The Baker's Daughter

In 1945, Elsie Schmidt is a naive teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she is for her first kiss. She and her family have been protected from the worst of the terror and desperation overtaking her country by a high-ranking Nazi who wishes to marry her. So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie's doorstep in the dead of night on Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door would put all she loves in danger. Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine. Reba is perpetually on the run from memories of a turbulent childhood, but she's been in El Paso long enough to get a full-time job and a fiancE, Riki Chavez. Riki, an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, finds comfort in strict rules and regulations, whereas Reba feels that lines are often blurred. Reba's latest assignment has brought her to the shop of an elderly baker across town. The interview should take a few hours at most, but the owner of Elsie's German Bakery is no easy subject. Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story. For Elsie, Reba's questions are a stinging reminder of darker times: her life in Germany during that last bleak year of WWII. And as Elsie, Reba, and Riki's lives become more intertwined, all are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

About the Author :
SARAH McCOY is the "New York Times" bestselling author of the novel "The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico. "She has taught at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso. The daughter of an Army officer, McCoy spent her childhood in Germany. She currently lives with her husband in El Paso, Texas. Visit her at SarahMcCoy.com

Review :
"Replete with raw emotion and suspense, "The Baker's Daughter" is a fascinating journey through a horrifying time in world history that will resonate long after you close the book." -"Historical Novel Society" "A beautiful, heart-breaking gem of a novel written just the way I like them, with the past coming back to haunt the present, endearing heroines and a sunny, hopeful ending. You'll wolf it up in one delicious gulp."--Tatiana de Rosnay, international bestselling author of "Sarah's Key" and "A Secret Kept" ""The Baker's Daughter" was a constant warm companion to me during cross-country travels, a novel I looked forward to returning to night after night. The rare book in which the modern-day story is as compelling as the wartime tale it contains, "The Baker's Daughter" offers a look at Nazi Germany through the lens of the immigration issues of our own time. El Paso, TX and Garmisch, Germany make for an unexpected harmony of flavors."--Jenna Blum, international bestselling author of "The Stormchasers" and "Those Who Save Us" "A sensitive, multilayered novel, this is a moving examination of the effect war and the politics of exclusion, have on the human heart."--Amanda Hodgkinson, "New York Times" bestselling author of "22 Brittania Road" "A haunting and beautiful story... Spanning sixty years, and taking on forms of human cruelty and indifference ranging from the Nazis to modern-day immigration reform, McCoy forces us to examine the choices we make. I was riveted from start to finish."- J. Courtney Sullivan, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Commencement" and "Maine" "This is a beautifully told, richly detailed story that grabs your heart from page one and keeps its hold long after the last page. It is a book to discuss, to share and ultimately to savor."--Sarah Jio, author of "The Violets of March" "Elsie Schmidt is the brave and unforgettable heroine of Sarah McCoy's beautifully written tale of family, friendship, and love. "The Baker's Daughter" demonstrates how the past can teach us--if only we will listen."--Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" "Sarah McCoy's "The Baker's Daughter" explores what happens when our loyalties (to country, cause, family, religion) clash with our intuition. A complex braiding of mystery, history, and personality, this novel is engaging and wonderful."--Sheri Reynolds, "New York Times "bestselling author of "The Rapture of Canaan " "A beautiful, heart-breaking gem of a novel written just the way I like them, with the past coming back to haunt the present, endearing heroines and a sunny, hopeful ending. You'll wolf it up in one delicious gulp."--Tatiana de Rosnay, international bestselling author of "Sarah's Key" and "A Secret Kept" ""The Baker's Daughter" was a constant warm companion to me during cross-country travels, a novel I looked forward to returning to night after night. The rare book in which the modern-day story is as compelling as the wartime tale it contains, "The Baker's Daughter" offers a look at Nazi Germany through the lens of the immigration issues of our own time. El Paso, TX and Garmisch, Germany make for an unexpected harmony of flavors."--Jenna Blum, international bestselling author of "The Stormchasers" and "Those Who Save Us" "A sensitive, multilayered novel, this is a moving examination of the effect war and the politics of exclusion, have on the human heart."--Amanda Hodgkinson, "New York Times" bestselling author of "22 Brittania Road" "A haunting and beautiful story... Spanning sixty years, and taking on forms of human cruelty and indifference ranging from the Nazis to modern-day immigration reform, McCoy forces us to examine the choices we make. I was riveted from start to finish."- J. Courtney Sullivan, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Commencement" and "Maine" "This is a beautifully told, richly detailed story that grabs your heart from page one and keeps its hold long after the last page. It is a book to discuss, to share and ultimately to savor."--Sarah Jio, author of "The Violets of March" "Elsie Schmidt is the brave and unforgettable heroine of Sarah McCoy's beautifully written tale of family, friendship, and love. "The Baker's Daughter" demonstrates how the past can teach us--if only we will listen."--Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" "Sarah McCoy's "The Baker's "A sensitive, multilayered novel, "The Baker's Daughter" is a delicious mix of stories brought together to form a moving examination of the effect war and the politics of exclusion, have on the human heart." --Amanda Hodgkinson, author of "22 Brittania Road " "This is a beautifully told, richly detailed story that grabs your heart from page one and keeps its hold long after the last page. It is a book to discuss, to share and ultimately to savor, preferably with a German pastry at the ready." --Sarah Jio, author of "The Violets of March " "Elsie Schmidt is the brave and unforgettable heroine of Sarah McCoy's beautifully written tale of family, friendship, and love. "The Baker's Daughter" demonstrates how the past can teach us--if only we will listen."--Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" "Sarah McCoy's "The Baker's Daughter" explores what happens when our loyalties (to country, cause, family, religion) clash with our intuition. A c