A Night of Long Knives

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Journalist Hannah Vogel has vowed to never again set foot in her homeland of Germany while the Nazis are still in power. She has good reason: three years ago in 1931, she kidnapped her “son,” Anton, from the man claiming to be his father–Ernst Rohm, head of the Nazis’ SA. A powerful man not to be trifled with, Hannah knows that Rohm will never stop searching for them.

Hannah is asked to write about a zeppelin journey from South America to Switzerland, but Switzerland turns out to be too close. The zeppelin is diverted to Munich, where Hannah and Anton are kidnapped and, to Hannah’s horror, separated.

It’s unlucky timing for Rohm, however.

Hitler has ordered the execution of Rohm and hundreds of his storm troopers and is determined to wipe out any remaining traces of his name. The Night of the Long Knives has begun.

When Rohm is killed before Hannah can ascertain Anton’s whereabouts, she desperately enlists all of her remaining sources and friends to locate Anton before the Nazis do. And the Gestapo is closing in…

Thrilling and powerful, A Night of Long Knives breathtakingly recreates a shattered and betrayed city as it plunges into darkness.

Reviews

“Once again, Cantrell nails the prewar German landscape, although this time, with the Nazis in power, the mood has gone from Weimar decadence to tight-lipped uncertainty…the appeal here is all about atmosphere and the historical moment.” —Booklist

“A race-against-the-clock thriller… Cantrell keeps the close calls and cliffhangers coming.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Cantrell’s first book was well received…the second is more polished, the story more intense, and the climax more exciting.” —West Hawaii Today

“A gritty realistic portrayal of 1930s Berlin…keeping the suspense high, Cantrell does an excellent job of projecting the fear of the time through her characters. Strongly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review) on A Trace of Smoke

“Cantrell’s scrupulously researched debut tolls a somber dirge for Weimar Germany in its last days…this unforgettable novel, which can be as painful to read as the history it foreshadows, builds to an appropriately bittersweet ending.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Trace of Smoke

“[A] terrific debut. Cantrell’s atmospheric mystery keeps you off-balance; there’s a sense of dread as to what might be waiting around every corner. Vivid and dramatic descriptions allow readers to easily conjure up the imagery, as if you were watching a great old black-and-white film on the big screen.” —Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 ½ stars, TOP PICK!) on A Trace of Smoke

“Bold narrator and chilling historical setting…an unusually vivid context, [lets] Hannah report on the decadence of her world without losing her life–or her mind.” —The New York Times Book Review on A Trace of Smoke

About the Author

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author REBECCA CANTRELL majored in German, Creative Writing, and History at the Freie Universitaet of Berlin and Carnegie Mellon University. She currently lives in Berlin with her husband and son and is the co-author of the bestselling Order of the Sanguines series with James Rollins.

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Books By Rebecca Cantrell