"The story of an heir's return to an abandoned town in Italy, the secrets of the family who stayed, and the long shadow of fascism and collaboration in World War II"-- Provided by publisher.

"When the Nazi occupation of Rome begins, two courageous young women join the Italian Resistance to fight for their freedom Rome, 1943 Lucia Colombo has had her doubts about fascism for years, but as a single mother in an increasingly unstable country, politics are for other people-she needs to focus on keeping herself and her son alive. Then the Italian government falls and the German occupation begins, and suddenly, Lucia finds that complacency...

"Lieutenant Billy Boyle could have used a rest after his last case, but when his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, a British spy, goes missing in the Vatican, where she was working undercover, he insists on being assigned to a murder investigation there so he can try to help her. An American monsignor is found murdered at the foot of Death's Door, one of the five entrances to Saint Peter's Basilica. Wild Bill Donovan, head of the OSS, wants the killing investigated....

"Inspired by true events, Lia levi's prize-winning novel tells the story of a Jewish family and their community during the Fascist regime in Italy, when Benito Mussolini introduced his draconian race laws. Culminating with the tragic outbreak of World War II, Levi's novel of loss and courage recounts the history of mid-century Europe through the eyes and lives of ordinary people living in extraordinary times."--Back cover.

When the Nazis occupied Rome, a brave few fought against it. An underground agent who is cornered by the Germans in a certain quarter of Rome, flees the Germans. In the course of his flight he imperils his resistance friends.

"In 1944, the war had reached its climax in continental Europe. News of secret diaries kept by Italy's former Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had permeated public consciousness. What wasn't reported, however, was how three women-a Fascist's daughter, a German spy, and an American socialite-risked their lives to ensure the diaries would reach the Allied forces, who would use the papers as key evidence against the Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. Just...

Italy, 1943. Luca Benedetto has joined the partisans in their fight against the German troops ravaging the shores of his town on Lake Como. While risking his life to free his country, Luca is also struggling to protect Sarah, his Jewish lover who's hiding in a mountain cabin. As the violent Nazi occupation intensifies, Luca and Sarah fear for more than their own lives. In the heart of their village, their mothers have also found themselves vulnerable...