First I wish to thank Net Galley for my advanced copy of Eli’s Promise. The book by Ronald H. Balson is his sixth novel and as the rest just as exciting. Another work of historic fiction starting in WWII and finishing in the 60’s during the Viet Nam ear. The novel goes back and forth telling the story of Eli a man who keeps trying to do the best for his family and who puts his faith in an not so trustworthy man who has gotten ahead by working with the Germans during the WWII and with American government officials during the Viet Nam era. The book moved very well and as with a Balson novel kept me locked in until the end. A great read if you like historical fiction and Ronald Balson novels. I give this book a 5+ star rating.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a WWII era novel that spanned 3 time periods and locations. The main character, Eli, takes us from Poland death camp, DP camp, and Chicago before Vietnam. The main theme was war profiteering more than romance or family. It was a good page turning read and explored the question about sacruce and morality of tough decisions to save those you love. This hasn't been my favorite WWII novel I've read lately, but definitely a good one.

An intense account of a horrific time in history. The author does a great job of sharing what many may have gone through during that time. I received an advanced copy and am
Thankful for it.

This is the second book I have read by Ronald Balson and I am a big fan of Historical Fiction. I found the book gripping but very sad. It's the story of Eli Rosen , jumping between before the German invasion of Poland through WWII; the time he spent in displacement camps after the war; and during the mid-1960's in a Chicago suburb. Eli had owned a brickyard along with his father before the war and continued to run the plant after it was taken over. He had to deal with a Polish sympathizer who had promised to look out for his family, a man who was more interested in making money and the next scam than he was in the people around him. It becomes Eli's life work to make the man pay for what he did to Eli's family.
Balson does a great job of bringing us into the life that the Jewish people had to live during the war and into the Displaced persons camps where they were forced to stay for years after the war ended. It was sometimes jarring to jump time frames but I think necessary to get away from the sadness that surrounded WWII. The author says that the book is about Corruption and War Profiteering and it is blatant throughout the book and various time periods. But along with the treachery and backstabbing there is the love of family. Eli has a very strong bond with his wife and son along with his brother and father. He also develops relationships with people who are not his family but come to feel like family.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eli and his son were rescued from a German concentration camp by US General Patton himself, but how had they ended up here, were they double crossed by the man he had paid to protect them? The novel is set in three time periods. 1939 and the early part of Germany's occupation of Poland where Eli and his family run a brickyard and must try to keep themselves safe as the Nazi rules close in on them. Eli is working closely with Maximilian, a shady Nazi sympathizer, who he has been paying to protect his family and business. The second era is right after the war when Eli and his son are living in a displaced persons camp trying to survive before they can start a new life hopefully in America. While in the camp Eli learns that Maximilian might have survived the war and currently selling US visas on the black market. The third is 1960s USA where Eli meets a group of politically associated young adults who have stumbled into a ring of shady deals that he has been investigating.
I am a fan of historical fiction novels and enjoyed the glimpse into life at the displaced camp after the liberation. The novel is well written showing the emotional strain everyone was going through as Poland became more and more dangerous. The pacing of the story moves pretty quickly. I did not really enjoy the Chicago parts, it focused too much on nonessential characters and felt like it could have just been a separate story instead of trying to tie it to this one.

Before the Germans invaded Poland, Eli Rosen lived with his wife Esther, and son Izzak, in Lublin, They were comfortable, with a well established construction supply company. Lublin was the cultural centre of Jewish studies, boasting the five story sand-coloured stone structure, "Yeshiva Chachmei of Lublin". It was the most important centre for torah study in the world, it held the largest collection of biblical writings. and Rosen and Sons actually built it. Jacob, Eli's father laid the cornerstone.

As the book opens, members of the community are gathering at the Yeshiva to try to "prepare" themselves in case Hitler's army decides to invade Poland, and ultimately Lublin. Should we run? Should we stay?
When Eli goes home to Esther, Esther wants to flee. But Eli, he says where can we go? We have our business and our life here. "Esther, I'll take care of you and IIzzak. I promise. She trusts him. When the Nazi's eventually come to threaten Eli's family and livelihood, Eli turns to Maximillian Poleski, who has "connections" with the Nazis. Max makes promises to Eli, knowing, he will never be able to come through.

The story then leaps ahead to Föhrenwald DP camp, 1946, and Eli and Izzak, have survived the war (not a spoiler because you know that from the beginning), and Maximillion the cheat reappears. If there is one thing Eli promised himself and his wife Esther, it is that he will find Maximillian and get revenge for his thievery.

Finally, Eli Rosen is in Albany Park, Chicago, its 1965, the war is on in Vietnam, and Eli is there looking for something or someone.

The story is about corruption and war profiting, as Balson explains in his author's note., told from the perspective of the victims, who lost their families, their livelihoods and their lives.

