Family and freedom. It's worth fighting for what really matters.
Budapest, 1952. When Katalin and her father, Márton, are woken by the ringing of the doorbell in the dead of night, it can mean only one thing. The Secret Police have come to arrest him on charges of subversion. But Katalin knows her father is innocent.
In a communist society where ordinary people live in fear of the dreaded Secret Police, suspicion and betrayal are rife. Whilst Márton endures the injustice of being wrongly accused, Katalin must find out who among her friends and acquaintances she can truly trust.
But there is a glimmer of hope in the darkness. The death of Stalin is a spark that ignites a fuse. For the first time it seems that change is possible.
In October 1956, a student-led demonstration soon turns into a bloody battle to overthrow the hated communist regime. Confronted by Soviet tanks, young and old take to the streets, armed with Molotov cocktails, bravery, and cunning.
Katalin and those she loves must fight for freedom. They must fight to survive.
Packed with authentic historical details, Goodbye to Budapest is a panoramic novel of courage, sacrifice and the indomitable human quest for freedom.
The war is over but the fight for freedom has only just begun.
Berlin. August 1961. The Cold War. When the Berlin Wall brutally divides East from West, Sabine is separated from her beloved brother, Dieter. Escape to the West is the only option if the family is to be reunited. But the Wall is guarded by soldiers operating a shoot to kill policy. And Sabine finds herself at the mercy of the Stasi and their brutal interrogation techniques. She must fight to escape. She must fight to survive.
Separated from his family by the Berlin Wall, Dieter teams up with a rebel group determined to rescue their loved ones from East Berlin. They have a plan. But it's a dangerous mission, beset with difficulties at every turn. Who can they really trust? Who is friend or foe?