the nurse behind the gates: completely heartbreaking and unputdownable world war two fiction

Dachau, 1942. Emilie has been told she’s here to nurse evil men. But the first patient she sees in the cold, dark room is hauntingly familiar. Her first love is not wicked. He couldn’t be. What is he doing here?

Emilie’s heart stops as she takes in her childhood sweetheart hunched in a tattered prisoner’s uniform, the light lost from his face. Her new husband, Otto, said this was a camp for criminals. He should know, he’s the doctor. But Danner would never have broken the law.

As she looks into Danner’s beautiful brown eyes, she’s transported back to their happy childhood in Munich. The friendship they shared. The way her heart once felt like it beat only for him. Before the Jewish laws were enforced and Danner pushed Emilie away to protect her, breaking her heart.

Now, Emilie rushes to find Otto, desperate for answers. But when she discovers him waiting with confidentiality papers for her to sign, she realizes her husband has been lying. This isn’t a place to treat sick criminals, but to murder the innocent. And Otto tells her if she doesn’t help, they’ll both die.

Her hands shake as she receives her instructions. But as she rushes back to the sickbay, searching for a way to escape, her gaze lands on Danner once more. In his eyes, she can see something that almost looks like hope...

The thought of losing her first love again tears Emilie’s heart in two. She’s determined to keep him alive, and perhaps she can alter the fate of more than just one prisoner. But can she save Danner? Or will she die trying to rescue the man she’s never stopped loving?

An unputdownable, heart-wrenching yet hopeful World War Two page-turner which will restore your faith in humanity and in the power of love to triumph over evil in the darkest of places. Perfect for fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, The Choice and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice.

What readers are saying about Shari J. Ryan:

＂Wow, wow, wow, wow!!... I LOVED this... One of the most emotional and gut-wrenching books I have read... I shed so many tears... I’ve not cried like that whilst reading for a long time!!... A MUST-READ.＂ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