Two women and a smuggler on the most dangerous journey of their lives.
When Jewish woman Astrid receives a summons from the Gestapo, she knows one thing: if she follows the order, she will die. Her only chance of survival is to flee, yet the path to freedom leads across the snow-covered Alps.
In the remote Montafon valley, she meets Bärbel, a courageous woman also on the run. Together, they embark on the perilous escape.
Their last hope is Felix, a taciturn smuggler who knows every hidden trail in the mountains. He’s done this route many times before, but this time, everything is different.
A sudden shift in the weather turns the mountains into a deadly trap. The Gestapo is closing in. Avalanches threaten. As fear and suspicion grow, trust becomes as fragile as the snow beneath their feet.
A race begins against time, the forces of nature, and their own fear.
Will they reach freedom after all? Or is the price too high to pay?
Kathleen R. –
Heartfelt, Gripping, and Truly Moving
I absolutely loved this book Perilous Journey to Freedom. The characters are so well developed that they felt completely real, and their struggles and resilience pulled me right into the story. The writing has such authenticity that it reads like a true account, yet it’s a work of fiction – and that makes it even more remarkable.
This is a gripping and emotional read that kept me engaged from beginning to end. A powerful story of survival and hope, told in a way that lingers long after the final page. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily
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Lisa Gentry –
I’ve been looking forward to reading ‘Perilous Journey to Freedom,’ knowing that it takes place in the Alps. (No, I’m not a mountain climber, but my first encounter with snow was in the Swiss Alps.) The story is set in 1943 and begins with heavy foreshadowing as we are introduced to the main characters. Astrid, a young Jewish woman living with her family in Munich, is accused by the Gestapo of covering up the yellow star on her coat with her arms. Any contact with the Gestapo is a death sentence for a Jew, so she must run. Felix, an Austrian smuggler of luxury goods from across the border in Switzerland, is required to watch the public execution in his village of two Jewish women who were caught trying to escape. Lastly, we meet Barbel, a medical student with connections to the White Rose resistance group, who has fled to the mountains where her grandmother lives.
The difficulties of trying to escape across the Alps to Switzerland were monumental, from physical issues to unforeseen, deadly weather conditions, and the ever-present Nazis. I particularly admired the elderly Austrians in this mountainous region who didn’t hesitate to help those escaping, even knowing the dangers to themselves. I was shocked that Barbel was clueless about how Jews were forced to live in Germany since Hitler came to power in 1933. Reading this series has made my respect for refugees even greater. It’s hard to imagine the strength it takes to leave everything behind for an uncertain future. This book shines a spotlight on those who chose to risk their lives by crossing the Alps and those who helped them. For all involved, freedom was worth the price, no matter the cost. We honor them by reading books like Perilous Journey to Freedom, and I highly recommend it.
“This stopped being about politics a long time ago. It’s about decency. And human lives.”
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Lynn H –
This is a great story and the escape from the 3rd reiche and a dangerous and daring trip across the great Alps for 2 women. I’m sure you will enjoy reading it as well! Thanks for such a great book!
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Sally B, –
I enjoyed meeting all the main characters separately here and then watching their different stories merge together into one, and the dramatic escape across the mountains into Switzerland was so suspenseful, I was on the edge of my seat! Absolutely loved it. I was sad when I got to the end and didn’t have the next book in the series ready to go – as I just read the second and third back to back. I dare say these could probably all be read out of order too as they’re very much self contained stories and while there are a few cross over characters I think everything would make sense. I like that the books are quite short too, they’ve all been easy enough to read in two or three days – if I had the time they could probably be read in one day!
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Su T, –
What a story! I enjoyed reading this story. Once again Marion has written a marvellous story about survival. While the characters we meet are fictional, the story rings true to facts about what happened as smugglers who brought goods over the mountains to sell. When the war came, bringing a steady stream of refugees seeking help many, all along the border with Switzerland, guided people across the mountains to safety.
