The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly

A mix of truth and fiction with a surprise ending, this book will have you traveling the globe tracking nazis. Young Josie and Arlette start in Paris sending spy information to their agents, just one step ahead of the Gestapo.

After spending time in Ravensbrück, the only all female concentration camp in Germany, they go their separate ways only to be reunited later. The story is woven between the two girls and the years 1943 and 1952.

You may be surprised to read about the Catholic Church’s involvement with hiding dangerous nazis, and sending them, passports in hand, to their new carefree lives in South America. Most of these criminals never stand trial for their atrocious offenses to humanity.

Author Kelly calls this title a companion book to her Lilac Girls.
A must for readers of historical fiction about WWII, I’ll give this story a solid four stars. My thanks to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for this ARC.

3.5⭐️ Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this digital advanced copy of The Golden Doves, in exchange for my honest review. This book comes out April 18, 2023.

This is my second novel by Martha Hall Kelly, having read her other WWII book, Lilac Girls, a few years ago. That was a 5-star book for me. It ignited my love of historical fiction. So, I was incredibly excited to learn I was approved for an advanced copy of her new novel, which is also set during WWII and its aftermath.

Here’s brief summary:

Josie Anderson is an American intelligence agent working for the U.S. Army in Texas, who is tasked with finding a reclusive Nazi doctor who experimented on her mother while they were both held prisoner at the Ravensbrück concentration camp during the war. Arlette LaRue, a French woman, is also a survivor of the camp, where her infant son was stolen from her. Before being sent to Ravensbrück, Josie and Arlette were recruited into the French resistance as spies called The Golden Doves, where they worked together to intercept Nazi plans over the radio and send them to England.

This book follows the two main characters’ storylines, set in two timelines: pre-war (1944-45) and post-war (1952). So, there are four different perspectives in this novel, set across various countries and continents. In my opinion, it’s a lot to maintain, as a reader.

My #spoilerfree review:

My biggest critique is that the first half of this book is much more compelling than the second half. Toward the very end, the plot goes a bit haywire, with a few extra twists that I personally think were excessive. It became exhausting, and I found myself looking forward to finishing it, which lowered my rating. A higher-rated book for me is one that I don’t want to end.

My other critique is that I wish the book dove deeper into the “spy” work by the characters, both during the flashbacks and present timelines. I felt this lack of development diverted from the overall pitch, like it didn’t fit the book’s description of a “spy” novel.

To end on some positive notes: before reading this, I didn’t know much about this period of time in history, specifically, the immediate aftermath of WWII, Operation Paperclip, and the Nazi ratline. It encouraged me to learn more about the real events and people of that time, which is the mark of a great work of historical fiction, in my opinion.

Another positive: I enjoyed the different settings, being transported from France, to Italy, to South America. It gave Dan Brown/Angels & Demons vibes.

Overall, I went with 3.5 stars, due to the overly complicated plot, blurry timelines and glossed-over details. It was just a bit too much for me. However, I did enjoy reading this, and I still very much enjoy Kelly’s work. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I will continue to pick up her books, without a doubt.

This novel was quite astounding! The characters were amazing and you felt for them, and it was just shocking to learn about the aftermath of what happened with with those who were part of the Nazi's and how easy it seemed they could slip away to the unknown. A new place, a new name, a new life and the amount of those who aided and helped abed them to new countries was quite shocking. This novel has so many storylines that bring it all together and the author did such an amazing job weaving that all together and bringing to life the Golden Doves. This novel is not just another WWII historical, but it integrates the after affects of life after the war, and how broken the system really was in finding, catching and prosecuting those who were a part of this horrific piece of history. I also loved how different Josie and Arlette were as people, yet their personalities worked well together when they had missions to accomplish and it was great to read a novel that followed them after the war ended. There was a great many things I learned from this novel, that I had no idea about and I loved that it had a few different settings.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and to the author and publisher for the free book. This review is of my own opinion and accord and this will be a story that will stay with me for a long time.

A beautiful historically-based novel merging absorbing storylines of two female WW2 spies. Mary Hall Kelly is one of my favorite authors. She has a vivid sense of period and place, well-written dialogue and colorful characters that captivated me. I am a die-hard Martha Hall fan. She did not disappoint.

THE GOLDEN DOVES by Martha Hall Kelly is beautifully-written and sweeping story of friendship, courage and resilience that is inspired by true events during, and in the aftermath of, World War II. American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue meet and begin working for the French Resistance. Called the Golden Doves, they become well-known across France for their incredible success at stealing Nazi secrets. Hunted by the Gestapo, their lives are in constant danger. They are finally caught and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, along with their loved ones. Josie’s mother is subjected to unspeakable experiments at the hands of a brutal Nazi doctor. Arlette’s young son is stolen from her. Later, when the camp is liberated, the pair come in and out of each other’s lives until finally they come back together to track down the doctor that tortured Josie’s mother. They are also following a tip that Arlette’s son may be alive. Risking everything to seek justice for their families, Josie and Arlette uncover a complex web of secrets and lies that puts them in great peril. I have read a lot of World War II historical fiction, but I still learned a lot I didn’t know about atrocities committed by the Nazis and how they were able to hide in plain sight in the US and Russia, who wanted to tap into their secrets. I also learned about the ratline for Nazi fugitives to French Guiana and possible involvement of the Vatican. All in all, this was an action-packed and compelling story filled with suspense, emotion and intrigue that I won’t soon forget. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Martha Hall Kelly has become one of my favorite authors. The research and knowledge that goes into all her books is unbelievable! I didn’t think she could top Lilac Girls but she did it with The Golden Doves. Not only does she make this book an historical fiction but she threw some mystery in there too.
Josie and Arlette are spies who listen to wire conversations from Nazis and sends the information to their government. They because known as the Golden Doves. When they are arrested by Nazis for a lesser crime, they along with Arlette’s son are sent to a concentration camp where medical experiments are done on some of the occupants, including Josie’s Mom. At first Arlette’s son is allowed to stay with her, but later he is taken from her and she doesn’t know where he is taken.
Ten years later, after they are released, Arlette is still looking for her son, praying he is still alive. Josie is working for the US Army Intelligence hunting down Nazi doctors. Not to punish them for their horrible crimes but to give them leniency if they come back to US to finish their research. Josie is sent on a mission to find the doctor assigned to her concentration camp to bring him back and Arlette gets a clue as to where her son has been taken. These trips lead them on a very dangerous journey where they join together again to bring people to justice.

Josie Anderson and Arlette La Rue worked together during WWII to spy on the Nazis and pass what they learned to their handlers within the Resistance. The friends became so good at their jobs that the Nazis began calling them The Golden Doves. After the war, they both went on to live their lives haunted by their time in Ravensbruck. Josie has been working for the US government seeking Nazi doctors and convincing them to come work in the United States while Arlette works at a café hoping one day to find her kidnapped son. When a lead on Arlette's son and the doctor Josie is searching for both lead to the jungle of French Guiana, the friends quickly learn that the only people that they can trust are each other.

Martha Hall Kelly always tells full-bodied stories of the strength of women who had spent time in concentration camps and how that strength carries them through the rest of their lives. Each character's trauma and how they handle themselves is completely fleshed out and they become very real to the reader. Having read previous novels by Hall Kelly I knew this one would be fantastic. There is an author's note at the end of the book where the author explains the women she has met and how their stories helped shape hers. These are some of the best parts of any historical fiction author's novels - discovering their inspiration.

I seem to read a lot of World War II fiction, and every time I think I’ve read just about every aspect of the war and it’s aftermath, I read a new take on the war and have a new appreciation for the sacrifices the Greatest Generation made. The Golden Doves centers on two teenagers caught up in the French resistance; a second timeline follows the women seven years later and the fact that for some, the war never really ended.

I have to be honest: it took me a while to get into this book and I’m not sure why. The first couple of chapters just didn’t grab me but I persevered and soon I was hooked. I just had to know what happened to Josie and Arlette.

The book deals with the end of World War II and the fact that many Nazis were able to flee Germany for South American through a “ratline”. Many of those that escaped are scientists and doctors. Countries like the United States and Argentina turn a blind eye to the misdeeds of these men because they can be helpful to their own countries. There’s a whole community of former German scientists living in America, helping the government develop the H-bomb and making advances in medicine. There’s a race to get as many Germans as possible so the Russians don’t get their hands on them. On in particular is of interest, a Dr. Snow.

There are also plenty of flashbacks to the war, when Josie and Arlette are living in Paris and working for the resistance, sending coded messages back to England and earning a reputation as the Golden Doves. Arlette has the added complication of having an infant, the product of a tryst with a young German boy who signs up for the Hitler Youth. Arlette has no idea if he’s alive or dead. Everything is going well working for the resistance until it doesn’t, and the girls are captured and sent to Ravensbrook concentration camp for women only.

Arlette’s timeline brings her into 1952, where there’s still the deprivations of war being felt and she’s still in search of her son, who was taken from her at the concentration camp. She’s approached about a home for orphans in French Guiana where the people that run the facility think they’ve found her son. At first, she thinks this news is too good to be true, and then she realizes she has to take a chance in order to find out if her son is alive. But her Spidey-sense is going off about the man who runs the facility.

The mysteries of this book, how the two young women operated during the war, how they were captured and what life was like for them at the camp, the tracking down of Dr. Snow, the search for Arlette’s missing son and all the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. There’s a twist at the end that was unexpected and well done. The author’s notes at the end of the book tells more of the real-life story of the German ratline and how the Vatican helped thousands of Nazis escape to South America, and how the United States housed many scientists and doctors in exchange for their work in their field.

I’d have to give this book a solid 4.5 out of 5. Highly recommend!

Arlette Larue lives with her greedy aunt in Alsace Lorraine, an area along the German-French border that has been passed between the two countries depending who won the latest war. When her Nazi sympathizer fiancee joins the German army, little does she know she is pregnant,. Her aunt jumps at the chance to contribute an Aryan looking baby to the Nazi “master race” and has Arlette committed to the local German maternity hospital. Meanwhile, Josie Anderson, the daughter of a US diplomat who has fled France, is stranded in Paris with her Jewish mother and grandmother. Arlette is secreted away from the German hospital and is introduced to Josie in Paris, where the two become friends and resistance workers. They are very successful and are labeled the Golden Doves. However, they are condemned to Ravensbruck where the inmates are used for experimentation and Arlette's baby is taken from her. Ten years later, Arlette is in Paris, working in a bistro, and searching for her son. In El Paso Texas, Josie is stationed with US Army Intelligence where she is tasked with locating nazi scientists, some of whom she knew while imprisoned at Ravensbruck. Two women, two POVs, two timelines with intersecting plot lines based on historical information, such as the programs to breed Aryan babies for the Reich, the tortuous experimentation on the inmates, the Vatican ratline to South America, and the competition between the Russians , the Americans, and the Israelis to find the Nazis. This is the fourth book that I've read by the author , and it is definitely worth the read especially if you like mystery and espionage with your history.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the digital arc.

I was given an advance reading copy (arc) of this book by NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Set in Nazi-occupied Paris in the midst of World War II, this book tells the story of American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette La Rue who team up and join the French resistance. La Rue has a child fathered by a young German soldier and Anderson is the daughter of an U.S. diplomat. The two become known as the 'Golden Doves' as their undercover work unfolds. The story was interesting and kept my attention, but a lot was going on. Author Martha Hall Kelly also toggled back and forth between the war years and the post-war years in the fifties, which is not my favorite type of format. Ultimately, arrested for their crimes against Germany, the girls, as well as La Rue's baby, are sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp where unspeakable things happen. After the war, they team up once again to hunt down Nazi fugitives. Overall, I enjoyed the read, which was based on real events, but I found many of the plot points contrived and they just didn't seem to flow naturally within the story--a case in point, the resurfacing of the necklace belonging to Josie's mother. While this was a nice touch, it just didn't seem probable. You might want to read this one for yourself and you be the judge.

This was my first book by Martha Hall Kelly, and I don't think it will be my last. This will definitely be a big hit with her fans, and I think it could possibly bring in some new ones. It's a refreshing take on the classic WWII historical fiction novel because you have the dual timeline of post-WWII. Plus, this was the first book that I've read that has gone into depth about the Nazi ratlines. Overall, a really excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Martha Hall Kelly, and Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars! I've read a lot of historical fiction from WW2 Era and was starting to get tired of the same plots. This one was completely different!! The book bounces around a little with their timelines but it was easy to follow. You read about their time as spies, to their current time (a few years after the war) and some of their time spent in a camp. There's adventure, heartbreak, and some romance.
Highly recommend! I loved these characters!

Thanks to Random House and Net Galley for the ARC of The Golden Doves. Martha Hall Kelly is a genius at writing historical fiction. I loved this one from the beginning. The story follows two female spies who were imprisoned in Ravensbruck. They get involved years later - one in looking for her son, the other for a former Nazi doctor. It was really interesting to see how so many Nazis escaped punishment and defected to South America. It was well written and I was fully invested from cover to cover.

I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but I did like this. It was a well-rounded story and the characters were good. I'd definitely be interested in reading more from Martha Hall Kelly.

This is the first Martha Hall Kelly book I’ve read, and I’m certain it won’t be the last. Our story takes place in a post World War II era as we follow our two main characters who are former spies hunting down a Nazi doctor. If that premise doesn’t get your attention then I don’t know what will! The best part? The story delivers.

Not only is the story expertly told, but the characters are so well written and fully fleshed out. The history is accurate and there is so much hidden educational moments that don’t even let you realize you’re learning. This book is fast paced and easy to read. I would recommend this book to just about anyone that is intrigued by the plot! It’s a great ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For historical fiction, too often the main characters in this novel did not seem believable. Even in the beginning when the 2 young women were aiding the French resistance, they seemed to treat it too lightly, like a game. Later while tracking down a Nazi doctor and a missing child, their actions screamed immaturity and certainly didn’t reflect any professional training. At the same time, this novel was very well researched and exposed WWII horrors of which I was unaware. The role played by some within the Catholic Church and within the U.S. government in getting high level Nazis to safety and freedom after the war was unbelievably horrible. WWII literature is always difficult to read because of the inhumanity but it is also important to know what happened so we can make better choices in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

Another great book by Martha Hall Kelly. The story line took me a little while to get into as it bounced back and forth between the two main characters, Josie and Arlette, and the years 1943/4 and 1952. But, once I got into my groove I couldn't put the book down. I had to keep picking it back up to find out what was going to happen. The plot twist at the end I did not see coming.

The authors note at the end gave actual historical facts which led me to order a non-fiction book that was recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the advance read copy.

I really enjoyed this story and the dual timeline of the characters. While a very hard story to read it did not feel long or feel like it dragged on.

Another amazing historical fiction book from one of my favorite authors! What went on at the Ravensbruck concentration camp with the medication experiments on prisoners was truly horrifying!

In this latest from Martha Hall Kelly we get to know a scarred survivor who is looking for revenge and becomes a spy for the American intelligence. Told in alternating timelines, we get to know what happened to her French Jewish mother and also get to know her friend who lost the baby she gave birth to at the camp.

Great on audio narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Saskia Maarleveld, this was equally moving and heartbreaking. This incredible story celebrates the resilience and bravery of women during and after wartime while shedding light on a little-known part of history. Many thanks to @prhaudio and NetGalley for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

CW: suicide attempt and PTSD

Martha Hall Kelly brings us another beautiful story from WWII. I love her use of dual timelines to give you the whole picture one piece at a time. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.