The Tenth Witness: An Henri Poincaré Novel

In Rosen’s strong prequel to his 2011 debut, All Cry Chaos, Henri Poincaré, not yet an Interpol agent, uncovers a startling secret that brings back the ghosts of WWII. In 1978, Poincaré, then a hydraulic engineer, is busy off the Dutch coast trying to salvage a 1799 shipwreck rumored to be laden with a fortune in gold bars. During his day off, Poincaré takes a walk on a nearby beach that leads to him meeting Liesel Kraus, heir to the Kraus Steel Co. fortune. As romance blossoms between the two, Poincaré is increasingly drawn into Liesel’s family and wealth. He also finds disturbing evidence that, contrary to the official story, Liesel’s father, Otto, was not an Oskar Schindler–like humanitarian during the Nazi era. Rosen writes with polish and confidence. His plot develops slowly, but like a gold bar hidden at the bottom of the sea, it’s worth the wait. Agent: Eve Bridburg and Todd Shuster, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. (Sept.)