The characters felt real and the circumstances were factually accurate.
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Diane H, –
Marion Kummerow is an excellent storyteller and teacher who knows her material and shares it with her novels. I have several close Jewish friends who lost their relatives in the war but had not really imagined the horrors they endured even if or before they were imprisoned. Perilous Journey follows three escapees and their guide over the Swiss Alps while an early blizzard complicates their journey as they are pursued by the Gestapo. (Spoiler alert–only 3 of them survive). One of the escapees is not Jewish, but has been involved in the White Rose Society, which is mentioned but worth learning more about. I plan to read more of her novels.
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Karrie A, –
This book absolutely gripped me. The journey of Astrid, Bärbel, and Felix across snow-bound Alps had everything: peril, tension, moral ambiguity, and raw emotion. Astrid’s fight to survive, Bärbel’s courage, and Felix’s haunted past wove together into a story that feels both epic and intimate. The mountains feel deadly, the weather oppressive, and betrayal always a shadow away. I was rooting for them, heart in throat, every step of the way. If you love historical escape stories with strong characters and high stakes, this one’s a gem.
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annasbook n –
Marion has a way of writing that always grips me from the get-go. This book was no different. I couldn’t put this down.
It was packed with tension, emotional and nerve-wracking from beginning to end. This story gripped me from the very first page.
As soon as Astrid got the letter from the enemy being summoned, it made ME anxious. I felt so bad for her and was hoping for her freedom throughout.
When she sets off on her journey, she must pass through the Alps. I was on the edge of my seat and felt like I was in the mountains with her.
Astrid, Barbel, and Felix came together to embark on this journey; fear, tension, and grief were present for them throughout. The things they endured were sometimes heartbreaking.
What really stands out is the fragile, shifting trust between Astrid, Bärbel, and Felix. Each of them carries secrets, grief, and fear, and that emotional tension makes their struggle even more intense.
If you love WWII fiction that’s fast-paced and packed with tension, this one’s for you.
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Shirley M, –
Courage and Determination
I enjoyed the courage shown by the characters in this book. I also enjoyed the fact that the author based them on true events and people that lived during that era. I have read many books about escape across the mountains but not the Alps. That would have to have been a very dangerous journey indeed. Only the most determined and courageous could have made that journey.
I was also suprised that such a small thing as holding your hand over your yellow star could get you arrested. So petty of an offense that could gain such an action. It is interesting that even homes with one aryan parent were searched and the owners beaten. It seems that the aryan married to a Jewish partner was looked down on worse by the Nazi’s than the Jewish partner.
It is good to read that people such as Felix and Karl actually existed during the occupation and they risked their lives to help the Jewish people. It is refreshing to read that not all people in a country were against the Jewish people and some were actually motivated to conquer their fear of the Nazi’s enough to offer some help.
It was an interesting fact that most non-Jewish had no idea to the extent of the suffering of the Jewish people. So many just turned a blind eye to the atrocities of the Nazi’s and went on with their lives as if nothing was array.
I enjoy each book in the series. I appreciated the research that goes into writing these books and I applaud the author for the work she does in making sure they are based on actual people and events, that research has to take a lot of time and effort.
Read the book you will be inspired by the courage and determination of the characters.
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Judy O, –
Perlious Journey to Freedom will grab your attention from the first to the last page
It is WWII and Astrid is fleeing in order not to be arrested by the Nazis, sent to a prison camp or worse her death..
Felix is a German who is not only a smuggler but leads Jewish people across the Alps to into Switzerland.
It is beyon a dangerous journey and there are good people who will help along the way .
This trip he is taking not only Astrid but Bruno and Barbel all of who are fighting for their lives.
Marion Kummerow writes beautifully and I felt I was right there on climbing the Alps with Felix.
Things never go according to plan and the group face storms, Nazis chasing them and out for blood and so much more.
I cant imagine the strength it took for those living their lives behind, for those aiding them escaping in a time of terror.
I hated this book to end.
