The Hidden Book

(Paperback)

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Europe, 1940s: Spanish fighter and photographer Mateo Baca is captured with seven thousand of his countrymen and sent to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Here, he is set to work processing images of the inmates for official documentation-in all, he preserves over twenty thousand images until liberation in 1945. In that time, he and his friends are tasked to make a very special photo book made for the top Nazi figures. What starts as idyllic images of the camp and countryside mutates into horrifying records of the treatment of inmates. Just five books are made for presentation. Or so the officials think...


Mateo manages to make a secret sixth book and, with the help of a local woman, Lena Lang, it remains hidden until the end of the war. On liberation, the book is smuggled out of Austria and into Yugoslavia where the photo album will play a crucial role in bringing war criminals to justice.


Australia, present day: When thirteen-year-old Hannah Campbell's Yugoslavian grandfather, Nico Antonov, arrives in Australia to visit his family, one of the gifts he brings with him is an intriguing-looking parcel wrapped in calico cloth which Roza, Hannah's mother, quickly hides.


Later, Hannah sneaks off in search for the mysterious package. She is horrified to find in it a photobook full of ghastly historical photographs of a terrible place full of people suffering. One of the photos is of her grandfather, Nico, when young. His dark eyes are the same as hers; his suffering haunts her.


Over the years that follow, Hannah returns to this secret book at formative times in her life. At first she has little context for what she sees, but as she experiences love, grief and trauma, she understands what these photos came to mean, for herself, her freedom and for those who risked their lives to 'bear witness' to history.


A startling story of clandestine courage and treachery in World War Two, and how we must meet and overcome our pasts to move into our futures.




Praise for Kirsty Manning:


'A superb evocation of pre-war Paris ... a mystery I couldn't put down.' - Kerry Greenwood on The Paris Mystery



'A glittering party, a dead body, and a room full of alluring suspects, this book is everything you are looking for. With deft light strokes, Kirsty Manning takes the reader on an Agatha Christie-style journey in 1930s Paris, led by infallible hero, journalist Charlie James. The Paris Mystery will transport, titillate and ultimately, satisfy. Run don't walk to get your copy!' - Sally Hepworth, author of The Younger Wife


'Manning doesn't put a foot wrong: The French Gift is historical fiction at its best...a glorious escape from reality, this will captivate readers from the beginning to the unforgettable, surprising end.' - Better Reading


'So divine - The French Gift is nothing short of magnificent! A superb example of a story that works to illuminate both the harshest and most spellbinding moments in our history books.' - Mrs B's Book Reviews


'Kirsty Manning handles this murder mystery, the multiple suspects, the twists and turns of the plot, and the exotic setting skilfully and well...there is plenty of glamour, lots of Belle Epoque champagne, beautiful clothes, aristocratic people, and unusual characters, but there is also a solid mystery to keep the reader guessing and, finally, an unexpected revelation that leaves questions to be pondered.' - Newtown Review of Books on The Paris Mystery

Author Bio

Kirsty Manning grew up in northern New South Wales. A country girl with wanderlust, her travels and studies have taken her through most of Europe, the east and west coasts of the United States and pockets of Asia.


Kirsty's debut novel, The Midsummer Garden, was published in 2017. Her second book, The Jade Lily, was published in 2018 followed by The Lost Jewels (2020), The French Gift (2021) and The Paris Mystery (2022). The Hidden Book is Kirsty's sixth novel. Her novels are also published in the United States and in Europe.


Kirsty is a partner in the award-winning Melbourne wine bar Bellota, and the Prince Wine Store in Sydney and Melbourne. She lives in Melbourne, Victoria.