved it and cried at the end' Reader review, 5 stars'A wonderful, unputdownable book.. -
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsWilliam Lowell Kane and Abel Rosnovski, one the son of a Boston millionaire, the other a penniless polish immigrant-born on the same day near the turn of the century on opposite sides of the world-are brought together by fate and the quest of a dream. Two men - ambitious, powerful, ruthless - are locked in a relentless struggle to build an empire, fueled by their all-consuming hatred... -
The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsParis, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the café and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France... -
Home Sweet Home by Lizzie Lane
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsWill they meet again? Frances Sweet can’t really remember her real parents. Brought up by her uncle, her cousins Ruby and Mary have always treated her like their little sister.As the war continues to keep her cousins separated from the men they love – Frances is growing up fast enough to catch the eye of dashing American soldier Declan... -
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy... -
Shelter from the Storm by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNineteen-year-old April Wilton has just enlisted in the WRENs in Portsmouth, where she works servicing engines on ships. She finds herself immersed in dockyard life and surrounded by soldiers - from England and America. The atmosphere is one of spontaneity and impulsiveness, brought on by the unpredictability of war... -
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, Michael Hofmann
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsInspired by a true story, Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin is the gripping tale of an ordinary man's determination to defy the tyranny of Nazi rule. This Penguin Classics edition contains an afterword by Geoff Wilkes, as well as facsimiles of the original Gestapo file which inspired the novel. Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear... -
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The Girl with the Diary by Shari J. Ryan
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“What if you never come back?” I asked.“I will find you, Amelia. I promise I will find you.”“What if you die trying?”Nazi-occupied Prague, 1942: Amelia is hiding in her closet when flashlights blind her and she’s captured by the SS. Out on the cobblestone street, she is shoved onto a freight train with hundreds of others. Hours pass as they travel in darkness... -
The Dance Teacher of Paris by Suzanne Fortin
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 24 ratings'But how will I look after them? Where can I hide them?' She looked up at me and didn't try to stop the tears from falling. 'I'm begging you. Please, save our children.'Paris, 1942. As the Germans occupy the city she calls home, Adele Basset is determined to keep her pupils' spirits up. Their dance class offers a moment of solace in the dark days of occupation... -
The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 13 ratings“We must die standing up for something.”“And what are we standing up for?”“The most important thing there is. Freedom.”Millions of people walked through Auschwitz’s gates, but she was the first woman who escaped. This powerful novel tells the inspiring true story of Mala Zimetbaum, whose heroism will never be forgotten, and whose fate altered the course of history…Nobody leaves Auschwitz alive... -
Within These Walls of Sorrow: A Novel of World War II Poland by Amanda Barratt
Rated: 4.73 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"As superbly written as it is haunting in its truth." --Kate Breslin, best-selling author of For Such a TimeZosia Lewandowska knows the brutal realities of war all too well. Within weeks of Germany's invasion of her Polish homeland, she lost the man she loves... -
All My Tomorrows by Ellie Dean
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe compelling new Second World War novel from the author of Always in My Heart. In defending herself against her brutal husband, eighteen-year-old Ruby Clark is forced to flee London. She has no idea where Cliffehaven is, or what she will find there, but she knows that she will never be able to return home again. At first it seems she's fallen on her feet... -
The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story by Mark Helprin
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMark Helprin, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Winter’s Tale and A Soldier of the Great War , returns with a fast-paced, beautifully written novel about the majesty of the sea; a life dedicated to duty, honor, and country; and the gift of falling in love... -
Finding Friends on Beamer Street: The start of a brand new historical saga series by Sheila Riley for 2022 by Sheila Riley
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe start of a brand new series from Sheila Riley, bestselling author of the Reckoner's Row saga series!Liverpool 1921 Pregnant, Mary Jane Starlings secret wedding to Paddy Redfern ends in disaster when her fiancé is murdered on the way to the church. Paddy’s wayward twin ‘Red’ intercepts Mary Jane and warns that they must flee Ireland for fear of reprisals from her family, never to return... -
The Parisians by Marius Gabriel
