Riga, 1943. Cycling the streets to deliver fresh loaves, Zenta passes empty houses, curtains open, doors unlocked, their occupants forced out by Russian or German hands.
Since her brother became a soldier and her sister joined the resistance, Zenta is all her parents have left.
Then one morning her sister returns. Tired, worn, with a newly rounded belly, Estere is as determined as ever to fight for their freedom.
She convinces Zenta to join the Latvian resistance efforts and use her bread deliveries as a cover for smuggling letters, newspapers and supplies.
When the bell over the bakery door chimes and German officers cross the threshold, Estere pleads with her sister to run – and to take her newborn daughter with her.
An agreement between sisters made in the desperation of war sends Zenta to a new life across the world, a baby at her side, with a secret she’ll never tell.
Until, decades later, now a grandmother, the smells and warmth of the bakery still in her heart, Zenta is finally ready to set the truth free.
The Baker’s Secret by Lelita Baldock is published on 25 January, 2024.
For more historical fiction, look at our round-up of over 130 books coming out this year.
