Finding the Truth

Britta's story was happy, sad, inspirational and tragic. The courage of her and her family both during the war and afterwards is commendable. Even in her ninety's Britta felt that a wrong needed to be righted and she was determined to see that it was. When she saw that Ole Henryks was going to be awarded a war medal for heroism in WWII for helping Jewish people escape the Nazi's she had to find a way to expose him for a Nazi collaborator.

What a lesson in history of the country of Denmark during WWII. I loved how the Danish people rallied around the Jewish people and saved thousands of them. I have heard of no other European country that did so much to help their Jewish citizens. I learned so much about a country that I had really not heard much about.

The characters of Catherine and Emma were so compassionate toward Britta in letting her tell her story in her own way and in believing in her. Catherine's court room presentation was nothing short of awesome.

I have read some of Ronald H. Balson's books and every one of them are wonderful stories..this one is no different. The author did a great job of telling this story. I enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own

Thanks to Ronald H. Balson, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book.

The setting: "Chicago, 2018: Ole Henryks [95], a popular restauranteur, is set to be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions...[and is] well known for his actions in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II.... Britta Stein [92], however, does not. [She] levels public accusations against Henryks by spray-painting "Coward," "Traitor," "Collaborator," and "War Criminal" on the walls of his restaurant... She also becomes the target of a bitter lawsuit filed by Henryks and his son, accusing her of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Attorney Catherine Lockhart, though hesitant at first, agrees to take up Mrs. Stein's defense. With the help of her investigator husband, Liam Taggart, Lockhart must reach back into wartime Denmark and locate evidence that proves Mrs. Stein's innocence."

And so it goes.

Britta narrates her incredibly detailed story [WWII historical fiction] for Catherine and her niece, Emma, also an attorney [who asks Catherine to take the case]. Britta hopes her story will show how Henryks is everything she says he is. To complicate the legal proceedings, Britta never denies spray painting on Henryk's restaurant. And their adversary in court is Sterling Sparks, a showboating attorney.

Much of the narration deals with Britta's backstory--her family--especially her parliamentarian father, sister Grethe, and Lukas, Grethe's boyfriend/then husband were both active in the resistance.

The book was well written but it was a slow build/burn. I wanted to see how it would unfold and come together, but I was never really engaged. Perhaps because I knew how it would turn out. Not necessarily a spoiler alert, but...after all--what else could it be?!

I've been to the Museum of Danish Resistance in Copenhagen so the subject matter was not all new to me.

Note: read the acknowledgments. 3.5

Defending Brittany Stein
Thanks NetGalley for inviting me to read and review Ronald Balson’s newest book. I have read all of Mr. Balson’s books since Once We Were Brothers. Unfortunately this book was very disappointing for me. From the first chapter I knew how it will end and in that I wasn’t disappointed.
This book is very similar in many ways to Karolina’s Twins. In both books the protagonists waited many decades to bring forth their story and there is also a twist in both books about family relationships. Brittany Stein is 92 years old in ill health, yet she is capable of going out and painting accusatory statements by herself in the middle of the night. The painful detail she seems to remember is not believable after 70 + years. Her insistence of going into details that are not relevant to the story in spite of time constraints is also contrived. I did appreciate learning about the Danish people and how they stood behind Denmark’s Jewish population.

Overall, disappointing book from the author. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Ninety-two-year-old Britta Stein was charged with spray painting the restaurant of Ole Henryks once he was slated to be honored as a hero during WWII.

Britta said he was not a hero...he was a Nazi collaborator.

Britta needs an attorney, and Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggert team up to defend her.

DEFENDING BRITTA STEIN takes the reader to Denmark during the war with detailed information of the situation the citizens were under during the Nazi occupation.

Very interesting to learn how Denmark dealt with this part of history.

The book goes back and forth in time as Britta tells the story of her life during the occupation and back to today as she prepares for her trial with Catherine, Liam, and her granddaughter, Emma.

Britta also wants her story told so her granddaughter finally knows her family history which has been kept from Emma.

Britta is definitely a feisty, enjoyable character. Between her and Mr. Balson's impeccable research, DEFENDING BRITTA STEIN is another winner for him.

Any fan of Mr. Balson will not want to miss his newest.

