Martha Hall Kelly once again explores the astounding, haunting, immeasurable consequences of World War ll, the Holocaust, and experimentation at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Readers of Kelly’s Lilac Girls will recall the horrific experiments to which women and children were subjected at the all-female camp where Dr. Herta Oberheuser was working. The saga continues as two female spies known as the Golden Doves are arrested and sentenced to Ravensbrück to endure unspeakable things. The Golden Doves are Josie Anderson, an American whose mother is a famous Jewish singer and Arlette La Rue, a Parisian. The survival of Josie’s mother and Arlette and her son, Willie from the Kinderzimmer, are central to the plot set at Ravensbrück. A decade later Josie’s mission for the U.S Army is to track down an infamous Nazi doctor and Arlette is led to believe her son, Willie, may have survived. The former Doves risk their lives to seek justice for Josie’s mother and hopefully reunite Arlette with her son.
This novel is based on an inordinate amount of research, so typical of MHK’s previous books. There’s an unbelievable amount of history that’s certainly not taught in schools or revealed in many World War ll novels. She seamlessly weaves an introduction to “Operation Paperclip” here in the U.S. and the Ratline in Germany to give readers a host of nonfiction reading and research to pursue after The Golden Doves. The emotional tension, fear, and guilt are palpable on every page as the plot alternates from 1944 (Before) to 1952, taking readers from Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas where Josie is stationed, to Arlette’s Parisian café, and then following them both to South America to Camp Hope. Readers may not be aware of Colonia Dignidad, an entire “world in the aftermath” of World War ll.
From camp experiments at Ravensbrück to working on vaccines to alleviate a ‘germ bomb’ by the World Health Organization in French Guiana, readers will be spellbound by this compelling narrative and mesmerized by the revelations based on an inconceivable time in our history.

Thank you to Ballantine Books, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly.

Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue are from two very different worlds, yet become unlikely friends working for the resistance in occupied France during WWII. Josie is an American with a Jewish mother and a diplomat for a father. Arlette is a young French girl living with a cruel aunt whose relationship with a German soldier has resulted in a pregnancy. These women are introduced by a resistance operative and The Golden Doves are born. Throughout their individual and combined stories, they work together to do their part to bring down the Nazi regime, survive the horrors of Ravensbruck, and the evil still at play once the bomb drops. While their lives are taken down two different paths after the war’s end, Josie and Arlette join forces again to find Arlette’s son and hunt down an escaped Nazi physician who was responsible for human experimentation and countless deaths at Ravensbruck.

I received this book as an ARC, but did not finish it until after the pub date. I found this story to be inspiring and thrilling and full of deep, rich plot lines that kept me on the edge of my seat. I love that this book takes a look at the aftermath of WWII and Project Paperclip, which so many Americans have heard little of or know nothing about. Hall has created two female characters who are endearing and adventurous, brave and precocious, tough and tender, and amazing role models. I enjoyed this difficult and inspiring story from beginning to end. Martha Hall Kelly is a fabulous WWII novelist who brings the horrors of that era to life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, strong female characters, adventure, and a thirst for justice.

Wow. An amazing book with wonderful details and well developed characters. Definitely to the level of the Lilac Girls. An historical novel based in World War II and the subsequent timing afterwards The Cold War. This story begins with Josie, stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1952, who spends six days out of the week staring at photographs of German soldiers, sifting through them, trying to determine which of Hitler’s scientists might hold value to their program. She is the daughter of an American diplomat, and was friends with Arlette, a half-Jewish young mother whose baby’s German father left when the Nazis were looking for young men to fight for Hitler’s dream. These two young women became close working in the resistance, trying to obstruct the Nazis in Vichy France. Their work in the resistance as part of The Golden Doves is crucial to the success, or failure, of the resistance. Crucial for the lives of many, including Arlette’s baby, Willie. But their work for the resistance comes to an end, and they end up at Ravensbruck. The research was impeccable as well as the details in the novel adding to the content as well as the story line. Just when you think you have read the worst of the Nazi's an author continues to add to the wealth of disgust in treatment of human beings. Martha Hall Kelly is a phenomenal author, adding to the story with every word and research detail.

Thank you to Martha Hall Kelly, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity.

