I received an ARC copy of this book. I thoroughly enjoy Roberta's books and this one didn't fail. I can't wait to find out what happens next. Not sure when the next book comes out, though.

This was book two in the series: Jews, The Third Reich, and a Web of Secrets. Full disclosure, I have not read the first book and think perhaps it would have aided in setting the scene and having a more fully developed sense of the characters and backstory. I had some difficulties with the way that the author writes, sometimes the dialog felt very stiff to me, but it didn’t detract too much from the solid storyline. Kara has left her 4-year-old son, Karl, with a babysitter and both have vanished. With the help of Oskar, a Nazi officer, Kara tries to locate Karl. Through this journey she gradually develops feelings for Oskar but finds herself conflicted knowing how Oskar would react should he find out that Karl is half-Jewish. The horrendous details of life under Nazi rule are presented with empathy and care but remain true to what was happening at the time. The author has done her research. The ending is unexpected and breathtakingly sad. It sets it up well for the third book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Argh! The author has a way of sucking you into the story and then just....leaving you hanging! This is a follow-up to her first story, in what we can only assume will be a trilogy, following Kara as she searches for her son, Karl. The SS officer, Oskar, is by her side the entire time...but not necessarily ON her side. The book does a fantastic job of looking at different perspectives, showing the nuances of grey that impact our decision making, particularly in cases of trying times. We advance through a few years of the war during this installment, but it cuts off right at a crucial scene...leaving the reader going 'what happens next?!?!' My biggest complaint here is that I now have to wait several months to see how it all plays out...

The second book in a trilogy, this book gripped me from the start! Imagine that your child has been kidnapped and you are searching for him with the help of an SS officer. Oh, and the child’s father is a Jew. There is soooo much tension and suspense in this story! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I have been waiting eagerly for the second book of the series Jews, The Third Reich and Web of Secrets series and was so mighty excited when I got the ARC from the author herself!!!

Note:- If you have not read My Son's Secret, the first book of the series, then you must read that book before reading The Stolen Child.

So in the previous book, we see Kara leaving her son Karl behind with a babysitter only after returning did she find out that both the babysitter and Karl are missing, the first book ending with Abram in Auschwitz concentration camp.

This book follows the story after Karl goes missing. Oskar, the Nazi officer with whom Kara gets acquainted through her sister Anka and brother-in-law Ludwig, using his own connections helps Kara to find her son--which he eventually succeed. And Kara soon starts falling for Oskar, which make her conflicted with her own feelings as she still loved Abram. But throughout this book, we see Oskar's facade, the brutal treatment towards Jews and Polish, indifference to their feelings. As a person who did Holocaust history in school and later on in college, I have read all those brutal atrocities and treatments committed by the Nazis towards the Jews so reading this book, the author gave us a picture of both sides--what it is to live as a German during the war and what it is to live as a Jew or Pole during the war. While the Germans with connections as high ranking Nazi officials lived a life of luxury, on the other hand, Jews and Poles lived in a life of fear and hate instilled in their minds. So kudos to the author, who did a good job painting that image, which was realistic and actually happened in real life! Naturally, I feel hatred towards Oskar, Anka and Ludwig for their blind faith towards Hitler and I am glad that Kara did not succumb to it, probably due to the fact that she still loved Abram. I just feel like I was living during that time and I actually felt so scared for Kara--will Oskak find out her secret? What's going to happen? This book was literally unputdownable and I manage to finish this book within two days!

Besides that, the writing was really great and I was engrossed in the book, from the first chapter till the end. And the end....wow!!!! Now I cannot wait for the third and final book to come soon! Will Abram and Kara get back together? What's going to happen to Oskar and Kara once when the war is coming to an end? We shall see if these questions are answered in the next and final book!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing me the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Synopsis:
When four-year-old Karl, Kara’s son, suddenly disappears, Kara’s worst fear becomes her painful reality. Has someone seen through her cover? An increasingly frustrating search for the missing boy ensues. Kara is succored by Oskar, an SS officer who would do anything to have Kara's love. His compassion is in stark contrast to his office's macabre nature. As her world is turned upside down, the grim nature of the Third Reich becomes much more apparent to Kara. The rot has eaten deep into many German hearts, even that of her beloved sister Anka. As a fog of fear and evil envelops Kara's life, the hope of a love she had always ached for stirs ever so slightly. How far would one go to get a hold of what they so desperately want? Will Kara see her son ever again?"

