Robert Loewen

When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Hetty, a student at Leiden University, volunteered to be a courier for the Dutch resistance. She was joined by her roommate Mimi and 17-year-old Maria, the daughter of a slain resistance fighter. At great risk, the three women carried documents, secret messages, and cash to help Jews, downed pilots, and others hiding from the Nazis. Over the course of five years, Hetty faced many challenges, including spies and betrayal. She heroically fought back as she and her friends accepted increasingly dangerous assignments. Hetty also worried about her family, including her younger brother who wanted to join the resistance and her father who was becoming too cozy with the Nazis. In the end, the Gestapo closed in on Hetty and her friends. However, they were able to survive the war and live to love and fight again. Robert Loewen's debut novel is inspired by the heroism of his mother-in-law, who served as a courier in the Dutch resistance during World War II.