Islands of Deception:Lying with the Enemy is a WWII historical novel constructed from my father’s reports as a Dutchman assigned to US Army intelligence. His account is paired with his sister’s fate as she refuses to leave Europe. Puzzling stories are emerging now due to the expiration of the lifetime non-disclosure oaths required at the time. As a result, first generation baby boomers are finding bits of their own stories hidden under their parents’ experiences.
Partial Synopsis…
No one believes Hans Bernsteen when he sees the truth in 1939 — a future of failed dreams, steeped in propaganda of a new world order that has no place for him. The rash young man meets his sister Esther at an Amsterdam café to outline plans for fleeing to America. He has procured two refugee visas for emigration. Furious at the idea of disrupting her comfortable bohemian life, she leaves, assuming his pipe dream will blow over. He fully intends to pursue a career as a New York fashion photographer.
Hans sails for New York and makes a mix of first impressions on Americans. A lovely young blonde captures his heart, but her family is involved with the German Bund, Nazi sympathizers. They expect him to celebrate their efforts to steal military hardware. Hans discovers he is a natural investigator with a gift for getting to the bottom of dark cesspools of human invention. He learns to conceal what he knows.
Esther’s self-absorbed actions leave her abandoned in Amsterdam, surrounded by extended family and casual friendships. Her raw emotions are often tangled between truth and secrets, leading to fruitless outcomes. In the summer of 1942, all Amsterdam Jews are transported to the camps in the east. Charm is a weapon, and she uses it to survive. Flirting with an SS officer in Bergen Belsen, she manages to secure his protection for three years. White lies and concealments are her currency in this island of horror, a place shielded by the mountains and forests of German fairytales.
Islands of Deception: Lying with the Enemy is a top seller in Amazon – Historical/Immigration.