The way he has Britta telling her story, and how he ties the present-day situation into the past makes the book difficult to put down.

His talent definitely shines through in DEFENDING BRITTA STEIN. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is a book about Liam taggert a private investigator and his wife Catherine Lockhart who is a lawyer who work together solving cases. They hold your attention you want to read it in one sitting I can’t wait till the next book in the series comes out

Ronald Balson has crafted an intriguing story that encompasses a current legal battle and the story of Danish resistance in Defending Britta Stein. Catherine Lockhart's mentor asks her to look into a upcoming case with Ole Henryks suing Britta Stein for defamation after she spray painted nasty comments accusing Ole of being a Nazi collaborator. Both Ole and Britta are in their 90s and the accusations go back 75 years.

Ole has a publicity hound for his lawyer who likes to try his cases on TV. As Britta tells her story to Catherine, and her niece, Catherine's husband (a private investigator) tries to find hard evidence to corrobrate Britta's story. Britta's health is failing and she wants her niece to know this story before it's too late. Her story, the narrative of what the Danes did to stop the Nazis, is based on historical facts and unfolds in a compelling way. I was not aware of the story of Danish resistance. It is one everyone should hear and remember.

I don't give many books five stars, but this one deserves them. I was allowed to read this on #NetGalley. The comments are my own.

Defending Britta Stein continues the story of Lockhart and Taggert in their journey to right wrongs done during World War II. This time Catherine Lockhart is tasked with defending Britta Stein who has written words like Nazi collaborator and Traitor on the wall of Ole Henryks tavern on the eve of his indication into the Denmark National Hall of Fame as a war hero. Britta is having none of it as she is determined to expose Ole as the trader he is.

This is my 2nd read in the Lockhart and Taggert book series, and though they can stand alone, I am happy that I had read the first in the series, Once We Were Brothers, so that I could understand the history and dynamics between Catherine and Liam. This book is a slow burn and builds to a courtroom crescendo. I recommend reading Defending Britta Stein and the other works by Ronald Balson.

This book takes us back to WWII, Nazi occupied Denmark. Set in dual timelines, both in Denmark during the second world war and 2018 where a courtroom drama is about to be played out. Britta Stein a 92 year old woman and survivor of the war is the defendant, being sued for defamation of character. The plaintiff, 95 year old Ole Henryks also from Denmark, owner of a popular restaurant in Chicago, is suing Britta for slandering his name with spray paint on the outside wall of his restaurant. He is up for an award as a hero during the war, while Britta remembers him as a collaborator, a traitor and war criminal. Her case is being handled by Catherine Lockhart with Liam Taggart her husband who will research and investigate Britta's evidence and help prove her innocence. The stage is set for drama in the courtroom and for the reader it's a step back in time as we learn what took place in Denmark during the war.

It is definitely amazing what one could learn reading historical fiction. There is so much we don't know about what took place in these countries, what we have learned in school only touched the surface. It was a bit difficult to believe that a 92 year old woman could have such a sharp memory. I will defend that point, since I am a senior citizen and at the age of 78 my memory for years past is much stronger than what I remember only happened the day before!! While there are many survivors of WWII who have buried the past mentally, there are some (such as Britta) who will never forget as if it were only yesterday.

This book is both complex and emotional. It is not a book to read at a fast pace, but rather taken in slowly. The story is fascinating not only as we read about WWII in Denmark, but also from a legal standpoint in a case where the defendant has much to prove. This is the first book I've read by Ronald H. Balson, it won't be my last.

To be reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon, https://bookreviewsbylulu.blogspot.com/, Historical Fiction Book Lovers (https://www.facebook.com/groups/122673731818386/),

Sorry, I'm really struggling with “Defending Britta Stein,” a book I really wanted to like. But unfortunately, it’s just not very well written.

To begin with, it's almost all dialogue--and dialogue that's not very believable, mostly because it's so expository. For me, the author’s attempts to describe set-up and background through dialogue not only bogged the story down, but they also kept me from getting involved with it. Time and time again I thought: people just don’t talk this way.

Second, it's very legalistic. The first chapters contain way too much about Civil Procedure and the law of defamation. What I really cared about was what happened in Denmark during the war, not all the legal ins and outs. Again, I found the legalities didn’t serve the story but bogged it down.

