I was so looking forward to reading this new title from Martha Hall Kelly.
It took me a little way into the book before I became engaged with the story but once I did I loved it.
Two young women an American with Jewish heritage, Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue, a French mother of a young baby Willie are thrown together during the Nazi invasion of Paris. They are both working for the resistance and are so successful in their endeavours they become known as the Golden Doves. The Nazis are determined to find them as they are relaying vital information to the English. Both women, and Willie end up in Ravensbruck detention camp. The horrors of the camp along with the medical trials and experimentation is shocking.
Once the war is over the search for Nazi’s is not. Josie is working for American intelligence and can’t believe that the American army are allowing the ‘recruitment’ of German doctors into the American science program. It is a race between the Russians and the Americans as to who can get the best of the Nazi intelligence before the other. The search for the notorious Nazi Dr Snow who was well known at Ravensbruck is on and Josie becomes involved.
Meanwhile Arlette has information that her son Willie is in an orphan camp in French Guinea. She travels to the camp but all is not as it seems and she is trying to piece together what is going on. It isn’t long before Josie arrives to help Arlette and the Golden Doves are together again fighting for what is right.
The chapters of the book alternate between Josie and Arlette in 1952 and ‘before’ during the war period in 1944. This alternating of chapters gives a background to the lives of the women and current hunt for the Nazis that should be brought to trial.
There is intrigue, mystery, drama and the strength and courage of those that lived through the horror of a concentration camp and losing those that they love.
Another engaging historical fiction which is well researched and inspired by real people from Martha Hall Kelly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! A book written by Martha Hall Kelly- As soon as I received this book it went to the top of my list!!!
Fantastic story!!! I plowed through this book in a couple of days, it was hard to put down. The alternate pov between Josie and Arlene the two Golden Doves. Also , alternate time lines. Told from when they were in Ravensbruck and their current time. Anyone that enjoyed Lilac Girls will love this story as well!!! I will be recommending this book!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Wow!! The Golden Doves is amazing!! This is truly a story of good triumphing over evil. I love that Ms. Kelly continues with the story of survivors of Ravensbruck. This book will keep you hooked right to the explosive finish!

Martha Hall Kelly is an amazing storyteller. The Golden Doves tells of Josie and Arlette with two alternating time lines. They met in Paris while intercepting radio messages from a nearby Nazi office. They end up in Ravensbruck and so the story goes of strength, resilience, love and so much more. If you loved Lilac Girls, do not miss the fabulous book.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

The Golden Dove’s by Martha Hall Kelly follows two young women, one American, Josie and one Parisian, Arlette.
They worked for the French listening to short wave radio messages for Nazi secrets and became known as the Golden Doves for their actions and hunted by the Gestapo.
The Golden Doves lived lives as quietly and under the radar as possible, but there are always complications and intrigue when you are involved in a war at home and in your personal life.
This book is extremely well developed and even with multiple characters, it kept my attention and I have a greater appreciation for all WII Golden Doves.
#TheGoldenDoves
#MarthaHallKelly

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.