By Caroline Tung Richmond
A heartfelt tale of bravery and determination. This is an interesting story of one young american and how she came to aid the resistance in war torn Europe. Will Lucie be able to get retribution for the death of her beloved brother, Theo? Or Will the Germans be able to create a weapon to bring about the end of the war?
Lucie is a young girl who runs to Paris at the age of 16, hoping to help the French Resistance. She has lied about her age, and is allowed to train for covert operations. A group of young women that move about France, thwarting the Germans whenever possible. Lucie's small group is situated in Paris and they are deadly to Nazi sympathizers. After some of her fellow agents are captured and the group is scrambling to remain safe. Lucie and Sabine are drawn into the interrogation and retrieval of a a scientist. While, the two young women are separated, Lucie is left with the task of questioning Dorner, should she trust him and his valuable intel? Should she help him get to Great Britain? When they are discovered and she has to move quickly, she decides to take him at his word and puts him on the path to safety. As they part ways, Dorner claims he knows of a double agent within the resistance ranks and gives her the initials RJH? Could it be her commander?
Lucie rushes back to headquarters and discovers Sabine. They compare notes and Sabine shares a cryptic message from the radio. The clues add up to Harken being a double agent and putting the girls at deadly risk. As they question what to do, Harken returns from his errand to be confronted by the two women. Sabine is adamant that he is a traitor and wants him to die. As Lucie is thrown in the middle, the Germans approach. Sabine goes on the offensive and kills the traitorous man. The women have to destroy headquarters and go on the offensive.
Of course, the information from Dorner is still brewing in Lucie's head and the women decide to find the lab and eliminate the risk of Zerfalt. But what can three young women do to the mighty German's, they are jumping from the pot into the kettle in their plans to aid the resistance. When the reach the location of the lab, surprises, pain and capture occur. The discovery that they had been played and lied to along the way does not sit well with Lucie. The Doctor has concocted an evil plan, in which Lucie and her friend Tilly are to be weaponized against the United States. As the brainwashing treatment commences, Lucie barely holds on to her identity. How are they to reach safety? Will they ever make it out of the lab?
This book is full of twist and turns and is an interesting read. I appreciated the "What if's" of the tale, but it did seem fairly impossible. The only other negative is that most of the book, was well thought out and developed. It did fall flat a little at the end, with the escape and Lucie's quest for freedom. What could have been the best part of the book seemed to lack details. I am giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars and feel that it would be good for kids in 7th grade and up. This is another great story of time that needs to be remembered, that of a war torn Europe and an egocentric, dictator that put his own agenda in front of that of his countrymen.
Links
