If you love historical fiction, be sure to read “The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau” by Kristin Harmel. This novel is full of interesting, multi-layered characters and tells a wonderful story. The dual timelines deliver heartbreak and touching family drama as well as many twists and turns.
During WWII, Colette Marceau is a teenager in Paris. Her mother has raised her with stories of their family’s ancestor, Robin Hood – who stole from the rich to give to the poor. Colette and her mother continue this family tradition, stealing jewels from cruel, evil Nazi’s to help fund resistance efforts. But those actions come to have terrible consequences for the family, including the death of Colette’s little sister, Liliane. In current day Boston, Colette is now 89 years old but continues to steal jewels from cruel, corrupt people to fund different charities and Holocaust memorial projects. When a bracelet surfaces from the night Liliane disappeared, Colette hopes she will finally discover who kidnapped and killed her sister. But there are many complications in her search…and the memories of the past are difficult to confront.
Kristin Harmel always seems to deliver a terrific story with a special twist and the jewel thief backgrounds of the main characters in this novel are really unique. There are moral questions to consider – Is it ok to commit a crime if it is for a good cause? “The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau” touched all my emotions and left me thinking about the survivors of that horrific time in history. I had a hard time putting it down!!
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