A German mother, Kara, goes wild when her only child is kidnapped in 1940s Warsaw. The pain at losing her child and not knowing if she'll ever see him again kept me turning the pages. The boy's Jewish father is presumed dead. By Kara's side is her (unbeknownst to her) psychopathic boyfriend, an SS officer stationed at Auschwitz. Other characters include Kara's younger sister and her husband who have "drank the Nazi kool-aid" and have succumbed to the Fuhrer's charms and propaganda.

I did not know this was the second book in a three-book series until I finished reading. I do not think it matters, even though, I'll go back and read the first book. I will definitely be on the look-out for the third book. Kagan threw in a cliff-hanger at the end of this book and I need to know what happens to Kara, Abram, Oskar and Karl!

Fast paced. Highly recommend.

Publishes 15 Sep 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is the second book in Roberta Kagan's trilogy, "Jews, The Third Reich, and a Web of Secrets". Though I find Kagan's style of writing elementary and somewhat redundant, constantly repeating a thought over and over in one paragraph after another I was invested in Kara and Karl's story after reading the first book, "Her Son's Secret".
I took a chance, wanting to know what happens when at the end of the first book Karl disappears along with his Polish babysitter, leaving Kara frantic and blaming her sister Anka for forcing her to leave Karl and go to a Nazi party.
Not knowing where to turn, Kara accepts help from Nazi officer Oskar, a friend of her brother-in-law's and a man who is enthralled with Kara and wants her for himself.
Kara begins to trust Oskar more and more as the days turn into months and Karl is still missing. But is the gentle, understanding, helpful man Oskar portrays to Kara truly him? Or underneath the loving facade does there lay someone more devious and sinister? Someone manipulating enough to use Kara's plight to his own advantage?
Despite the writing style the story picks up seamlessly where the first ended and is filled with all the history, mystery and intrigue you could want. The ending, as with the first book is heart-wrenching, I can't wait for the third installment to see how everything is resolved and what truths come to light.
I would recommend to WWII historical fiction fans that like a quick, somewhat simplistic story set to entertain and intrigue, with enough mystery involved to keep you guessing.
I rated this one a little higher than I did the first, maybe because I am getting used to the writing style. Thank you to publishers The Book Whisperer and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.
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This book is the second on the Jews, The Third Reich, and a Web of Secrets trilogy and starts immediately where the first one ends. Kara's son Karl has disappeared along with the Polish babysitter hired to look after him for the night.
Kara is desperate and relies more and more on Oskar, the high ranking Nazi Officer in love with her. He vows to do everything in his power to find Karl. Without giving any spoilers away, we find out that Oskar is not really who he portraits to be and his motives are not really pure.

Roberta Kagan did it again, this book is very well researched and written, the details of the events described in it are accurate and described with details, even the painful ones.

The ending of the book is heartbreaking but leads perfectly to the upcoming book three of the series, which I can't wait to read and learn the fate of all the characters in the book.

I love the cover in the book, captures perfectly the essence of the little boy in the center of the series.

Thank you to Roberta Kagan, Netgalley and Book Whisperer for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

The second in the series, The Stolen Child seamlessly picks up where My Son's Secret left off. Set during WWII in Germany, this is a story about impossible heartache, love and hope in dire circumstances. Kara's darling wee son Karl disappeared and she is beyond frantic. He had been at his babysitter's home but cannot be found; neither can the babysitter. Of course during the war people disappear for all sorts of sinister reasons. But he looks purely Aryan.

SS Officer Oskar adores Kara. He treats her with tenderness and assures her Karl will be found. Kara sympathizes with Jews but most around her do not, including her dear sister Anka and brother in law Ludwig. However, she reasons this away to herself and finds herself in the midst of many sticky webs. The story details the desperate search for a son and the lengths people go to to just survive.