Based on a true story, this is centered on the hunt for escaped Nazi scientists who had worked at concentration camps during WWII. A compelling story with striping female characters trying to find those that got away, it also takes you into the sadistic mind of the Third Reich and it’s human experimentation.

Themes: 👀🔎🔦🕵️‍♀️👩‍🔬🧑‍🔬🧪🔬🧿

Me thoughts: 🙂🙃🥸🧐🫡😬😌

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Martha Hall Kelly has done it again! Another amazing story. Her books have yet to disappoint.

Her books are so well researched but never bogged down with all she’s learned. It leaves me wanting to learn more on my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this great book!

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly was another great book. Kelly does so much research for her novels and is an excellent author so her books are always favorites. This book focuses on two strong female spies who were only known as The Golden Doves. I love the way the story winds around and becomes so all encompassing that I cheered for them, worried about them and held my breath.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced e-book.

American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue are thrilled to be working in the French resistance, stealing so many Nazi secrets that they become known as the Golden Doves, renowned across France and hunted by the Gestapo. Their courage will cost them everything. When they are finally arrested and taken to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, along with their loved ones, a reclusive Nazi doctor does unspeakable things to Josie’s mother, a celebrated Jewish singer who joined her daughter in Paris when the world seemed bright. And Arlette’s son is stolen from her, never to be seen again.

A decade later the Doves fall headlong into a dangerous dual mission: Josie is working for U.S. Army Intelligence and accepts an assignment to hunt down the infamous doctor, while a mysterious man tells Arlette he may have found her son. The Golden Doves embark on a quest across Europe and ultimately to French Guiana, discovering a web of terrible secrets, and must put themselves in grave danger to finally secure justice and protect the ones they love.

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨!
This is one of those stories that you can’t stop reading. A beautifully written story, about bravery, family, survival and friendship that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 released April 18, 2023.

Having read and loved Martha Hall Kelly’s first book, Lilac Girls and hearing her speak in Indianapolis, I was excited to read The Golden Doves as I knew the book would be well-researched. I was not disappointed. The book is told in two time periods, During WWII and after the war in 1952. We follow two main Characters. Josie, who is the daughter of an American diplomat and her mother is a famous French Jewish singer. Arlette has a baby boy. During the war, Arlette and Josie work as a team helping the Resistance passing messages by wireless to the British. When they are caught, they are sent to Ravensbruck. Along with Josie’s mother. Throughout the novel, we learn what happened at Ravensbruck.

In 1952, Arlette is an Army Intelligence Officer stationed in Texas. Arlette, has traveled to French Guiana in search for Willy, her little boy. Josie is sent on assignment to French Guiana and is reunited with Arlette. Who can be trusted? This reader found The Golden Doves to be highly emotional. I felt like I was looking over Arlette’s and Josie’s shoulders. @fter reading an ARC of this book, I bought the Audio version to be able to listen to the story.. I really enjoyed it. I found myself talking to the characters. My thanks to Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book. the opinions in this review are my own.

ARC for The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
*Pub date: April 18, 2023*

You will RAGE with anger, CHEER with relief and then STARTLE with shock as you read The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly.

It is an amazing story that unveils the journey of the two teenage spies living in Paris who suddenly become prisoners during WWII and the aftermath that leads them to become hunters of an escaped Nazi Doctor who changed the trajectory of their lives forever.

If you love WWII historic fiction and diving into those rarely-told nuggets surrounding the war, you will love The Golden Doves. The journey of American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LeRue takes the reader through the exciting WWII streets of Paris, the dirty secrets of RavenBruck-a women’s prisoner camp, and the post-war cities of Europe and beautiful French Guiana.

The story begins in post-WWII Texas, where Operation Paperclip has provided Nazi scientists and doctors a safe haven to work for the US government. War criminals are living a comfortable life in exchange for secrets and continued research. Josie Anderson, an US intelligence agent, is appalled by this program and doesn’t hide it. She finds herself given an assignment away from Texas-Find Dr Snow, an escaped Nazi Doctor from Ravenbruck, who tortured Josie’s friends and family. Josie quickly reaches out to her best friend, Arlette LeRue, now a waitress, in Paris for support on this soul-crushing assignment. Arlette, too, has had encounters with the doctors at Ravenbruck and could be provide important details.