My favourite of the three time periods was by far the time the family spent in the DP camp, in particular, the parties where Adinah sings Yiddish favourites.

Just one thing that is extremely eerie, was reading about the Tuberculosis pandemic in the DP camps. The affected had to be "isolated" in sanitariums, and, nurses, doctors and visitors, "masked up". It was clear back then that: "Droplets in the air do not penetrate the mask. Better safe then sorry." Its crazy that right now we are experiencing #covid_19, self isolation, and social distancing.

I really enjoyed reading Eli's promise. it was an interesting and different take on a WW2 #historicalfiction. 5 stars! Thank you #netgalley and Ronald Balson for the e_ARC of #elispromise in return for my honest review.

Eli promises to avenge his family after being betrayed. His resolve despite insurmountable odds provokes sympathy for his plight.The story transitions between Lublin's occupation, onset of war, concentration camps, liberation and DP' Displaced Person camps to 1960's Chicago.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Historical fiction is my favorite genre so I was intrigued by Ronald H. Balson's new release. As a fan of 'Once We Were Brothers' I settled in for an thought-provoking and inspiring read.

I was immediately swept into the story and kept paging through the book to reveal the Rosen's fate. From the onslaught, I rooted for Eli to succeed and for Max to be brought to justice. Their protector sold them out to cement his relationship with the Nazis. Will Max get away with his subterfuge or receive his comeuppance?

While I felt Mimi and Chrissie's stories added depth to the novel, it felt disjointed. Predictably, it was devised to circle back to Eli but felt like another book rather than a catalyst to further the family's saga. It wasn't until the end that the novel that warranted Chrissie and Preston's inclusion. I felt the plot, twisted and instead of adding to the story, detracted from the read. Part I and III were my favorite sections while Part II felt like an unwelcome interloper.

Despite my criticisms, the DP portion was an intriguing angle. I never realized, how long some DPs were detained despite being liberated due to quota laws. Eli's Promise delivers a disturbingly-wonderful account of Eli Rosen's story and his perseverance to have justice prevail.

I truly enjoyed Eli's Promise by Ronald Balson. I've read all of Ronald Balson's other books, and this one, like the rest, was utterly captivating! Reading fiction about World War II and the Holocaust has always been fascinating to me, not because of the suffering but because of the hope, strength, and will required to survive and endure. Those characteristics all come through in this novel.

I also appreciated that this book takes place post-war as well, in a displaced person's camp as well as in America in the 1960s. Without giving away too much of the plot, Eli truly does fulfill his promise to himself and his family to uncover secrets and take down corruption dating back to war-era Poland. One always hopes for restitution and resolution in hard times, and seeing that unfold in this book was great.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book before release day. All opinions are my own.

I'm sure the novel is lovely but I couldn't get into the story. It seemed very wooden with no life to anyone.

What a great read!!! This book was such an eye opener to the occupation of Poland as well as the displacement camps that happened after world war 2. It was so sad in some places and yet the characters had such hope and soo much love as a family. I also really enjoyed getting to see a personal view of the displacement camps which are so rarely talked about in books and history. It really lends a whole other angle to what the Jewish Europeans went through and what stigmas were attached to them from the rest of the world. I also liked the parallel storylines the author wrote to show the profiteering that happened in EVERY war, not just WW2. I think it would make a great read and I hope other reps give it a try as well.

This was an excellent book that I enjoyed because it described the situations of a unique man that lived during the Second World War. Eli Rosen, is a businessman who inherited the company from his father Jakov Rosen, he lives a happy life in Poland. However, one day he hears some dreadful news, the war has just begun. Germany has invaded Eli's dear country. Immediately he starts making plans on how to survive. Eli leans on his friend Maximilian Poleski, who begins to collaborate with the SS. His friendship with Maximilian is vital because he also has important contacts in the United States. Maximilian promised visas to the Rosen family, but it will not be an easy task. This is a book that made me feel Eli's anxiety and concern for his family. Eli is persevering in his goals, the excellent writing of this novel made me understand the behavior of this great character. It is a must-read book. I thank NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with a book in exchange for an honest review.

Luben, Poland. 1939. Eli Rosen owns a brickyard with his father and brother. Eli's wife Esther and his son Isaac have faith, despite the recent Nazi occupation. Then Eli comes home with white armbands, each with a blue Jewish star, which must be worn and visible at all times. Eli says "It's only an armband," but Essie protests "first they mark us to separate us from society, then they will collect us, and then they will eliminate us. It's an armband today, tomorrow it's a yoke."

As time goes by, Esther's prediction becomes truer and truer. People are disappearing. Esther is forced into a job sewing uniforms for the Nazi armies, slave labor. In the end, all but two hundred of Lublin's forty thousand Jews were murdered.

