The Diamond Courier

Sequel to In Picardy's Fields

De: Hannah Byron

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

A gripping WWII historical fiction novel about courage, resistance, and a young woman who risks everything behind enemy lines.

England, 1942

As war threatens all of Europe, Lili Hamilton refuses to be confined by society’s expectations. The daughter of a WWI heroine, she craves a cause worth fighting for—and finds it in London’s communist circles, where whispers of resistance and revolution echo through the streets.

When she’s recruited by the enigmatic Leo Oppenheim for a covert mission to Antwerp, Lili steps into the shadows of Nazi-occupied Belgium as a diamond courier. Her task is dangerous. Her loyalties, uncertain.

As she navigates the tensions of the Jewish quarter, forms a deep bond with the Goldmunz family, and crosses paths with the charming yet brutal Gestapo leader Ulrich Lemberg, Lili is drawn into a world where every move could be her last.

Inspired by true wartime operations, The Diamond Courier is a story of courage, conviction, and the high cost of resistance. With echoes of The Nightingale and The Rose Code, this standalone installment in The Resistance Girl Series blends espionage, emotional suspense, and a clean romantic arc into one unforgettable novel.

While the World was on Fire

I’m mostly a non-fiction reader, but my book club is reading the Resistance Girls series. At first I was annoyed by Lili Hamilton, the spoiled daughter of Madeline de Dragoncourt (a WWI resistance fighter from “In Picardy’s Fields”) who overly-dramatically dumped her best friend Ian right before they were to announce their engagement. I came close to setting aside the book.

Not finishing would have deprived me from a well plotted and well told story that I won’t forget, and a character who grew into bravery and likability. There were political twists in a part of Europe that I’d never even thought of going through WWII. Lili did unexpected things. The fiction gave me a first person perspective that doesn’t happen with non-fiction, unless it’s memoir. The last few chapters were such a pull that I stayed up late one night to finish the book.

I am critical of the artificial voice narrating the series. The voice is pleasant, but there are some jarring mistakes. “Ian” was pronounced half a dozen ways - and there should be a difference in the way polish and Polish are pronounced. But - I wouldn’t have had time to read the series in text, so not so great audio better than no Audio at all.

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Wish it were a real narrarator

it's very frustrating that character names pronounced in 10 different ways throughout the book and English words were incorrectly pronounced throughout the book I wish it was a live narrator

Trite Story and Middle School Writing Style

The story feels as if it’s written for a middle-school audience. Simple, basic grammar, trite story. Boring and more of a harlequin romance than a well-written, well-structured, adult novel.
The AI-translation is flat, and the accent is close to a Southern US accent rather than an English accent for the main character, and relevant accents for other European characters in the story. Frequently the narration completely butchers the pronunciation. Too painful to listen to.