The Pilot's Daughter

A Novel

By: Meredith Jaeger

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, Hillary Huber

The glitzy days of 1920s New York meet the devastation of those left behind in World War II in a new, delectable historical novel from USA Today best-selling author Meredith Jaeger.

In the final months of World War II, San Francisco newspaper secretary Ellie Morgan should be planning her wedding and subsequent exit from the newsroom into domestic life. Instead, Ellie, who harbors dreams of having her own column, is using all the skills she's learned as a would-be reporter to try to uncover any scrap of evidence that her missing pilot father is still alive. But when she discovers a stack of love letters from a woman who is not her mother in his possessions, her already fragile world goes into a tailspin, and she vows to find out the truth about the father she loves - and the woman who loved him back.

When Ellie arrives on her aunt Iris's doorstep, clutching a stack of letters and uttering a name Iris hasn't heard in decades, Iris is terrified. She's hidden her past as a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl from her family, and her experiences in New York City in the 1920s could reveal much more than the origin of her brother-in-law's alleged affair. Iris's heady days in the spotlight weren't enough to outshine the darker underbelly of Jazz Age New York, and she's spent the past 20 years believing that her actions in those days led to murder.

Together the two women embark on a cross-country mission to find the truth in the City that Never Sleeps, a journey that just might shatter everything they thought they knew - not only about the past but about their own futures.

Inspired by a true Jazz Age murder cold case that captivated the nation, and the fact that more than 72,000 Americans still remain unaccounted for from World War II, The Pilot's Daughter is an enthralling exploration of the stories we tell ourselves and of how well we can truly know those we love.

©2021 Meredith Jaeger (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Jaeger’s latest is a beautifully rendered ode to New York City, as well as an engrossing family drama. In Ellie and Iris, she’s created two compassionate, conflicted heroines whose search for the truth resonates in all the best ways. Stirring and powerful." (Fiona Davis, New York Times best-selling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue)

"Wow, wow, wow. What a page turner. The Pilot’s Daughter is the story of two women over two timelines, and the combined secrets that haunt them. I gasped. I cried. I cheered. The Pilot’s Daughter is one of the few books that truly earns the descriptor ‘unputdownable’. Iris and Ellie’s stories will stay with me for a long time." (Sally Hepworth, New York Times best-selling author of The Good Sister)

"Meredith Jaeger proves, yet again, that she is a brilliant storyteller. Layered with drama and danger, The Pilot’s Daughter is historical fiction at its finest. Jaeger masterfully alternates between 1945 San Francisco, where a talented and determined young woman struggles to find her place in a man’s world, and New York City’s glamorous Ziegfeld Theater, circa 1923, where a riveting, decades-old mystery is finally unraveled. The Pilot’s Daughter is a timeless, multigenerational masterpiece that will leave you breathless, hopeful, and deeply satisfied. A triumph of hope and love, forgiveness and empowerment, Jaeger weaves a beautifully rendered tale of romance and redemption that will linger long after the last page is turned. If you’re looking for the perfect blend of history and mystery, look no farther than Meredith Jaeger’s The Pilot’s Daughter. You won’t be disappointed!" (Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times best-selling author of The Life List)

Meh

Not a book I can recommend. Storyline was odd & the main narrator was annoying.