** THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER **

From the Sunday Times bestselling author Patrick Bishop comes a heart-stopping countdown narrative recreating the liberation of Paris in 1944, one of the greatest and most dramatic turning points of World War II.

When the Germans entered the city and the lamps went out in the City of Light, millions who loved Paris mourned. Liberation, four years later, sparked an explosion of joy and relief. It was the party of the century, and everyone who was anybody was there. General Charles de Gaulle seized the moment to create an instant legend that would stand alongside the great moments in French history.

This fresh new account of the liberation, full of revelations, tells the story of those exciting days of suspense, danger, exhilaration – and vengeance – through the perspectives of various participants, reflecting all sides of the conflict: Americans, French, and Germans; resisters and collaborators. Among them are famous names like Ernest Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, and Pablo Picasso, but also some fascinating unknowns including a medic turned Resistance gunwoman, an androgynous Hungarian sculptor, and a French intellectual who quietly set about saving the nation’s art treasures from Nazi looters.

Paris ’44 looks beyond the mythology to tell the true story of the liberation and reveal the conflicts and contradictions of France under occupation – the shame as well as the glory. This captivating war-time narrative will enthrall anyone who holds a place for Paris in their heart.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY BOOK PRIZE

Pages: 400, Dimensions: 13x13cm