PARIS ARCHITECT

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. But this is Paris in 1942, and the gifted architect accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money, but maybe also get him killed. A wealthy industrialist has offered him a large sum of money to devise a secret hiding place for Jews but Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause that he really doesn't believe in. He must hide a wealthy Jewish man in a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won't find it. Lucien sorely needs the money and outwitting the Nazis who have occupied his beloved city is a challenge he cannot resist. He begins designing concealed hiding spaces behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe, detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye, but when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly, and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer ignore what's at stake. The novel asks us to consider what we owe to each other and just how far we'll go to make things right. With an intriguing cast of characters and a fascinating picture of Paris under the Occupation, with all its contradictions of opulence and fear. Danger is everywhere - Lucien's mistress Adele, a successful fashion designer, has an affair with a Gestapo Colonel and Lucien's new assistant will betray him in a heartbeat. Paperback, 383pp.