Synopsis "Bougainvillea Exile (in English)"
In the period just before the onset of World War II, Emil and Magda Franz, a German Jewish couple of social and political influence, are forced to leave their homeland to escape Nazi oppression. They settle in a bougainvillea haven in Southern California. Emil's influence with President Roosevelt makes him an ideal person to bring together people with special talents and expertise to defeat the enemy. Six of these people, three couples, caught up in the insanity of war, form deep friendships. The men, Greg, Drax and Rory, engage the enemy in combat on the front lines, including battles on American territory that the U.S. Government doesn't want its people to know about. Rory, however, is also involved in clandestine activities that will have ramifications that project into the postwar era and the new millennium. The women, Laura, Nessa and Sybil, fight the war and its aftermath using their intelligence, compassion and creativity. They are recruited into code breaking, espionage and post-war humanitarian activities. At the war's end, the friends are challenged by the shadow of the McCarthy era and its insanity. Will the love between the couples and the friendship they all share endure, not just the horrors of war, but also the complexities of the ensuing peace? As a cabal of corrupt and powerful warmongers, afraid of the knowledge these friends possess from their espionage days, plans to assassinate them, the friends draw together once more to make one last stand. "The plot is brimming with action, intrigue, and captivating characters (Emil and Magda appeared in the author's 2015 debut novel, Five Cats of Hamburg)." -Kirkus Reviews
