142. Luke Devenish: The Heart of the Ritz

Four women join forces, with conviction, courage … and style

France, April 1940. Orphan Polly Hartford has been sent across oceans to her Aunt Marjorie, known only from letters. When Marjorie dies in suspicious circumstances, Polly is left with her aunt’s loaded pistol in a beautiful Hermès handbag . . . and to the care of Marjorie’s three closest friends: an elegant Comtesse, a gutter-born film star and a big-hearted American heiress.

Polly is taken to live at the Hôtel Ritz, where guests and staff believe wealth and prestige protect them from war. But when the Nazis invade, the illusion is shattered. As Paris deteriorates, Polly and her guardians face the horrors of the Occupation with daring, humour, style – even romance – and despite their dangerous secrets, they discover just what they are capable of.

As the Liberation approaches, those who survive at the Ritz must face a day of reckoning, but one truth stands tall: at the heart of the Ritz is the soul of resistance.

‘Marvellously colourful characters in a tale with so many twists and turns make The Heart of the Ritz a page-turner’ J.R. Lonie, bestselling author of The Woman From Saint Germain

‘Luke Devenish is a master of the dramatic cliffhanger’ Daily Telegraph