The mystery of the manuscript

Fresnes Prison, 1940: Margot, a former maid from a luxury villa on the Riviera, ends up in a prison cell with journalist Joséphine. The former has been sentenced to death for murder, the latter is a member of the anti-Nazi resistance. As they later suffer together in a labour camp, their mutual affection and trust help them survive the worst moments. But only one of them will return home.

Paris, the present day: Evie lives with her teenage son in Paris, where she runs a small shop selling rare books and botanical prints. Life would be perfect, but she is mourning the love of her life. She is roused from her grief by preparations for an exhibition about her husband's great-aunt, Joséphine Murant, a famous author of detective novels.

Evie likes the idea of spending one last beautiful summer with her son, so they travel together to Joséphine's inherited villa on the Côte d'Azur. There, Evie begins to unravel the threads of an old murder and with them the little-known story of the French women who were imprisoned in Germany during the Nazi occupation.

A novel that skilfully weaves the past with the present, this is also a tender and moving story of female friendship, sacrifice, loss, and the promise of new love.

Translated by Bohumila Kučerová.