Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Fourteen years after her fiancé Fritz disappeared and was presumed dead, German pianist Hedda Schlagel travels to the U.S. to the former POW camp in North Carolina where he was last held, seeking closure. Hedda’s arrival rattles deputy Garland Jones, who knows more than he admits about Fritz’s disappearance. When the wrong body is exhumed from Fritz’s grave, suspicions ignite. In the search for answers, Hedda finds more than she expected: purpose, freedom amid rising Nazi rule, and a certain handsome deputy willing to fight for her love. But with her visa expiring soon and a shocking revelation, one final choice may break her heart forever. Sarah Loudin Thomas (These Tangled Threads, 2024) beautifully blends the fragility of hope and the reality of fear in this complex yet deeply resonant story about the freeing power of truth. Set in the 1930s Blue Ridge Mountains, the novel confronts how past choices impact the present, and the consequences of ignorance and denial. It highlights the nuanced German American immigrant experience, explores art through painting and piano, and gracefully weaves in themes of personal growth and faith.