Into the Jewish community in Luben comes a man named Max, who seems to have connections at the highest level, "who dangled those connections in the face of those who were desperate. He took their money, or whatever they could give him, and he sold them hope. He delivered on those promises when it was convenient for him, and he apologized with a shrug when it was not." Who is able to "protect" his friends. For a price. And then another price. And then that isn't enough. Eli and his family are "friends," and so when Essie disappears, Eli goes immediately to Max. Who demands money. Who says he'll do all he can. Who ends up doing nothing. And Eli promises himself that he will hunt down Max and bring him to justice.

In the Fohrenwald DP Camp, in the American Zone, in 1946, Eli waits for a visa to America, along with thousands of others. While waiting, he hears of a man who is selling Visas to America on the black market. A man named Max. Slippery eel that he is, he eludes capture despite Eli's best efforts.

In Chicago, Albany Park Neighborhood, 1965, Eli Rosen rents an apartment and settles in. He watches and he waits. Tenaciously, he watches and he waits.

This is the story of the ripple effects of Max in America -- thievery, scamming, murder, threats, extortion, payoffs, corruption. A story of belief and doubt, trust and distrust. Lies. And hate and love.

I read this EARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. pub date 09/22/20

This was a book that I could not put down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was an emotional read about the horrors of the Second World War. The storyline was good letting me know more about the persecution of the Jews by the Germans. I recommend that you read it.

I have read most of Ronald Balson's books and enjoy his historical fiction stories regarding WWII. This story was enjoyable, but a bit predictable in regard to characters and the ending. I was drawn to the characters created to show the devastation of the time, and the strength needed to endure the cruelties presented to them. I saw similarities of using a writer to forward and investigate the story, as it did in Once We Were Brothers., a story which I loved. Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I have read all of Ronald Balson's books and found this one a bit tiresome and predictable. It could be that I have WW 2 fatigue but this was a little too detailed and gruesome for my tastes. I understand the need for background but this could have been a lot tighter and more uplifting then the sad star predictable story it became... Maybe with better editing

I have been a fan of Ronald Balson's books since I read Once We Were Brothers many years ago. With this book, Eli's Promise, Mr. Balson has again crafted a story that grabbed my interest from the first page. It does begin during the Holocaust and my heart was wrenched at what his characters had to endure. I was very caught up in Eli's life and that of his family. But what really made this book so interesting for me is that Mr. Balson jumped to continue their story in a displaced persons camp after the war and then made another jump to the United States in the mid 1960s. The back and forth of the time periods kept me thinking about how the story would progress over the years and what connected the various events. In my opinion this is a different kind of war story, one that deals with corruption and the base inclinations of people to profit off the misery of others. I think this will become another classic from a master storyteller.

A solid 4 stars. I love Mr. Balson’s WWII fiction. I was disappointed that it was not a Liam and Catherine novel but enjoyed it very much. I love the style of writing going between time periods, keeps everything moving very quickly.

I want to thank St Martins Press and Net Galley for sending me an ARC of Eli’s Promise by Ronald Balson. I began reading Mr Balson’s historical novels with Once We Were Brothers which continues to be my favorite..His characters are all so real. This new book is a stand-alone.
“They will identify us, they will concentrate us and they will eliminate us.” This is a quotation from Esther Gold, Eli’s wife, in reference to the Nazi’s. Eli’s Promise begins in Lublin, Poland in 1945 and then later to Fohrenwald when the war ends, which is a Displaced Person’s Camp. Life is hard and there is one man in particular who finds ways to constantly take advantage of the people for his own gain.
The story moves to Chicago in 1965. Eli finds an apartment and we meet some of his neighbors who think he is part of the FBI. The book then continues back in Lublin, Lodz and the DP camp. Life continues to be intolerable. Visas to the United States are in big demand. They are being illegally sold by unscrupulous people. Eli suspects the same man who took advantage of people before has surfaced again.
The book is really an in depth study of what happened in those years to the Jewish people of Poland and the cruelty they endured.

I have read all of Ronald H. Balson’s books and have enjoyed each one. Eli’s promise was no exception. It was written beautifully and the characters were well thought out and presented authentically. Most of the characters that Ronald H. Balson portrayed were fictional but many of the German officers in the story were real. The story was divided into three time periods and the story often alternated between past and present. It was very hard to put this book down.

