Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

Blankman, Anna. Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke. Book 2 of the Prisoner of Night and Fog series. 2015. 406p. ISBN 9780062278845. Available both as an eBook on Overdrive and at FIC BLA on the library shelves.

Gretchen escaped Germany and the Nazi takeover of the country, but in the process alienated her uncle, Adolf Hitler. With Daniel Cohen, the love of her life, they settled in Oxford where he works as a social reported while she lives with a gentle English family and attends school. For Gretchen, life is great, but for Daniel, not so much. He longs for the days of hard reporting instead of socialite events.

When he gets a telegram informing him of a tragedy in his family, Daniel decides to go back to Germany, even though he is a wanted by the Nazis. He departs without telling Gretchen, leaving her a note where he professes his love. Then a newspaper article appears, linking Daniel to the murder of a prostitute.

Gretchen decides to follow him back to Germany, knowing that she will be in extreme danger. Returning to Munich, she discovers that the Nazis are cracking down on the free press, and reporters are being arrested. Has Daniel already been caught? Fortunately she finds him at the train station, heading to Berlin, and she joins him to investigate the murder so he can clear his name.

What ensues is a race against time as Hitler’s S.A. are slowly closing in on the lovers and the date of the Enabling Law debate furiously approaches. Will they be able to discover the grim truth behind Monika’s murder and the proof that would bring down the Nazi government once and for all?