Third, the characters are not well developed. Stock lawyer. Stock investigator. Stock obnoxious, bombastic Plaintiff’s/Criminal Defense attorney. It’s tough to care about any of them. That’s particularly so in the case of Britta Stein who takes her revenge against the man she accuses of collaborating with the Nazis by spray-painting accusations on his restaurant building. And yet, even though in her 90’s, she’s supposed to be intelligent, alert, well-spoken, and committed to her cause. Wouldn’t someone with those strengths have found a better way than graffiti to gain justice?

Fourth, the plotline (World War Two victim confronts Nazi or Nazi collaborator) has been done many times both in fiction and nonfiction.

All these factors combined to make reading “Defending Britta Stein” a real chore, one I really can’t continue with after trudging through the first six chapters.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for this independent review.

I received an e-arc through Netgalley.

I read a lot of WWII historical fiction, but I hadn't read anything about how Denmark handled the Nazis during WWII or that they were neutral during WWI. I was really moved by the way the country worked together to try to protect the Jewish people within their country. Defending Britta Stein was a quick lesson in law and emotional response which oftentimes seem at odds with each other. It is a worthwhile book and taught me more about another angle of WWII. We can't forget what happened during that period of history.

352 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Ole Henryks is a ninety-five year old owner of a popular eatery/bar. He and his son, Nils, begin to discover horrible things written on the outside walls of their business. “Nazi,” “Traitor,” “Collaborator” and other things equally alarming of seemingly slanderous.

They set up a video recorder and capture the image of the person doing the vandalism. It is an elderly lady. As soon as the lady is identified as ninety-two year old Britta Stein, they hire a loud-mouthed attorney whose nickname is “Six o’clock,” for his love of showing off to the media.

Meanwhile an attorney named Catherine Lockhart is hired to defend Britta in the five million dollar lawsuit. Britta is a feisty and determined woman who swears it is all true. Her granddaughter will be second chair. Britta grew up in Denmark when it was invaded by the Nazi during WWII. She recalls very well the goings on. Britta’s husband, a private detective, heads to Denmark to investigate the case.

What follows is the story of Britta and her Jewish family during the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Denmark was a neutral country. The reader gets a full picture of life in Denmark and the very tolerant citizens of Denmark towards the nineteen-thousand Jewish fellow citizens. It is both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story.

I enjoyed this novel very much. It was well written and Britta was a hero. I liked her and Catherine. Perhaps a little more background on Catherine would have been nice, but on second thought, I don’t think it would have fitted into this book very well. I will certainly look out for more of Mr. Balson’s novels.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson. I loved this novel, and had difficulty putting it down.

The novel begins with an act of vandalism; accusations of Nazi ties have been spray painted on the wall of a bar owned by 95-year-old Ole Henryks, who is to be honored as a war hero. The arrested perpetrator, 92-year-old Britta Stein, does not deny her actions, and is definitely not apologetic. When Catherine Lockhart agrees to take her case in defense of the multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit , she recognizes that it will be a difficult, uphill battle to find proof of events that took place more than 70 years previously.

Britta tells her own story, in detail that transports the reader back to Denmark in the 1930's and 1940's. Denmark's involvement in WWII is a unique angle for historical fiction, and Mr. Balson has done his homework well. The reader will gain admiration for the courage of this country's people and the role the Danes played in the war.

The courtroom drama is brief, though much of the book leading up to the trial discusses legal strategy and loopholes. Ole's attorney is a press-monger, full of himself, and happily dislikable. I enjoyed the judge putting him in his place on occasion, and also when Catherine tricked him into doing exactly what the defense team wanted.

My only criticism is that it is a bit of a stretch that 92-year-old Britta would be able to tell the story in such incredible detail or to vandalize a bar at 3:30 in the morning. If the reader is able to suspend that little bit of disbelief, though, Britta is an endearing character, and her story is engrossing. Like Catherine, I found myself anxious that Britta would just cut to the chase, and reveal what she knew about Ole's betrayal, and frustrated when she insisted on a detailed backstory. In the end, Britta was right, we needed the whole story.

