The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler’s Germany. The first nights performance is a hit.
Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they’re housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty’s dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds’ hearts may find the answers…in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.
Excerpt
About the author:
Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children’s book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana.
In her fiction novels, Tricia writes contemporary and historical stories that feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through perseverant and comprehensive research.Each of her World War II and Spanish Civil War novels tell the inspiring stories of engaging characters—and a God whose hand is evident in the landscape of history and the obstacles of ordinary lives.
Q&A from Tricia Goyer.
My Impressions:
The setting for Songbird Under A German Moon is Bayreuth, the home of Richard Wagner and the opera house that played his works exclusively before WWII. Adolph Hitler was enamored by Wagner’s work and was inspired to build his Reich by one particular opera. He became close friends with Wagner’s daughter-in-law, Winifred, and spent many vacation with her family. Bayreuth became a favorite with Nazi officials, because of the opera house and the spas that surround the city. I was not familiar with the city’s history or Wagner’s influence on Hitler before reading this novel. I found the historical background of the book very intriguing.
Goyer’s novel takes the history of Bayreuth and develops a mystery surrounding Wagner, the opera house, Winifred Wagner’s house and the surrounding area. Evil continues to influence the events of the town even after the occupation by American troops.
The mystery is a good one, but I didn’t really enjoy the characters Goyer uses to expose and investigate it. Betty Lake, a naive USO singer, and Frank Witt, a seasoned combat photographer, are attracted to each other at first sight. Their actions and responses are a bit too shallow and predictable. I wish Betty and Frank had been developed more. I also, would have preferred more mystery, less romance. But the book is labelled romantic suspense. The ending is also a bit predictable. I would recommend this to those who like a little history with their romance!
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