The Boy with the Star Tattoo

From acclaimed author of The Third Daughter comes an epic historical novel of ingenuity and courage, of love and loss, spanning postwar France when Israeli agents roamed the countryside to rescue hidden Jewish orphans--to the 1969 daring escape of the Israeli boats of Cherbourg.

1942: As the Vichy government hunts for Jews across France, Claudette Pelletier, a young and talented seamstress and lover of romance novels, falls in love with a Jewish man who seeks shelter at the château where she works. Their whirlwind and desperate romance before he must flee leaves her pregnant and terrified.

When the Nazis invade the Free Zone shortly after the birth of her child, the disabled Claudette is forced to make a heartbreaking choice and escapes to Spain, leaving her baby in the care of his nursemaid. By the time Claudette is able to return years later, her son has disappeared. Unbeknown to his anguished mother, the boy has been rescued by a Youth Aliyah agent searching for Jewish orphans.

1968: When Israeli naval officer Daniel Yarden recruits Sharon Bloomenthal for a secret naval operation in Cherbourg, France, he can't imagine that he is the target of the agenda of the twenty-year-old grieving the recent loss of her fiancé in a drowned submarine. Sharon suspects that Danny's past in Youth Aliyah may reflect that of her mysterious late mother and she sets out to track her boss's extraordinary journey as an orphan in a quaint French village all the way to Israel.

As Danny focuses on the future of his people and on executing a daring, crucial operation under France's radar, he is unaware that the obsessed Sharon follows the breadcrumbs of clues across the country to find her answers. But she is wholly unprepared for the dilemma she must face upon solving the puzzle.

“Thoroughly researched and vividly rendered, this is an important and unforgettable story of exploitation and empowerment that will leave you both shaken and inspired.” - Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author, on The Third Daughter

“Impeccably researched and beautifully written…An unforgettable story of strength and survival.” —Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author on The Third Daughter

“Exquisitely told...a moving and utterly captivating novel that I will be thinking about for a long, long time.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author on Jerusalem Maiden

“Esther Kaminsky is a true heroine . . . The truly marvelous thing about Jerusalem Maiden is how deeply Talia Carner is able to evoke Esther’s faith and the complexity of the choices she faces. A beautiful and timely novel.” —Margot Livesey on Jerusalem Maiden

“Engaging . . . Carner renders Esther’s world with great authority and detail, revealing intimate familial rituals within the larger political and socioeconomic context.” —Publishers Weekly on Jerusalem Maiden

"Talia Carner, long established as one of the strongest voices in Jewish historical fiction, returns with her finest work to date, The Boy with the Star Tattoo. Spanning World War II Europe to the struggling early state of Israel, Carner’s latest brings to light important history in a spellbinding and unforgettable human drama." —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Sapphire

"Historical novels don’t get much better than The Boy with the Star Tattoo, and it’s obvious that the author did her homework, then sat down to a labor of love. The mark of a great historical novel is where the fictional characters become more real than the historical events they are living through. Talia Carner is a writer’s writer and a reader’s delight." —Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author

“The Boy With the Star Tattoo is a heartfelt testament to the power of determination and belonging. Talia Carner is a masterful storyteller—bringing fascinating history to life in the way that only the best historical fiction can. Perfect for fans of Pam Jenoff and Heather Morris.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Time bestselling author of The Paris Agent