Prisoner of Night and Fog

Starred review from February 3, 2014
Gretchen Müller has grown up in 1920s Germany believing her father sacrificed his life to shield “Uncle Dolf” from a fusillade of police bullets during Hitler’s failed 1923 attempt to overthrow the government. Because of her father’s martyrdom, Gretchen’s family has enjoyed favored status among the Nazis; she is now Hitler’s “favorite pet,” and her (terrifying) older brother works as one of his thuggish Brownshirts. Then Gretchen meets Daniel Cohen, a young reporter who has evidence that her father was not a Nazi hero, but a murder victim. Gretchen refuses to believe it, but as she undertakes her own investigation, she realizes that many things she had accepted as truth are lies. Debut novelist Blankman’s account of life in Munich prior to Hitler’s 1933 elevation to the chancellorship is completely engrossing. In an afterword, she separates fact from the fictional characters she created; a three-page bibliography is appended. Concocting a murder mystery featuring one of history’s most well-known figures is risky, and some scenes test the limits of plausibility. But Blankman creates riveting tension for her heroine and pulls readers through with an irresistible subplot featuring forbidden love. Ages 13–up. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.

April 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Gretchen Muller has been raised with the ideals of the National Socialist Party. Blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful, she has become a favorite of her Uncle Dolf, who is none other than Adolf Hitler. Her father, who served with Hitler during World War I, gave his life to protect him during the Beer Hall Putsch. Although she is grateful to her Uncle and the Party, she is not blind to their policies and punishments. Living in a dysfunctional family, Gretchen has endured the torments and twisted pranks of her malicious brother while her mother turns a blind eye. As the Nazis are on the verge of gaining power in Germany, the teen is contacted by a Jewish reporter, Daniel Cohen. His investigation into the Party has led him to information about her father's death that will change her life forever. Blankman's debut is beautifully written, full of suspense and intrigue. The well-developed characters drive the novel, while the murder-mystery plot is full of vivid historical details. Gretchen's journey of self-discovery unearths certain truths about her family, Hitler, and the Party and demonstrates that it is sometimes easier to accept a lie than the truth. Her relationship with Daniel, though not the main focus, is genuine and memorable. Readers will certainly enjoy this haunting and captivating work. An author's note provides historical information while setting the stage for a sequel.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2014
In 1930s Munich, a young German girl learns to question her learned hatred for Jewish people. Seventeen-year-old Gretchen Muller has grown up knowing Adolf Hitler as "Uncle Dolf," the great National Socialist leader whose life her father had died saving in 1923. This bedrock truth is challenged when a Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen reaches out to her suggesting that her father actually had been murdered by a fellow National Socialist party member. Together, they work to unravel the mystery of why her father was killed. Gretchen finds herself doubting everything she has been taught to hate and fear about Jews and ultimately must decide where her honor and loyalty lie. In her debut, Blankman weaves into Gretchen's story the details of Hitler's historically documented rise to power (and psychopathic nature), and her fictional characters talk and live among some of Nazi Germany's most notorious figures. At times, the dialogue is unwieldy, and the historical details consume the narrative, which may cause some readers to become bored by slower sections of the story (though a sexually charged scene with Hitler himself will open their eyes wide). Here's hoping the author will find a better balance between description and action in the proposed sequel, as the relationship between Gretchen and Daniel is what sets this apart. An interesting perspective on a well-trod era. (author's note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 13-17)

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April 15, 2014
Grades 9-12 It takes moxie to feature Adolf Hitler as a lead character, but that's just what debut author Blankman does, rejecting the safer route of hiding him offstage. It's a winning gamble, providing a fictionalized portrait of a man both approachably normal and chillingly unknowable. Due to her father's death while defending Hitler from bullets, Gretchen, 17, is known as Hitler's honorary niece, and that affords certain pleasures and protections in 1931 Munich. Her life of privilege is bucked upon meeting young reporter Daniel Cohen, a Jewor, as she has been trained to think, a subhuman. Slowly, though, she warms to him and they begin to uncover the truth about her father's death. Was he, in fact, murdered by Hitler? And if Uncle Dolf is lying about that, what else is he lying about? There is much to like here: the realistic changing of Gretchen's ingrained beliefs, the icy fright of her psychotic Nazi brother, side roles for everyone from Rudolf Hess to Eva Braun, and Blankman's exhaustive research. If it feels incomplete, that's because (thankfully) more is coming.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
After her father dies saving Adolf Hitler in 1923, seventeen-year-old Gretchen leads a protected, privileged life in 1930s Munich with "Uncle Dolf." Then a Jewish reporter uncovers shocking truths about Gretchen's father's death, placing her in mortal jeopardy. Blankman places historical figures alongside fictional characters to good effect, but an inundation of historical details slows the story's action and suspense. Bib.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)