What Will Save Us
What Will Save Us
Claire Seeber
Paperback
When Anna marches into a hotel in the Austrian Alps and shoots a member of the waiting staff, Karl sees what few in his position would: an opportunity. It’s insights like this that make the German Secret Service keen to keep him on their payroll, and the British Secret Service keen to keep him on theirs too.
Recruited as a ‘field agent’, Anna soon finds herself stationed as nanny to a British family with ties to the Nazi Party, helping Karl root out a counterpart double agent feeding secrets the other way. If they fail, the war could be lost before it begins.
But Karl and Anna have their own agendas: Karl hunts the Nazi officer he watched murder his mother years ago, while Anna knows a family in London is raising the child she was forced to surrender. What follows is a masterful tale of revenge, betrayal and impossible choices, in which two broken lives may end up changing the course of history.
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Imprint: Lendal Press
Published: October 2026
ISBN: 9781915606730
Catalogue no: LP0026
Page count: 420
Trim size: 198 x 129 mm
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Praise for What Will Save Us:
“Brilliantly written and hard-to-forget; a story that will stay with you for a long time.”
— Elly Griffiths, author of The Stranger Diaries
“What Will Save Us feels like a magical book. Beautifully written, vividly realised, compelling, epic in scale but also so incredibly personal, heartfelt and moving. Claire Seeber has always been a brilliant writer, but her latest novel is masterful.”
— Alex North, author of The Whisper Man
“Both a gripping spy thriller and an intimate portrait of the lives of everyday people faced with impossible choices in the lead-up to WW2. A powerful and poignant novel.”
— Anna Mazzola, author of The Book of Secrets
“Seeber’s writing is sublime here. And I know this book really matters to her, as the daughter of a man born in Nazi-occupied Austria to a 19-year-old single mother. It’s a beautiful novel, heartfelt, well-researched, powerful and real. Though it’s a thriller, and therefore tense, there is a beating heart that makes you connect with Anna and Karl and the host of dynamic characters. Don’t miss this one.”
— Louise Beech, author of Wonderful
“An episodic, kaleidoscopic journey through the turbulent middle years of the twentieth century in Europe, weaving together stories of bereaved, lost children as they become adults entangled in the rise of Nazism and war. An absorbing, unputdownable read. A celebration of the survival of the human spirit against all the odds. Also a warning about what not to ignore for the modern reader.”
— Julia Crouch, author of Cuckoo
“What Will Save Us is both thrilling and tender in its depiction of a continent on the eve of war and the impossible decisions forced upon its young protagonists, torn apart by the conflicting claims of love and loyalty.”
— Olivia Isaac-Henry, author of Hallows Hill
“I really loved this sprawling book … it has echoes of Elena Ferrante.”
— J. A. Corrigan, author of The Nurse
“Claire Seeber’s novels are always a treat – gripping, intelligent, richly imagined and brilliantly written.”
— Sophie Hannah, author of The Monogram Murders
About the author
Born in London with a love of all things dramatic, Claire Seeber began her career as an actress. Soon deciding she'd rather pull strings safely behind the scenes, Claire forged a successful career in documentary television, enabling her to travel the world, glimpsing lives otherwise unseen, also working as a feature writer for newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday and The Daily Telegraph.
She now works as a therapist, but is also a bestselling author of psychological suspense, with her novel Lullaby (Avon, 2007) recognised as one of the foundational works of 'domestic noir'. Her novel The Stepmother (Bookouture, 2016) has sold over 120,000 copies to date. Her 9 novels have been translated into 13 languages; she has been shortlisted for the 2023 Bridport Prize for Short Stories, and her short story 'He Did Not Always See Her' was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger. More recently, The Street Party and The Parents were both published by Bookouture, and reached the Top 5 Kindle Bestseller list.