The French Gift

Manning returns (after The Lost Jewels) with a twisty WWII yarn about two imprisoned French women forced into slave labor at a German rayon factory. Blending two timelines, the story begins at a 1939 high-society, Gatsby-style party on the Riviera, where maid Margot Bisset is pressed by the hostess to fake a murder for the guests’ entertainment. It was a setup, and when the victim dies, innocent Margot is sent to prison; her cellmate is Resistance writer Josephine Murant, a political prisoner. Under Nazi occupation, they are transferred in 1942 to Germany’s gruesome Phrix Rayon Factory, notorious for its workers being maimed and killed. In present-day Paris, widowed Evie Black is contacted by historian Clement Tazi for help with a retrospective on Evie’s recently deceased great-aunt by marriage, Josephine. When Josephine’s hidden manuscript and diary are found, Evie and Clement piece together Margot’s and Josephine’s four years together, and Manning provides a grim account of the rayon factory. Manning’s multilayered story is both terrifying and triumphant. Her talent for a surprising twist makes this story a must for her fans. Agent: Stacy Testa, Writer’s House. (Nov.)