The Secret History of Audrey James

By: Heather Marshall

Narrated by: Karen Cass

The #1 bestselling author of Looking for Jane returns with a poignant, gripping novel about a pianist in Berlin on the cusp of WWII and the choices she makes that echo across generations.

Sometimes the best place to hide is the last place anyone would look.

Northern England, 2010

After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers the mysterious elderly proprietor is harbouring her own secrets…

Berlin, 1938

Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As she prepares to finish her piano studies, Audrey dreads the thought of returning to her father in England and leaving Ilse behind. Families like the Kaplans are being targeted, and the stakes grow higher by the day. Restrictions tighten, the borders close to Jews, and rumours swirl about people being apprehended in the street and shipped off to work camps.

When Ilse’s parents and brother suddenly disappear, two high-ranking Nazi party members confiscate the Kaplans’ upscale home, believing it to be empty. In a desperate attempt to keep Ilse safe, Audrey becomes housekeeper for the officers while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic—a prisoner in her own home. As war in Europe threatens, it isn’t long before a shocking turn of events pushes Audrey to become embroiled in cell of the anti-Hitler movement: clusters of resisters working to bring down the Nazis from within Germany itself. But resistance comes with risk, and before the war is over, Audrey must decide what matters most: saving herself, her friend, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.

Inspired by true stories of courageous women and the German resistance during WWII, this is a captivating novel about the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.

©2024 Heather Marshall (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

“Heather Marshall’s range is astonishing! . . . The Secret History of Audrey James is a moving written symphony. Not only a harrowing snapshot of history but a portrait of women driven by talent and ambition striking a stark contrast against the travesties of war. Readers of Kristin Harmel and Pam Jenoff will be dazzled.”—RACHEL McMILLAN, author of The Mozart Code and The Liberty Scarf

“In The Secret History of Audrey James, bestselling author Heather Marshall delves into a multi-layered story stemming from the real-life history of the German Resistance—and specifically, a small cell of people trying to take down Hitler. This story is interwoven with a present-day narrative that gradually begins to have more and more to do with the story unfolding in the past. A fascinating and moving story of courage, sacrifice, and friendship, The Secret History of Audrey James draws from real historical events to remind us of the power of standing up for what we believe in, and of the way love can shape the course of our lives.”—KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author

“Heather Marshall’s The Secret History of Audrey James is a poignant tale of friendship, the unbreakable bonds of family—both blood and chosen—and the irrefutable strength of women. The novel is full of heart, pluck, and hope, and Marshall is a writer who deeply understands what moves readers. This is storytelling at its best.”—KARMA BROWN, #1 bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife