This was a fantastically done historical fiction. The length was daunting and did put me off though. It was over 500 pages, however the pacing was alright - it’s still a long book though.

This book follows the lives of two former female spies from WW2. Josie Anderson is American and Arlette LaRue is Parisian. They both lost so much during the war and are struggling to make it. They were both captured and held in a concentration camp and lost things both held dearly to them. A child for Arlette and Josie’s mom. Years later Arlette finds out that her son may still be alive and a mysterious man is determined to help her find him. Josie has a shot at capturing the doctor who killed her mother.

This is a wonderful story of hope and resilience. I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars mainly because I felt the story dragged in places and it was unnecessarily long. It was beautiful though. Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy. This comes out next spring, April 18 so make sure to get it ordered now so you don’t miss out!

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
I have read and loved Lilac Girls by the same author, so I was exited to read this latest novel in the series. Unfortunately I was very disappointed, this was no Lilac Girls. Even though the events in the book were based on actual events, I found the story often unbelievable and far fetched. How the Golden Doves were chosen without any vetting, for example, how they managed to dispose of a body are just two examples. The constant back and forth between both time frames and characters didn’t work for me and I found it choppy and confusing. The status of Will/Thomas was left to the reader’s imagination, or did I miss something hurrying to finish the book as I was getting bored?
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Kelly delivers another gripping tale that follows two young woman horribly impacted by the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Centering on the many Nazis that escaped punishment for their crimes, the pace is real and dramatic.

The Golden Doves tells the story of two women in France, Arlette and Josie, working behind the scenes for the French Resistance in WWII. They were so successful that they are dubbed "The Golden Doves" and a price was put on their heads by the Nazis. Eventually captured and sent to Ravensbruck, the Nazi concentration camp for women, they witnessed Nazi attrocities firsthand. Told in alternating timelines of the 1940s - before and during their time in Ravensbruck - and the 1950s after the war when Josie was working for the American Government in tracking Nazis who escaped justice and Arlette was trying to find her son who was taken from her before the fall of the camp. This is an amazing story which opened my eyes to how some Nazi criminals were able to escape prosecution for crimes against humanity by selling themselves and their scientific knowledge to the highest bidding government. Arlette and Josie are brave women encountering impossible situations - the descriptions of time at Ravensbruck were hard for me to read - but the book did have a satisfying ending. No spoilers, but there were so many twists and turns to the plot that I was surprised by the end because I had not anticipated what happened. I'm not normally a fan of thrillers but this one had me on the edge of my seat for the last few chapters. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Golden Doves, by Martha Hall Kelly, is the story of two young women in Paris during WWII. One is the daughter of the US Ambassador and a Jewish mother. When the ambassador flees Paris, the mother, grandmother, and daughter are left behind because the grandmother is too sick to travel. The other young woman has a child by a German officer. She has been sent to a home for unwed mothers, but she escapes with the child. Both end up working together for the resistance before being caught and sent to a concentration camp. They were given the name Golden Doves and were wanted women.

It is an exciting story of what two young women can do when they come face to face with evil. I was able to read this on #NetGalley.

Martha Hall Kelly has become one of my favorite authors, and she has delivered another wonderful historical fiction book about a subject I knew little about. The Golden Doves is full of intrigue and speculation, and it kept me guessing and turning pages. And as usual, the author’s notes at the end made me appreciate the book even more.

JOSIE
Ft Bliss, Texas 1952
“I set the award back in the box. “You can quit the act. I know you supervised the delivery of Zyklon-B to every one of Hitler’s concentration camps personally. Demonstrated its use with human subjects. I have the paper trail.” The wife makes a choking sound and clutches her pearls. “If I were in charge you’d be hanging at the end of a rope. But you’re here now, and starting today, when you report to Area C, you’d better start coughing up whatever sciencey state secrets you allegedly have, and more info on your scientist pals, or it’s back to the fatherland you go to stand trial.” I stash the box in my bag and start off toward the door…”

I liked both Josie and Arlette. My favorite parts of the book were when they worked together.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.
#MarthaHallKelly

I find I am always waiting for a new book by Martha Hall Kelly. This is my fourth! She is an unbelievable writer. She keeps me at the end of my seat every time. This book had so many things going on at once it was thrilling to follow each story line and guess the ending... Thank you for sharing!!

I have read quite a few dual-time novels and enjoyed switching between time periods. For some reason this one was difficult to switch back and forth. The author's notes were well done and I almost wish I had read them before reading the novel. I had not known the history about war criminals brought to the US to work on secret government programs. It was so sad to read about the children that survived the atrocities of WW2 prison camps. I have read numerous WW2 novels, but this one was sadder than most. I never quite connected with the personalities of the main characters.

“The Golden Doves” has two protagonists, Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue, with two alternating timelines, 1952 and 1944-45. Josie was the daughter of an American diplomat and a French Jewish woman. Arlette’s parents died when she was young and she was brought up by a cruel Aunt who made her perform menial chores, fed her little, and consigned her to the basement. As a teenager, Arlette became pregnant by a young German cadet, and when her Aunt found out, the Aunt sent her to one of Hitler’s “Lebensburn Homes,” where unwed mothers of Aryan stock gave birth to children who were adopted by prominent German families. Arlette managed to escape with her newborn son with the help of her nurse, Therese, who was a member of the resistance.

Arlette and Josie met during the Nazi occupation of Paris, where they were introduced to each other by Therese, who recruited them to intercept radio messages from a Nazi office next door to Arlette’s apartment. Their superiors in London, pleased with their work, gave them the code name “the Golden Doves.” The women were eventually captured and sent to Ravensbruck. Arlette was assigned to a barracks of women and children, where she was able to see her son each day after her work detail. One day, not long before liberation of the Camp, her son was taken from the barracks by one of the guards, and Arlette never knew where he was taken.

Arlette and Josie managed to survive Ravensbruck. After the war, Josie worked for the Army at Ft. Bliss, Texas reviewing files of former Nazi scientists the Army wanted to recruit. Arlette worked as a waitress in a cafe in Paris with other Ravensbruck survivors. For years she had searched in vain for the whereabouts of her son, often duped by unscrupulous individuals who pretended to have knowledge of her son’s location, only to fleece her out of her money and disappear.

Josie and Arlette are reunited in 1952 when Josie returns to Paris on assignment to locate and recruit a former Ravensbruck doctor and virologist only known as “Snow.” Josie is conflicted about this assignment because she believes Snow was responsible for her mother’s death and would rather Snow face punishment rather than work in America. In the meantime, Arlette is approached by Luc Minua, who claims to be one of the heads of a philanthropic organization that brings German orphans to live in a camp in French Guiana. He believes that he has found her missing son, and urges her to return with him to French Guiana to meet the orphans and see if she can identify her son. She reluctantly agrees to the journey and soon begins to suspect that something is not right about the camp.

In the meantime, Josie travels throughout Europe, trying to find a lead for the elusive Dr. Snow, while being pursued by spies of various nationalities who are also intent on finding Dr. Snow for their own purposes: the Israelis to bring Snow to justice and the Russians to recruit Snow for their own virology program. Josie doesn’t know whom to trust, including her own American co-workers.

In addition to World War II and post-war history, this novel has elements of espionage, mystery and intrigue, which should keep readers engaged. The characters are well-drawn and the book contains realistic details of resistance work and life at Ravensbruck. This book should appeal to historical fiction fans as well as those who like an engaging spy novel.

Extremely well written, The Golden Doves, goes back and forth in time, telling the story of two young women before, during, and after they were imprisoned at Ravensbrück during WW2. I particularly liked after story portion with the tracking down of Nazi war criminals. This book kept me guessing and sent me to the internet to find out more.

One of the many reasons I enjoy historical fiction is to learn about history outside of a classroom, even if it's appalling. The Golden Doves is the first time I've learned about a US program that brought Nazi scientists in to the US to work for us after The war ended. I had to Google while reading because I couldn't imagine it was historically accurate; but it was. I'm pretty sure my high school world history class basically moved on to the next war after hitler was killed, the Wall went up and Japan was stopped. This is also one of the first times I've read about the women's concentration camp, Ravensbruck, and the nursery the nazis experimented with to increase prisoners' productivity.

The other story lines were interesting as well as sad, as most wwii books tend to be. The general plot was believable and most of the loose ends were wrapped up well. The author used foreshadowing quite a bit so there wasn't a lot of surprises, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I think this opinion might not be popular, but I didn't really connect to either of the main characters. Their dialog and actions weren't very believable- they both come off as a little too naive and gullible at times, and a lot of the events that they were involved in just seemed too convenient. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge espionage reader, but it was harder to believe certain parts of the spy plotlines.

The last paragraph makes it sound like there may be a sequel and I'd definitely read it.

I'd recommend this to readers of WWII/aftermath plot lines.


*received digital ARC from netgalley

Martha Hall Kelly fans will love The Golden Doves, a historical thriller. Through the eyes of two brave women spies, the novel describes the horrors of the Ravensbrῢck camp and the dangers of wartime Europe.

Set in 1952 after WWII, Hall Kelly switches from the present to wartime ’40s. Best friends Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue work together as spies under the code name Golden Doves to defeat the Nazi regime. After their escape from the Ravensbrῢck concentration camp, they encounter each other with Josie on a special mission to find the notorious Nazi Dr. Snow and Arlette in search of her lost son.

Having read three out of four of her novels, The Golden Doves is the best of Martha Hill Kelly’s novels. Her dedicated research and detailed descriptions make her novels perfect for a movie or TV series. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for letting me read and review it. #NetGalley #The Golden Doves #historical fiction

I really like historical fiction books there is some great stories. This one is no exception. It us about spies mostly for wars. The characters and storyline were wonderful.
This book was approved for me to read and review by netgalley and the publisher.

This was a fun mix-up of thriller, mystery, and historical fiction that at the end I think worked. There were some aspects of the story I found a bit difficult to understand but it might be because of the way the story was presented.

After WWII, many Nazis and Nazi sympathizers found new homes in South America, never really being held accountable for their crimes. They were aided by government leaders, church leaders and other believers in the Third Reich. Some governments actively recruited them to aid in weapons development.
Josie and Arlette worked with the French resistance but ended up in a concentration camp. Years later, they go to South America in the hopes of Arlette finding the son who had been taken from her, and Josie, in hopes of catching the notorious Nazi, Dr. Snow. Both bear the scars of war, but are determined to succeed in their missions.
Well written and researched book about yet another aspect of World War II that may have been forgotten.

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly is a quietly powerful book set in the World War II.
Inspired by true events.

I enjoyed Lilac Girls. So I was very happy when I received The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly.
TGD is a quietly powerful book set in the second World War and inspired by true events.

Josie and Arlette endure unthinkable, brutal, and some heartbreaking things along their journey.
I was completely enthralled in the storyline. It honestly took my breath in some.
This is an excellent historical fiction novel.
Martha Hall Kelly, is a master at crafting vivid characters from the first page
This really was historical fiction at its finest, this book made me feel things I haven't felt in some time.
Rigorously researched, wonderfully written, and with twists that will leave readers thirsting for more.
A brilliant novel more than worthy of its intriguing subject.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Random House & Ballantine Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

THE GOLDEN DOVES
BY: MARTHA HALL KELLY

Martha Hall Kelly you are a national treasure. I have discovered that you have easily become one of my all time Favorite Authors hands down. This is something that I happily realized after being a latecomer to reading you for the first time, with your wonderful civil war era Historical novel called, "Sunflower Sisters". After reading and loving that one, I knew I was long overdue to read "Lilac Girls," which I am restating was so outstanding it took my breath away!

In this latest and fourth in your series, but can be read as a standalone, called, "The Golden Doves," you have once again outdone yourself. You are a master at writing Historical fiction based on historical factual data based on real people. This is my third book written by you and I knew that I was in great hands and I loved this one as much as the two I have mentioned above.

This one I felt was larger and more epic in scope.

It chronicles the lives of Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue who team up in France and are brought together to work as spies. They work together hidden in plain sight informing England about the Germans. Josie is from the United States and the chapters move forward and backward in time. As the novel begins, Josie works as an Army Intelligence officer stationed in El paso, Texas as a disillusioned high ranking Official. She is tired of the Nazi's living easily and not being punished for their atrocities committed during World War II.

Arlette and Josie accompanied by Arlette's baby named Willie are working for the Resistance when suddenly things go horribly wrong and they are sent to Ravensbruck work detention camp. What happens there has consequences for how the rest of this fantastic novel's vivid scenes play out. I don't want to give too much away, because I would hate to spoil it for those readers who are lucky to still have it on their shelves to learn about in their own joyful reading experience. You will have much to devour. I will say that the Title is perfect and for those who loved "Lilac Girls," you will be rewarded with much to discover here. I went into this novel totally blind. In my humble opinion, I think that is the best way to get the most fulfilling outcome from reading this.

I learned quite a bit and was so grateful to read the Author's Note, which authenticates the real people which inspired this richly crafted narrative. Martha Hall Kelly gives detailed anecdotes including the people she wrote about and books to further explore, which I plan on reading next. A Favorite with lush prose, which I'll never forget!

My review to "Sunflower Sisters," can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3599187491

My review to "Lilac Girls," can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1634505378

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Ballantine Books for generously providing me with this excellent ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheGoldenDoves #MarthaHallKelly #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantineBallantineBooks #NetGalley

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly is a wonderful and stunning postWWII-era historical fiction that is from one of my favorite authors. I loved it.

Leave it up to Ms. Kelly to bring us a truly wonderful new novel full of historical detail, Hf, mystery, suspense, intrigue, action, human emotion, and keep us continually coming back for more. Former resistance fighters/agents…now spies and fugitive hunters…Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue have their own mysteries and obstacles that make this journey personal as well as moral and patriotic. Hunting down the hidden and evil former Nazi physician will become a mission for answers and justice in more ways than one.

I was hooked from page one…and I never let go. Excellent and highly recommend.

Well done!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ballantine Books / Random House 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 on 4/18/23.