The Nurse Behind the Gates

By: Shari J. Ryan

Narrated by: Kris Dyer, Lucy Scott

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Dachau, 1942. Emilie has been told she's here to nurse evil men. But the first patient she sees in the cold, dark room is hauntingly familiar. Her first love is not wicked. He couldn't be. What is he doing here?

Emilie's heart stops as she takes in her childhood sweetheart hunched in a tattered prisoners uniform, the light lost from his face. Her new husband, Otto, said this was a camp for criminals. He should know, he's the doctor. But Danner would never have broken the law.

As she looks into Danner's beautiful brown eyes, she's transported back to their happy childhood in Munich. The friendship they shared. The way her heart once felt like it beat only for him. Before the Jewish laws were enforced and Danner pushed Emilie away to protect her, breaking her heart.

Now, Emilie rushes to find Otto, desperate for answers. But when she discovers him waiting with confidentiality papers for her to sign, she realizes her husband has been lying. This isn't a place to treat sick criminals, but to murder the innocent. And Otto tells her if she doesn't help, they'll both die.

Her hands shake as she receives her instructions. But as she rushes back to the sickbay, searching for a way to escape, her gaze lands on Danner once more. In his eyes, she can see something that almost looks like hope.

The thought of losing her first love again tears Emilie's heart in two. She's determined to keep him alive, and perhaps she can alter the fate of more than just one prisoner. But can she save Danner? Or will she die trying to rescue the man she's never stopped loving?

A heart-wrenching yet hopeful World War Two thriller which will restore your faith in humanity and in the power of love to triumph over evil in the darkest of places. Perfect for fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, The Choice and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice.

©2024 Shari J. Ryan (P)2024 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Touching

Oh, my heart, what a poignant story! Emilie is such a strong woman who would do everything to save the man she loves, even when it seems impossible... And there is this one creepy character that I wanted to strangle...
Shari Ryan wrote this novel with empathy and respect to victims of war, I felt it with every page. I highly recommend this touching book to ALL WWII historical fiction fans.

Nurse Behind the Gate

This story gave a view into the lives of those affected by Nazi Germany. All that the Jews suffered and were put through as well as the courage of sympathizers who cared for these characters.

NURSE BEHIND THE GATE — NOT MY FAVORITE BY THIS AUTHOR…

This was a decent book, but I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped, and certainly not as much as I enjoyed the “Glovemaker’s Daughter” and “The Doctor’s Daughter.” I believe I would have liked this book better with different narrators. I found the voices of both the male and female narrators to be ANNOYING. The man’s voice was high-pitched for a man and the woman who played Emilie always sounded on the verge of hysterics to me. Narrators can make or break a story, and in this case, neither one of them did this book any favors.

The story itself was fine, if not a little convoluted and predictable. The whole thing with Dietrich seemed a little far fetched to me (and the way he repeated (whispered) aloud everything somebody else said to to himself first before answering was more than just a “little creepy. I understand the kids in this story were a tight knit group of friends, some since they were three-years—old, but I found it hard to believe Danner and Emilie were professing their undying love for each other so dramatically at the age of 13.

Overall, the book kept me interested enough to want to know how it ended, but I didn’t enjoy this book by Ms. Ryan nearly as much as I did “The Glovemaker’s Daughter.””

I disliked the narraters

I wasn't enamored with this book
I didn't enjoy the story and thought it was too predictable.