The layered story of Josie and Arlette seamless bounces between two timelines, WWII and 10 years post-war. The hunt for Dr Snow introduces Josie to a potential love interest and partners her with her best boyfriend, Johann. They travel the Ratline to follow the trail that Dr Snow and thousands of other Nazi’s took to escape Germany as the war ended. Although the trail is long cold, they quickly realize that the Catholic Church in Rome aided these criminals to escape to the luxuries in South America. Alone Arlette finds herself in French Guiana embroiled in an unwelcome romance, a potential reunion with her long-lost son, an WHO investigation, and an International charity that brings Hope Home.

Their journey becomes a page-turner that keeps you speeding through the carefully research details, the shocking twists, and the horrors experienced by these brave women. You will SO miss them as you finish the last pages. After spending hours in their company, your connection with them is intense. They are your sisters, your best friends, your neighbors who carry the secrets of survivors.

Available now! READ IT! 5 stars

*I was given the opportunity by Net Gallery and the publisher to read a copy of the Golden Doves in exchange for a fair & honest review.

Josie and Arlette were the notorious Golden Doves, working for French resistance in war-ravaged Paris during the war and imprisoned together in Ravensbruck.. Now, in 1952, Josie works for US Army intelligence and has been tasked with locating the evil Dr. Snow, who once experimented on prisoners at Ravensbruck. Arlette is still searching for her son, who was taken from her at the camp. Martha Hall Kelly has weaved together a story, told by both women in 1952 and back in 1944 before and during their imprisonment. This book has more of a thriller aspect to it than the first book I read by her, with Cold War espionage and the race to keep the Soviets from getting control of the Nazis who escaped justice. Such a fantastic read!

Martha Hall Kelly does it again. She has clearly staked her claim in historical fiction. Her stories are amazingly written and make you feel like you're along for the ride.

Kelly takes us to post World War II and follows the recovery journey of two Ravensbruck camp survivors: Josie and Arlette. We learn their harrowing journey through the war as Resistance Spies, gaining the name the Golden Doves by intercepting Nazi messages and risking their lives to relay those messages to England. As they try to piece together their lives after the war, Josie is still on the hunt for Nazi doctors from Ravensbruck while Arlette is searching for her son lost to her during her time in the concentration camp. Kelly leaves us grappling for justice and the truth as Josie and Arlette try to find their own truths following the war.

Overall, I was left wanting more of the Josie and Arlette's back story, detailing more of their espionage to gain a better understanding of their experiences and shaping of their characters. Some of the moments in the book were meant to be cliffhangers, but were built up dramatically without the follow through.
#TheGoldenDoves #NetGalley

The Golden Doves, by Martha Hall Kelly, is a tough novel to review. Kelly tells the story of two Ravensbruck Camp survivors who worked against the Nazis in Paris during the occupation and come together in 1952 to resolve lingering issues. Their horrendous experiences in the camp are told in flashbacks that also inform the work they are doing in 1952. The novel is meticulously researched and based on documented fact. I learned a great deal about the sudden and yet understandable demise of moral integrity as Americans and Russians vied to lure as many German scientists as possible to their own side of the Cold War. I was reminded again that experiencing horror scars you for life. You don't get over it, but perhaps, you learn to live with it. This story hits hard emotionally. Unfortunately, it is undermined by the two main characters who seem often naive and ill-equipped for the work they are doing. The Author's Note at the end of the novel is well worth reading. I've given this book four stars, and I do recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

Okay, I'll have to admit that I was a little intimidated by this book. Just the number of pages, 500+, had me cringe a bit. Before I started it, I didn't realize what that page count was So, that being said, it was the storyline that drew me to read The Golden Doves. Once I got into the story, the pages flew and I devoured it!

The Golden Doves is told in dual points of view and dual timelines. We get to know Josie and Arlette as they struggled and survived the war and then again 10 years later as they are dealing with the aftermath of what they went though. This made for an exciting and intriguing story that drew me in and kept my attention to the very end.

Martha Hall Kelly has written several other historical fiction novels, which are very popular. The Golden Doves is the first book of hers that I have read but it won't be the last. I highly recommend this one for all historical fiction lovers.

If you like WWII era stories, this will be a great book for you. It goes back and forth between two girls during the war and then in 1952 and highlights things that I haven't seen in the other books about that time period. There are parts about concentration camps and resistance work, but also about hunting down Nazis after the war, reuniting families, etc.