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Howard D –
This novel is an exciting depiction of Germans who helped save Jews by smuggling them into Switzerland during World War II. The situations and descriptions of the people are believable and well defined. It is basically the story of survival despite overwhelming odds and includes murder, an avalanche, escaping through a tunnel and, of course, resourcefulness.
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Caroline P –
A harrowing escape story set during WWII with Marion Kummerow’s typical marvelous flair! I can’t wait until the next book!
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Heather C –
This book keeps your attention throughout and makes you hope they’re safe in there relentless journey over the snowy, rocky terrain. I found it hard to put down and wanted to find out if they were going to make it and survive the war.
It’s very readable and extremely moving and I have given it five stars and I look forward to reading more from Marion Kummerow.
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Nethanja K, –
This story is so well written, you just feel the danger and circumstances they have to endure.
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Diane Y –
Book Snapshot
– Genre: Historical Thriller
– Setting: Nazi-Occupied Europe, Alpine Mountains
– Intensity Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
This is a pulse-racing journey of two women risking everything for freedom. Astrid and Bärbel aren’t just running – they’re fighting for survival against impossible odds. Trust becomes their most dangerous weapon. Every step could mean capture or freedom. The mountains don’t care about their hopes – only survival matters. I read this book in one sitting- it was that good!
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Louise G –
An exciting, gripping story based in a time which must not be forgotten. This is incredibly stressful at times as the characters face seemingly insurmountable odds in order to gain their freedom. Part of a series of books, this does a great job of using words to paint a vivid and often terrifying picture of desperation and hope.
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Debbi B –
Poignant, and at the same time, on the edge of your seat suspenseful, Perilous Journey to Freedom is Marion Kummerow’s third (and final?) book in the Escaping the Reich series.
Astrid, a Jewish woman who’s mother is Aryan, lives in a constant state of fear. Her mother’s lack of Jewishness has so far saved the family from being taken to concentration camps, but its only a matter of time. The Gestapo has targeted them for harassment, has stolen everything they need to live. Astrid needs to flee, and her mother has given her her own paperwork to use to make her escape.
Barbel lives in a small mountain town, and she also needs to flee. The two women hear about a guide who will take then on a “tour” to Spain. But there are unknown collaborators in the small town who are nominally part of the escape chain, who are using it to identify and detain Jews. They don’t know whether it’s safe, but when they meet Felix, a tour guide, they know that they must take the risk of leaving with him, or they will die. Perilous Journey to Freedom is the story of their hugely dangerous journey to freedom.
As a Marion Kummerow fan I had high expectations for this book (I have also read the previous two in the series) and this book did not disappoint. The characters are compelling, and their path to freedom so suspenseful that I couldn’t put the book down, and finished it in 24 hours! It is a very different story from other WW II stories, and super interesting. Don’t miss this book!
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Rennette G, –
Perilous Journey to Freedom is a book title that truly fits the story contained within. Author Marion Kummerow has once again written a compelling novel about people wanting desperately to escape living under the Nazi regime. While this is the third book in a series it definitely can be read as a standalone story. In this Book 3 of Escaping the Reich we’re introduced to two women living in Austria – one Jewish and one who’s been part of a group actively working against the Nazis – whose only hope for escape after being targeted by the Gestapo is to travel by foot over the Alps into Switzerland. As we learn the background of each woman it leads the reader to be very sympathetic to their circumstances with hopes that all will work out well for them. The writing is so good that it keeps the reader riveted as we see just exactly how “perilous” their journey actually becomes. The secondary characters are also well written with situations that keep us interested in seeing how things work out for them. This is definitely an “unputdownable” book that I strongly recommend for anyone who enjoys historical fiction that takes place in Europe during WWII.
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lisa c –
This third book is based in the wonderful and scenic Alps and Marion kummerow makes the reader feel like they were actually there .
It is a gripping and powerful read that absorbed me from beginning to end. A truly powerful read of survival and hope, that I won’t forget .
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