The German Heiress

Essen, 1946. Clara Falkenberg, once an iconic heiress, is on the run. With the city in ruins and her dear friend Elisa missing, Clara enlists the help of Jakob, a charming young racketeer with his own reasons for wanting to find Elisa. As the two join forces, it’s not long before Clara’s family secrets catch up with her. But she soon comes to realise the only way to survive is to face the truth of what she’s done. 

’The kind of novel we need now more than ever, [and] achieves what the best historical fiction can . . . pushing us to see ourselves in that past, demanding: Who would you have been then? What would you have done? Unflinching and absorbing, [it] does not let you look away.’ 

Sarah Blake, New York Times bestselling author of THE POSTMISTRESS 

‘What a great debut! It still haunts me, days after finishing it.’ Liz Trenow, author of The Poppy Factory and The Silk Weaver

‘Anika Scott’s finely drawn characters ... bring to life not only the struggle to rise from the ashes of war, but also the depth of resolve often required to gain redemption. Illuminating and beautifully rendered.’ 

Susan Meissner, author of The Last Year of the War

’Meticulously researched and plotted like a noir thriller, The German Heiress tells a different story of WWII - of characters grappling with their own guilt and driven by the question of what they could have done to change the past.’ 

Jessica Shattuck, author of The Women in the Castle

’The German Heiress is a special novel that opens one’s mind to aspects of history we on the “winning” side have given little thought to, and a moving story of courage and everyday heroism rising to meet unbearable challenges.’ Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls

Previously published in the UK as Finding Clara