Eli’s Promise was a beautiful and heart wrenching story about Eli, his wife Esther and their young son Izaak. It was written as a historical fiction book but some of the story included real places and real names of German and American officers. The first part of the story took place in Lublin, Poland before and during the Nazi occupation. In those days, Lublin was considered by most, the center for learning for the Jewish people. It was not surprising then that the Nazis decided to destroy the most important and sacred building to the Jews of Lublin. They ransacked their Yeshiva, burned all the sacred books and took it and made it their headquarters. Things began to get a lot worse for the Jews of Lublin and for all Jews throughout Poland. Some Jews still raised up hope that things would improve and go back to the way they had been before the occupation. Eli’s wife, Esther, saw the writing on the wall before it actually got so bad. She had predicted that the Nazis would identify all the Jews, round them up and lastly get rid of them. Eli did not want to believe her. He always held out hope that things would get better. Eli had made a promise to his son that one day they would go to America. When Eli had the chance to escape Poland with his family, though, somehow the time was never right. He had to think about his aging father or the family business. Eli was forced to rely on the protection of Maximilian Poleski, a profiteer who benefited from the oppressed Jews of Lublin. Maximilian promised Eli that he would provide protection for him and his family. Eli would learn too late and the hard way that Maximilian could not live up to the promises he had made. Maximilian was a thief and a despicable man that took advantage of desperate people during the war. When Eli finally decided to escape and made a plan, it was too late. He had not known that while he was away from his family, being forced by the Nazis, to run a remote construction business, that his precious wife, Esther, was rounded up and carted off to a concentration camp.

The next part of the book, described Eli’s and Izaak’s life in Fohrenwald, one of the American Zones for displaced persons. The Americans liberated the camp that Eli and Izaak had been in. They had survived but only to be living in another camp. Eli still did not know whether Esther had survived. He never lost faith or hope though and sought out all information for survivors. During his time at Fohrenwald, Eli saw rampant spread of tuberculosis and unjust quotas for Jews that made it almost impossible to get visas to either America or Israel. During this time, Eli was made aware that falsified visas to the United States were being sold on the Black Market by a man known as Max. Eli was sure that this was the same person who had taken advantage of him back in Lublin. Just when Eli had gathered enough evidence to convict Maximilian he was able to slip through his fingers and avoid punishment.

The last part of Eli’s Promise took place in a suburb of Chicago called Albany Park. Eli was there to finally apprehend the man he had been chasing for almost thirty years, the devious, dishonest, one of several war profiteers, Maximilian.

Ronald H. Balson’s book, Eli’s Promise, was about the Holocaust, the guilt of surviving when so many did not, war profiteering,the love of family and the bonds formed by those that survived. Eli’s Promise was a beautiful story that will touch your heart in a special way. It will bring tears to your eyes and smiles to your faces. Eli’s Promise portrayed the unconditional love for a child. There was no greater bond for Eli than the love he had for Izaak. That love that Eli felt for Izaak was evident throughout the book.

Eli’s Promise by Ronald H. Balson was an incredible story. I didn’t know a lot about war profiteering, one of the main themes in this book, but felt such a strong resentment against those that took advantage of others during such turbulent and sad times. It was so hard to fathom how some could have hoped to profit from the weak, suppressed or violated. Presented and written about in three different locations and time periods, Eli’s Promise is a book not to be missed. I highly recommend this book. It will be published in September 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Ronald H. Balson for allowing me to read this advanced copy of Eli’s Promise. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As the author notes in the afterward, "at its heart" Eli's Promise is "a story about corruption and war profiteering," told from the perspective of the victims, who lost their families, their livelihood, and their lives. The story is presented in three locations over three different time periods: Lublin, Poland during WWII, the Föhrenwald Displaced Person Camp in the American Occupation Zone of Germany in the mid-1940s, and the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago in 1965-66 against the backdrop of the United States' escalating involvement in Vietnam. The reader sees fake Jewish Identity cards that exempted Jews from deportation marketed to desperate Jews during the war years, the selling of blackmarket goods and even visas during the postwar years in DP camps, and the operations of unscrupulous defense contractors during the Vietnam. These human cost of this corruption and war profiteering are brought to life through the eyes of the novel's main character, Eli Rosen.

The novel's greatest strength is its historical accuracy. The author exquisitely captures the whittling away of the freedom of Jews in Poland as well as the false hopes, uncertainty, and hard choices faced by Polish Jews confronted by the unimaginable. Similarly, the author painstakingly describes the efforts of Jews to rebuild their lives, their identity, and their community in the immediate aftermath of war. Although the Vietnam era is presented in less detail, it too is accurately presented.

The novel's one weakness in my estimation is the dialogue, which at times seemed stilted and forced. This, in part, was a byproduct of the author's efforts to provide the reader with historical detail, resulting in characters occasionally giving short speeches on relevant topics. Although the information was good in these scenarios, the method of delivery did not work. For example, Ann Stewart, a British woman working at the Central Tracing Bureau, gives Eli Rosen an introductory lecture about the conditions at Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. Given this is a Jewish man hunting for his Jewish wife and would already know firsthand camp conditions, this information is actually intended for the reader, not for the person to whom it is spoken. Consequently, this conversation seems somewhat contrived..

That said, the author seamlessly weaves together the stories from the three locales and time periods, expertly alternating between each one to create tension and spark the reader's curiosity about missing elements from each time period.. A powerful read.