After saving the life of Dr. Mengele on the battlefield, Ernst is transferred to Auschwitz to work under the doctor. Naive and a bit innocent, Ernst is horrified and shocked at the medical care and experiments. The Aizenberg family is ripped from their homes and forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto with a secular family. Soshana becomes friendly with Ruth, who leads her to a cafe to sing. After running away to Paris, beautiful Gisele finds herself working as a cleaner in a brothel.

I had a hard time with this book. The characters were stereotypical and one-dimensional. As soon as I became interested in one character, the author switched to another point of view. The book was extremely slow moving and predictable. Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend. ( )

Book #2, in the Auschwitz Twins series

This story is divided in 3 important sections called books

Book #1, chapters 1 to 20

Berlin, Germany 1930’s

Ernst Neider is a shy and unpopular individual his dream was to be a doctor. Coming from a poor family his parents gave him everything to make this come true. At university he made friend with Ancel a Jewish medical student who introduced him to his Jewish friends and to their ways of life.

We read about his life at the university and with his parents. By the time he graduated the war broke out and Ernst was facing a frigid and miserable winter as his troop headed east. Early 1942, he met Josef Mengele who offered him a job at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Ernst didn’t know what was in store for him....The story tells us what awaits him.

Book #2, chapter 21 to 39

1938, life in a large Shtetl then in the ghetto of Warsaw and Auschwitz.

For the Aizenberg family life was a very day affair where men were master and women and children did what they were asked without any question. We follow the family’s ups and downs till the day the Nazi Germany attacked Poland, the fabric of the life as they had known was threatened. Soon German boots moved in, people were rounded and trucks carted them away.

Warsaw Ghetto 1941

No cake walk, the family shared a small accommodation with another family and as we follow them in their day to day life we see the hardship they suffered till the day the Ghetto was emptied.....they were heading for Auschwitz

Book #3, chapter 40 to 70

Marseilles, France, 1940

After the sudden death of her mother, 14 year old Gisele Lenoir was on her own. Before she died her mother told her the name of her father: Josef Mengele. She became desperate to seek him out and her only way was to learn the ways of a courtisane, she learnt this at the brothel where she worked as a maid till one day she needed help and it came by the name of Dr. Marcel Petiot. But for him everything came at a cost.....After Gisele witnessed Marcel’s doing. Escape was her only out. We follow her to Berlin where she soon met Ernst.

By the end all the stories come together and the characters end up at the hands of Mengele.....

Of course this novel offer more than my summary tells...

My thoughts

At first I was captivated by this story. I wanted to learn about this apprentice see what he was going to be involved in. But what really happened in the first book was how he lived and the struggles he faced as a poor, shy and overweight person. I thought the author would expand on his work with Mengele but no it just petered out there. Then to book 2, this was the run of the mill of life in a Shtetl, a Ghetto and on the way to the camp. Since this series is about twins this sidebar may have been an obligation. But this time it seemed more a filler. I did love book # 3, this was an exciting story that could have easily happened but again I wished the author would have expanded here also. By the end, I was left frustrated by not knowing the development and having to wait for book #3... I am hoping it will give more and not be in the style of this one.

I love historical fiction that gives you some knowledge along the way. Although this novel is well-written and moves at a good pace I was highly disappointed to read portion of stories and be left hanging there.

Although Mengele and Petiot were real people here they play character roles. One thing for sure, I am more than curious to learn more these two sadistic men.

This latest may not have been my preferred but it may be yours. It is nevertheless worst giving it a try.

Thank you The Book Whisperer for giving me the opportunity to read this book. ( )