“A race-against-the-clock thriller… Cantrell keeps the close calls and cliffhangers coming.”—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for A Trace of Smoke:

“A gritty realistic portrayal of 1930s Berlin…keeping the suspense high, Cantrell does an excellent job of projecting the fear of the time through her characters. Strongly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Cantrell’s scrupulously researched debut tolls a somber dirge for Weimar Germany in its last days…this unforgettable novel, which can be as painful to read as the history it foreshadows, builds to an appropriately bittersweet ending.”--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[A] terrific debut. Cantrell's atmospheric mystery keeps you off-balance; there's a sense of dread as to what might be waiting around every corner. Vivid and dramatic descriptions allow readers to easily conjure up the imagery, as if you were watching a great old black-and-white film on the big screen.”—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 ½ stars, TOP PICK!)

“Bold narrator and chilling historical setting...an unusually vivid context, [lets] Hannah report on the decadence of her world without losing her life--or her mind.”—The New York Times Book Review