I hadn't read any of Ruta Sepetys books before, even though I'd heard several recommendations for her earlier book Between Shades of Gray. A colleague was very enthusiastic about her newest book, Salt to the Sea, so I decided to give it a listen, pressing my iPod into play, and couldn't stop! Set in a snowy, perilous landscape, this story is a beautifully written work of art. As an aside, it is also one that will likely make you feel frivolous for all the times in your life that you may have complained about being cold. 

This novel covers four perspectives of a ragtag group of teens and adults grasping at straws as they are trapped between Russian and German forces as World War II is slowly grinding to a bloody end. Told through each character's voice, the story unfolds secrets and motivations only barely hinted out when the tale begins. Based on true events, the story moves from East Prussia to the worst maritime tragedy in history. Sepetys' storytelling sweeps the disparate and desperate characters along their paths, sometimes making the reader cringe because he or she can't do anything to help them. If you enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See, you'll also enjoy this excellent novel. 

I didn't expect to enjoy The Traitor's Story by Kevin Wignall as much as I did. The author takes espionage, betrayal, regret, and a missing 15-year-old and wraps it up neatly in a fast-paced novel that takes the reader on a thrilling, whirlwind trip through Europe. Finn Harrington is a former spy turned author of non-fiction history. He's put his old life behind him, and has started to feel like he's slipped off the grid and can finally relax when a teenage girl goes missing. Reluctantly, Finn agrees to help the family, and finds himself dealing with shady characters that align with a series of cataclysmic events that happened several years ago - events that had devastating results, causing Finn to feel bitter and betrayed, and rightly so. The confrontational scene on the frozen lake will remind you of the exquisite spy v. spy stalking action in the French countryside in The Bourne Identity. The novel is written with alternating chapters capturing the past and present as the events spiral towards the final confrontation.