A Time for Defiance

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In a gripping tale of sisterhood, survival, and resistance for readers of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff, a young woman in Nazi-occupied Holland joins a unique taskforce within the Dutch Resistance, wielding her youthful innocence and beauty to lure Nazis to their death.

May 1940: In the months since the war in Europe began, nineteen-year-old Aafke Cruyssen and her family have tried to carry on as normal—running their modest grocery store in Eindhoven, hoping that Germany will leave Holland alone as it did during the Great War.
But this time, Holland will not be spared. The invasion comes, swift and merciless, and Dutch forces are easily overpowered. In Eindhoven, a valuable transport and trade hub, Nazi soldiers swagger through the streets. Aafke’s one glimpse of humanity comes from a young German corporal who intervenes when a gang of looters tries to rob her family’s shop.

Aafke joins the Dutch resistance and is drawn into a relationship with its charismatic leader. Wanting more than the menial missions assigned to women, she and her friends create a taskforce of their own—a “dating club” where women target Nazis, luring them to their arrest or death. Discovery by the Gestapo will mean torture and execution. Just as dangerous is the reappearance of the soldier who once helped her family. Otto Berg is now an influential Nazi commando, intrigued by Aafke’s fragile courage.

As the conflict deepens, so does Aafke’s quandary. The tides of war continue to bring her and Otto into each other’s circles. And beyond the battles that make history are countless sacrifices and unthinkable choices she must make for the sake of the resistance, and to save her own life and those she loves.Praise for James D. Shipman  
 
“Set in 1948 against the backdrop of the Berlin Blockade, this fast-moving Cold War thriller brings to life the shifting alliances that splintered the Allies in the years immediately following WWII. As readers attempt to sort out motives, the plot twists keep coming.” –Booklist on Before the Storm
 
“This deeply impactful novel is based on the true story of Irena Sendler, a member of the Polish resistance who rescued 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto. James D. Shipman’s heart-pounding historical thriller is a tribute to those who risked their lives to help others.” —Christian Science Monitor, Best Books of the Month, on Irena’s War  
 
“Shipman dazzles in this historical tour-de-force based on the real-life story of WWII Polish resistance fighter Irena Sendler…The author’s impeccable research, gripping prose, and pitch-perfect pacing bring an immediacy to the atrocities wreaked on Jews and other “undesirables.” Shipman’s humbling, spellbinding tale is a standout among recent works of Holocaust fiction.” —Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW for Irena’s War
 
“An extremely well-written, interesting account of a heroic woman… haunting. The images of ghetto life are so strongly constructed, the characters so well drawn that I found myself worrying about their survival.” —Aaron Leibel, The Jerusalem Post on Irena’s War
 
“Shipman seamlessly blends historical fact with fiction as he recounts the 1944 revolt… an authentic and gripping novel one should not miss; it is highly recommended.” —Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice on Beyond the Wire
 
“Sendler is presented as a heroic, yet flawed, idealist…her determination to save as many children as possible, and not to divulge the names of her contacts in the Resistance, was monumental…The twists and turns that led to her survival – some of them historic, some of them fictional – keep us turning the pages.” – San Diego Jewish World on Irena’s War  
 
“From the first crackling sentence to the vividly rendered climax, Task Force Baum provides the reader with a tempo that never flags. Based on a controversial raid in WWII to liberate a POW camp behind Nazi lines, this novel is revealing, and at the same time, great reading entertainment.” —James R. Benn, author of When Hell Struck Twelve on Task Force Baum  
 
“A Bitter Rain is the best kind of WWII novel, action-packed, populated by complex characters facing deep moral dilemmas, and historically accurate. I loved it.” —Mark Sullivan, author of #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky on A Bitter Rain  
 
“Harrowing, intense, and oh so real, this story plunges the reader into the nightmare world of Nazi Germany where good and decent people struggle to survive.” —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of The Royal Spyness Series and In Farleigh Field on A Bitter RainJames D. Shipman is the bestselling author of historical fiction, including the acclaimed novels Irena’s War, Beyond the Wire, Task Force Baum, and Before the Storm. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he began publishing short stories and poems while earning a degree in history from the University of Washington and a law degree from Gonzaga University. Now a practicing attorney, he lives with his family in Washington State. Please visit him online at James-Shipman.com.US

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