Hidden Among the Stars
Past and present collide in this captivating novel about the things that connect people, about long-buried treasure and secrets, and about the possibility of new beginnings.
Callie, who was orphaned as a young girl, runs a children’s bookshop with her sister. It is both her happy place and her self-induced holding cell, as she has led a quiet, under-the-radar kind of life after a broken engagement. When an opportunity for a new romance presents itself, Callie must find the strength to let go of the past. Callie is also a collector of old, rare books, and writes about the history of some of these books in the store’s blog. When Callie finds a hidden message in the pages of an old edition of Bambi, she attempts to trace the book’s original owner and decipher the message.
In alternating chapters, the author tells a parallel story set in Vienna on the cusp of the war. In this story, Max and Annika, his childhood friend and the daughter of the caretaker of his family’s summer home, help their Jewish friends hide their valuables from the Nazis. A concurrent love triangle takes place between Max, Annika and Luzia Weiss, a Jewish woman and gifted violinist whose family has ties with Max’s family.
The book is a combination mystery and love story. Although the stories eventually connect, reading the book is like getting a bonus two-for-one reading experience, with both storylines equally appealing. The book is everything a book of this genre should be: the writing is stellar, filled with suspense, romance, plot twists, a bit of a history lesson, and ultimately, a satisfying conclusion.
