Available here (paperback 2023)

The first time I read a Kate Furnivall book was back in 2018 and my first thoughts on my old blog still ring true of really enjoying the historical thriller of The Betrayal. It meant that when I signed back up to the local library and I gained access to the e-books I went straight on a search for Kate books on there; The Child Of The Ruins was the only one on there.

Based in Germany post World War Two, with the city divided, Anna was on the search for a child. Not just any child but *her* child that Anna’s own mother had given away when Anna was ill in bed as the mother could not stand to look at the child because of who the father was; We later discover the truth behind who the father is, it comes as a bit of a curveball because it is not what you expect. But all of that is the start of a huge set of chaos and risk that makes their lives in the already ruined and broken city even more dangerous and problematic.

It isn’t just Anna that is on a desperate hunt for something, as she gets work on the American airbase to raise more funds for her search and to get scraps of food on the table for her and her mother, but another woman called Ingrid too. Ingrid happens to be working at the airbase as well and eventually their paths meet and everything changes for what Ingrid is focussed on as she is there purely for espionage but it has its own risks and puts her beloved husband’s life at risk.

This is another story of strong women being determined, fighting for what they personally believe in, using their emotions and thoughts to channel into strength. With that though Anna becomes hunted, her home becomes an unsafe space, the children she associates with are at the risk, her lover’s job becomes at risk and so much more. Slowly Anna has all these burdens placed on her and the toll very clearly takes more and more of a toll and she becomes increasingly on edge, putting together a collection of situations and events, potentially seeing connections of things that might not even exist.

By the end of the story Anna has her answers for her children, she has a family of sorts, Ingrid goes off to follow her career ambitions and several people are very much dead. I found this to be another really well constructed book structure with a few really strong characters that all blend together so well and it has made me want to get a few more of her books out, in paperback, from the library too.