The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
Published: June
17, 2025 by Gallery Books
Genre:
Historical Fiction, World War II
Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can
remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her
mother, take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never
was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during
the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to
fund the French Resistance.
But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans,
and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the
raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her
nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body
was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.
Seventy years later, Colette—who has “redistributed” $30 million in jewels over
the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her
tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing
bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can
discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally
learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one
for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays
claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never
before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to
justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own
battered heart.
My Thoughts:
The dual timelines of
WWII and current time, where the main character is around 90 years old, share a
tale of theft and Nazis. Colette is
taught to steal from only bad people at a young age in order to assist those
who are in need. This is a skill that
she continues as she ages, continuing to support those that were wronged. When
a bracelet stolen during the war resurfaces, she must find out where it has
been for all these years.
I enjoyed every single page of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau. The history was told in words true to the time with the characters living a life of strength and fear of the Nazis. The present time had Colette still being strong but also needing to know the truth of what happened to her sister. The dual timelines melded together, shaping the present time by what had happened in the past.
Thank you Gallery Books for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Kristin has been writing professionally since
the age of 16, when she began her career as a sportswriter, covering Major
League Baseball and NHL hockey for a local magazine in Tampa Bay, Florida. In
addition to a long magazine writing career, primarily writing and reporting
for PEOPLE magazine (as well as articles published in numerous
other magazines, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Woman’s
Day, and more), Kristin was also a frequent contributor to the national
television morning show The Daily Buzz. Her first novel was
published in February 2006.
Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there, as well as in Worthington, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her husband and son. A breast cancer survivor, she is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.
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