Having read and enjoyed Lilac Girls, I was excited to read this latest book by Martha Hall Kelly. This latest book follows the lives of two former female spies who worked for the French Resistance during World War II and their post-war mission to bring a Nazi doctor to justice. It is a powerful and moving tribute to the women who fought against tyranny and oppression during World War II and beyond while still offering a gripping and enjoyable storyline. Fortunately, in recent years, historical fiction has been spotlighting the role women have played in history and I can only hope that trend continues.

This was another beautifully researched and written historical fiction thriller from Martha Hall Kelly. It kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing until the end. And the ending?!...hopefully there will be a follow-up because it left me wanting to know what happens next.

Martha Hall Kelly expertly balances the sharing of information from the central characters, keeping the reader in a constant state of curiosity.

Having just completed <b>The Golden Doves</b> I’ve now read and appreciated all four of Martha Hall Kelly’s works of historical fiction. Her research is incredible, and I love how she incorporates factual events and real people into her tales. As I read The Golden Doves, I eagerly awaited the Author’s Note in which she typically sets out the factual elements and how she came to learn of them. Sure enough, it was eye opening and educational in equal measure. Included in her story were elements of the experimental operations performed on women and children in the Nazi prison camps. There was reference to some shocking government activity which brought Nazi’s to America; even more shocking was the fact the Vatican had a Nazi sympathizer element which helped Nazi’s escape justice. I liked the sections about the French spies and how they transmitted morse code, but also the way the Germans were able to identify where the transmissions were coming from. Hall Kelly also detailed the real people she had included and who had inspired other characters she’d created.
The Golden Doves is based around two female characters, Josie and Arlette. During World War II they had worked together as spies in the French underground resistance and went by the code name The Golden Doves. The story alternated between each of their perspectives and was mostly set in 1952 but to help provide their backstories there were several flashbacks to 1943.
In 1952 Arlette still carries the grief of having her son stolen from her in Ravensbruk, the Nazi prison camp she and Josie survived. She has never given up hope of finding him alive and when a representative of Hope Home, a children’s home in French Guiana, approached her with the possibility of locating her now 9-year-old son she could not resist. Meanwhile, in 1952, Josie is working as a Captain in the American Army, dedicating her life to tracking ex-Nazi’s. Her official mission is to find them for Operation Paperclip – to bring the greatest German chemists, aerospace engineers and scientists to the USA before the Russians get them. Unofficially, she has Dr Snow on her radar - the person responsible for her mother’s death in Ravensbruk. Ideally, she wants revenge but at the very least she wants to bring them to justice.

The story was good, and I liked the characters a lot. I have an especially low threshold for tension when I’m reading and as such don’t pick up many espionage stories. Though I particularly enjoyed this one it took me a long time to read it as I could often only do one or two chapters at a time. The book reminded me of the courage many people (such as these characters) displayed during the war, and not for the first time realised I would never have had the nerve to have behaved as these women did, to have put their lives on the line for the greater good and to fight for those they loved.
I sure hope this will not be her last and I suspect the ending she delivered left the door open for a sequel.
My thanks to Corina Diez of Random House for the pre-approval and to NetGalley for making it possible. I highly recommend this novel to readers of historical fiction and especially those who are partial to WWII fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new historical fiction book by Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls - 4 stars!

Josie is an American living in Paris with her Jewish family during the Nazi occupation. Arlette is a newly-pregnant Frenchwoman who basically was forced to give up her child to the Reich. Both women are recruited to carry out secret missions for the resistance and are code named the Golden Doves. They are eventually caught and taken to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Years later, they are called back to track down an infamous Nazi doctor, the one who did terrible things to Josie's mother years ago. They are also hoping to find Arlette's stolen son.

Another WWII book filled with atrocities and wonderfully written and researched. I read The German Wife, by Kelly Rimmer, who introduced me to Operation Paperclip, part of this story as well, where Americans brought Nazi scientists to America for their expertise in expanding our rocket program. It's hard to even imagine living through a concentration camp and then having to be part of bringing those in charge to America to live a comfortable lifestyle with no punishment. I felt like this book could have been a bit shorter and I found myself a bit confused between the different viewpoints and timelines, but it is definitely a worthy read for historical fiction lovers.