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsParis, 1940. The Nazis have occupied the city—and the Ritz. The opulent old hotel, so loved by Parisians, is now full of swaggering officers, their minions and their mistresses.For American Olivia Olsen, working as a chambermaid at the hotel means denying her nationality and living a lie, every day bringing the danger of discovery closer... -
Just Once: A Novel by Karen Kingsbury
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe #1 New York Times bestselling author “known for her deeply heartfelt novels” ( Woman’s World ) writes a sweeping World War II love story about a young woman torn between two brothers.In 1941, beautiful Irvel Holland is too focused on her secret to take much notice of the war raging overseas... -
The Ops Room Girls: An uplifting and romantic WW2 saga by Vicki Beeby
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen Evie’s dreams come crashing down, she’s determined to still make something of herself in these trying times…It is 1939 and working class Evie Bishop has received a scholarship to study mathematics at Oxford when tragedy turns her life upside down... -
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The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsLoch Ewe, 1940. When gamekeeper’s daughter Flora’s remote highland village finds itself the base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys, life in her close-knit community changes forever. In defiance of his disapproving father, the laird’s son falls in love with Flora, and as tensions build in their disrupted home, any chance of their happiness seems doomed... -
The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFor readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Kate Furnivall comes a gritty tale of courage, betrayal and love in the most unlikely of places. Germany, 1944. Taken from the camps to serve the Fuhrer himself, Anke Hoff has been assigned as midwife to one of Hitler’s inner circle. If she refuses, her family will die... -
New Neighbors for Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsBristol 1936Jenny Crawford has resigned herself to a loveless marriage living hand to mouth with their two children. Like many others, husband Roy struggles to find work at the docks but a chance encounter turns his outlook and the family's fortunes around.Not only does he get regular work but they are also allocated a council house on Coronation Close on the outskirts of the city... -
Fire and Fury for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsAs war rages, everyone has to do their bit...Bristol 1941As the clouds of war grow bleaker both at home and abroad, the Tobacco Girls are determined to do their bit for King and Country. To that end Maisie Miles and Bridget Milligan become voluntary ambulance drivers... -
The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsInspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece Guernica, New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards returns with a riveting story of love, intrigue, deception and bravery in the face of war…On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror... -
When the World Goes Quiet by Gian Sardar
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn the final days of World War I, an aspiring artist’s courageous journey is just beginning in a powerful novel about love, danger, and survival by the author of Take What You Can Carry.It’s 1918 in German-occupied Bruges, Belgium. With luck, Evelien will make it to the end of the war and be given what she was a prized painting in exchange for safeguarding her employer’s possessions... -
The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe Home for Unwanted Girls meets Orphan Train in this unforgettable novel about a young girl caught in a scheme to rid England’s streets of destitute children, and the lengths she will go to find her way home—based on the true story of the British Home Children... -
The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFamily secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé... -
The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFamily secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé... -
The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAuschwitz, 1943: I stroke my beautiful baby's hair. It's a miracle it's blonde because it will keep her alive, it will keep her safe. Soon they will come and take Pippa out of Auschwitz-Birkenau - and out of my arms. But while there's life, there's hope I might find my daughter again.. -
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The Girl Who Survived by Ellie Midwood
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 17 ratings“It was very dangerous for him, and he knew it. But his love for me was stronger than fear.” - Ilse Stein This novel is based on the inspiring and moving love story of Ilse Stein, a German Jew, and Willy Schultz, a Luftwaffe Captain in the Minsk ghetto, who risked his life to save the one he loved the most... -
The Boy Who Granted Dreams by Luca Di Fulvio
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 30 ratings1909. Ellis Island. Arriving off one of the many transatlantic freighters are Cetta Luminita and her illegitimate baby boy Natale, fleeing the poverty and violence of their Southern Italian hometown. Having sacrificed everything, and endured every possible shame, Cetta has but one wish: that her baby should be an American, and grow up with the freedom to decide his own destiny... -
Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Kendra first visits her ailing grandmother, Ella has only one request: that Kendra write her story down, before she forgets… In 1937, seventeen-year-old Ella’s life changes forever when she is sent to spend the summer on the beautiful Île de Ré and meets the charismatic, creative Christophe... -
Tears of Amber by Sofía Segovia, Simon Bruni
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Murmur of Bees comes a transportive novel of two families uprooted by war and united by the bonds of love and courage.With war looming dangerously close, Ilse’s school days soon turn to lessons of survival. In the harshness of winter, her family must join the largest exodus in human history to survive... -
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPerfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.In the 1930s, Stalin’s activists marched through the Soviet Union, espousing the greatness of collective farming. It was the first step in creating a man-made famine that, in Ukraine, stole almost 4 million lives... -
The Girl From the Island by Lorna Cook
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA world at war.One woman will risk everything.Another will uncover her story.1940: When the island of Guernsey is invaded by the Nazis, two sisters are determined to rebel in any way they can. But when forced to take in a German soldier, they are shocked to find a familiar face on their doorstep – a childhood friend who has now become their enemy... -
Long Way Home by Lynn Austin
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this portrait of war and its aftermath, a young woman searches for the truth her childhood friend won't discuss after returning from World War II, revealing a story of courage, friendship, and faith.Peggy Serrano couldn't wait for her best friend to come home from the war... -
Marriage and Mayhem for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDiscover the brand new instalment in Lizzie Lane's bestselling Tobacco Girls series! War is fleeting, but true love last forever...May 1944Hope and excitement is in the air when news breaks of the allied forces landing in Normandy. D Day has arrived. However, the day-to-day struggles for the Tobacco Girls continue.Carole Thomas wants her old life back... -
The Women of Fishers Wharf by Tracy Baines
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsCan you leave the past behind and embrace the future? - A brand new series from Tracy BainesGreat Grimsby, 1912Newlywed fisherman Alec Hardy decides to make a fresh start with his young wife Letty and move to the thriving fishing port of Grimsby in search of a brighter future... -
People Like Us by Louise Fein
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFor fans of The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See, a spellbinding story of impossible love set against the backdrop of the Nazi regime.As the dutiful daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hetty Heinrich is keen to play her part in the glorious new Thousand Year Reich... -
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The Girls in Blue by Fenella J. Miller
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsJane Hadley has nothing to lose when she runs away to join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Whatever faces her in war-torn London can't be any worse than staying at home with her abusive father...The city is nothing like she could have imagined, but she's soon on the move, travelling from base to base for her top-secret training... -
Paris at First Light by Amanda Lees
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsParis, 1944: secret agent Juliette is on her most dangerous mission of the war so far. But then her children are kidnapped, and to get them back she may have to commit the ultimate betrayal – that of France itself…Four years ago, when France fell to the Nazis, Juliette made the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind her two precious children to join the Resistance and defend her country... -
Half in Shadow by Gemma Liviero
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of In a Field of Blue comes an unforgettable novel about courage, love, and consequences at the dawn of World War I.1915. In German-occupied Belgium, a tragic loss forces Josephine Descharmes to navigate dangerous new territory. By day it’s compliance, serving German officers at the Hotel Métropole... -
Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFrom the author of The Last Rose of Shanghai comes a profoundly moving novel based on the true story of a diplomat and his wife who risked their lives to help Viennese Jews escape the Nazis.1938. Dr. Ho Fengshan, consul general of China, is posted in Vienna with his American wife, Grace... -
Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA woman’s future is determined by fate and choice in a gripping WWII novel about danger, triumph, and second chances by the New York Times bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Tuscan Child.London, 1940. Bombs fall and Josie Banks’s world crumbles around her. Her overbearing husband, Stan, is unreachable, called to service. Her home, a ruin of rubble and ash... -
Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives comes another riveting novel of the Schuyler sisters—where the epic story of star-crossed lovers in pre-war Europe collides with a woman on the run in the swinging '60s...In the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own...
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