Secrets and deceptions abound. Nazis have a firm physical and mental hold and many otherwise kind people are enthralled with Hitler's ideals and act accordingly. The Jews are treated worse than vermin. Though some details are difficult to read as they are so horrific, it is important not to downplay reality. The author does a beautiful job of this. She includes the raw details yet we see slivers of hope. What people go through is unimaginable but there is always hope, one of my favourite words.

This unputdownable book is compelling and breathtaking in its simple writing which to me serves to drive home the sheer anguish and despair felt by so many. Like the first in the series, the story is poignant and powerful. It has soul. The author has a gift for fiction intermingled with fact, obviously well researched. If you love cliffhangers like me, you will be pleased with this one which opens up many questions and possibilities. And that precious cover! It truly captures what the book is about.

My sincere thank you to The Book Whisperer and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this sobering, evocative and simply amazing book.

The Stolen Child is the second book in Roberta Kagan’s WW2 historical series: Jews, The Third Reich and a Web of Secrets. I read book one, Her Son’s Secret, and appreciated knowing the backstory prior to reading. Book two starts where book one finished.

When Kara leaves her four-year-old son, Karl, with a babysitter, an old Polish woman, she never suspects that heartache that is to come. Karl, an Aryan-looking Jewish boy, and the babysitter go missing. When Oskar, a friend of her brother-in-law, offers to help Kara find her son, she discovers his ulterior motives. Can Kara be true to Abram or does she have to rethink her values to save her son?

I was shocked at the mindset of the Nazis and their beliefs, especially the propaganda and the lengths they went to ensure the master race remained superior. I hated how blatantly manipulative and obsessive Oskar and his fellow SS officers were in making sure they got what they wanted, regardless of the cost. I was saddened at how sisters, Kara and Anka, weren’t the support they could have been to each other because of secrets. They’d been so close growing up (book 1) and looked out for each other. Then their relationship deteriorated when she married a man intent on working his way up the Nazi hierarchy. Decisions made out of desperation during wartime had far reaching effects, but they also had the potential to hurt those closest.

The plot and the characters pull me into the story and more than make up for the difficulty I have with Kagan’s writing style.

I’m looking forward to book three, despite the shocking ending. I know Roberta Kagan loves her cliff-hanger endings.

Publishes September 15, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Roberta Kagan, The Book Whisperer, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A gripping book from start to finish. A frightening look at how manipulative and cunning some people can be. A rare historical fiction, so compelling, where you can't help but finish the book in one sitting. Excellent writing.

I couldn’t put it down and i couldn’t sleep. I just finished it, OH MY . I didn’t know it was a trilogy but I’ll search The first, and looking forward to The last. It’s a moving story of survival and love. I can’t say anymore, i don’t like spoilers. READ IT!

Oskar's Deceit

When book one ended Kara went to pick up Karl at the babysitters and both him and the babysitter were gone.
Oskar, a Nazi officer and a friend of her sister Anka's husband, offered to help her find Karl.
Oskar and Kara search for Karl and Kara becomes close to Oskar although she really still loves Abram, Karl's dad. She knows that no one, not even her sister can know that Karl is half Jewish.

The book shows the disturbing way that the Nazi's think that Germans are the master race and every else their slaves. Her sister is completely taken in with the concept of the German superiority and it bothers Kara and causes tension between the two of them. Will her relationship with her sister ever be the same?

The Nazi propaganda was everywhere and many Germans believed it, lived it in every aspect of their lives and taught it to their children. The schools had books with horrible pictures Jewish people and disabled people making them look like monsters and promoting the concept that Germans were the only master race.

Will Kara and Oskar find Karl, or will he be lost to Kara forever? She fears for Karl and worries that someone has found out he is half Jewish and wonders if he is safe. She wishes Abram were here with her. She wishes she could talk to her sister but she can't .

This book focuses on the search for Karl and Oskar's obsession with Kara. The ending is so sad, It does set up for book three which I can't wait to read.

This is a great series, I recommend it.

Thanks to Roberta Kagan and the Book Whisperer for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book for my honest review.