Where the Heart Breaks

Set in 1916, Where the Heart Breaks follows Marthe Hartmann, a Franco-American student at Mount Holyoke College, who returns to Europe on a desperate mission: to rescue her brother, a pilot captured by German forces. Posing as a war correspondent under the name Anna Keller, she infiltrates enemy territory and uncovers a fractured continent—and herself—in the process.

Guided by her determination and aided by unlikely allies—William Thaw, a charismatic American pilot with the Lafayette Escadrille, and Edward Powell, a seasoned journalist—Marthe embarks on a dangerous journey across occupied Europe. From Paris salons to Berlin shadows, she navigates shifting alliances, silent betrayals, and the haunting moral dilemmas of war.

As Marthe evolves from grieving sister to committed witness, her writing becomes her resistance. But her most controversial article—exposing the murky origins of the war and America’s complicity—will be rejected and buried. Only years later will it be rediscovered.

Blending historical fact and fiction, Where the Heart Breaks is a sweeping, character-driven novel of espionage, sacrifice, and truth. At its heart is a woman who dares to act when others remain silent—and whose courage helps shape the memory of a generation.