Himmler and the Handmaid is grounded in the little-known fact that Heinrich Himmler had two-hundred thousand Polish children abducted and placed in German foster homes. Many were so young they forgot they were ever Polish. The first narrator of this story is Kaspar Blumenfeld, a retired, world-weary history professor who happens to be a collector of memorabilia trawled in the murky depths of the dark web.
His latest acquisition is a notebook written by an inmate of Wewelsburg, the castle that
Himmler leased for a hundred years so he could play out his occult fantasies, unbeknownst to Hitler. Written by Eva Kauffmann, an unwilling handmaid imprisoned at the castle, the notebook unveils the exact nature of Himmler's appalling activities, prompting Blumenfeld to reveal his deepest secret. "A deeply intriguing work of speculative historical fiction."
Dermot Bolger, author of The Family on Paradise Pier "Enchanting and surprising: Martiny never fails to delight."
Rick Gekoski, author of Darke, former Chair of the International Booker Prize "Erik Martiny is recommended reading."
Amélie Nothomb, author of Stupeur et Tremblements "Refreshing and funny, balanced with the necessary darkness and depth."
Marion Messina, author of Faux Départ "Both pertinent and impertinent, whimsical and grave."
Amélie Cordonnier, author of En Garde