Defending Britta Stein reads like a cross between John Grisham's courtroom dramas and Katherine Hannah's historical fiction. A page-turner for sure!

This was my first time reading anything from this author and I really enjoyed this mystery. While this can be read as a standalone, I do want to go back and read more in the series. This mystery went back and forth between current day and World war two and had a very emotional story.

Ronald H. Balson is among the very best in the historical fiction genre. If you are familiar with Balson’s work then you’re familiar with characters Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart. Lockhart and Taggart are once again front and center in Balson’s latest novel, Defending Britta Stein, and they drive this story beautifully. Lockhart agrees to take on Britta Stein as a client after she is arrested and charged with a crime for vandalizing the restaurant of Ole Henryks. Henryks enjoys a reputation of being a WWll hero for his actions in Nazi occupied Denmark but Stein’s memory of Henryks is different and she sets out to expose him for his lies, Due to Henryks popularity, the tables get somewhat turned on Stein and what unfolds is a courtroom showdown between Stein’s crimes of vandalism and her accusation of war crimes against Henryks. Masterfully told in the remarkable and compelling way Balson is known for, Defending Britta Stein is another winner in the historical fiction genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ronald H. Balson is truly a prolific historical fiction writer, and his ability to create sympathetic heroes (as well as monstrous villains) in World War II stories is incredible. While the premise of this book felt oddly similar to that of Once We Were Brothers, it played out differently and introduced me to a European experience of WWII that I was unfamiliar with— the Danish experience. As always, Catherine and Liam continue to be the perfect team, pulling off a defense worthy of a primetime drama, but that’s how the novel reads. For any fans of legal dramas or historical fiction, I can’t recommend the Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggert series highly enough, and Defending Britta Stein is no exception.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this interesting and informative book in exchange for an honest review.

The story begins in the courtroom where attorney Catherine Lockhart has just presented a case to Judge Obadiah. She wins it. As soon as the case is done, another attorney, Walter Jenkins, asks for a moment of Catherine’s time to discuss another matter. That matter is the case of Britta Stein who has been arrested and is being sued for defamatory remarks made about a local businessman, a 95 year-old Ole Henryks – accusing him of being a Nazi-sympathizer, and a perpetrator of war crimes against Jews in Denmark. The defendant, Britta Stein, is also in her mid-90’s. She doesn’t deny what she’s done. In fact – she claims it’s all true. Walter is asking Catherine to defend her. Intrigued, ultimately she says yes.

The story unfolds as Catherine and her associate, Emma Fisher – who is the niece of Britta Stein – begin listening to Britta and letting her tell the tale of why Ole Henryks is in fact exactly what Britta says he is. To help unravel all the pieces, Catherine asks her husband, Liam Taggart, to help her research the data to prove Britta’s innocence.

It’s a fascinating tale the takes you back into the early days of the Nazi’s ultimate occupation of Denmark and how the Blue Shirt informers who supported the Germans, tried to thwart the efforts of the resistance to protect the Jewish population. While it is an historical fiction novel – with the narrative shifting between present day with Catherine, Emma and Liam, Britta and Ole – and WWII days as told by Britta about her experiences in Denmark as a child. The truth of what occurred in Denmark in World War II (see acknowledgements) are factual and the story is built upon that truth. All characters are fictionalized and well conceived and fleshed out. It’s a robust and compelling story.

This was another book that was recommended by Brenda Novak. I tried to get into it but I couldn't. It's not boring or bad, in fact it talks a lot about history. I hope that whoever else reads it enjoys it. I received this book in exchange for a review from netgalley.

Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson is a great WWII-era historical fiction novel that has mystery, intrigue, suspense, history, and kept me interested from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this novel and the way the narrative played out from a dual-timeline perspective. I enjoyed the slowly unraveling of the past events, as the investigation and courtroom/legal battle proceeds. The author's ability to weave a tale that was intriguing, complex, and engaging, yet was easy to follow and appreciate was impressive.

I enjoyed the full character cast and especially enjoyed the fabulous duo of Catherine Lockhart (attorney) and her spouse (and investigator) Liam Taggart. I thought the way the narrative was presented was exceptional and memorable.

Anyone that is a historical fiction fan, and also a mystery/legal fiction fan, will truly enjoy this read.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and St. Martin's Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.