Eli's Promise is about one man's journey to see that the Nazi collaborator who promised to protect his family pays for his crimes. It is a journey that will take Eli Rosen from Lublin Poland to Buchenwald to a DP camp in 1946 to Chicago in the 1960s.

Ronald Balson writes really interesting historical fiction that also manages to tug at the heartstrings of this particular reader. The story unfolds slowly as Eli and the man he pursues engage in an extreme game of cat and mouse. As we learn about Eli and his Polish family and all they endured, my empathy for his plight certainly grew larger and larger. I was on the edge of my seat tempted to scream "RUN."

As time passes and more characters are introduced I did find myself wondering just when this showdown was going to occur. Authors always have their reasons for wanting to keep readers on a hook and I was definitely in it until the end. But I am not so sure I needed 70 chapters to get to an end which was just a little bit disappointing in the resolution. On the other hand, I still would recommend this book and any of his others because they're very compelling.





Goodreads review published 16/04/20

Publication Date 22/09/20

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

1939: Eli Rosen lives with his wife Esther and their young son in the Polish town of Lublin, where his family owns a construction company. As a consequence of the Nazi occupation, Eli’s company is Aryanized, appropriated and transferred to Maximilian Poleski―an unprincipled profiteer who peddles favors to Lublin’s subjugated residents. An uneasy alliance is formed; Poleski will keep the Rosen family safe if Eli will manage the business. Will Poleski honor his promise or will their relationship end in betrayal and tragedy?

1946: Eli resides with his son in a displaced persons camp in Allied-occupied Germany hoping for a visa to America. His wife has been missing since the war. One man is sneaking around the camps selling illegal visas; might he know what has happened to her?

1965: Eli rents a room in Albany Park, Chicago. He is on a mission. With patience, cunning, and relentless focus, he navigates unfamiliar streets and dangerous political backrooms, searching for the truth. Powerful and emotional, Ronald H. Balson's Eli's Promise is a rich, rewarding novel of World War II and a husband’s quest for justice.

I LOVED this book. The writing was beautiful, and the connection to the characters was superb. This book really pulled at your heartstrings and I would highly recommend it to anyone who looks for this genre.

Thank you #Netgalley and #St.MartinsPress for this arc!

This book had quite an emotional effect on me. Perhaps because I have been to all the places mentioned in the book. Perhaps because I have an acquaintance that grew up in Lublin during the last stages of the war. whose brother was sent off to drive a German truck to lure American airplanes. Mostly because the book does such a great job of revealing the many very human characteristics, both good and bad, that define who we are. The characters are agonizingly real and the horror that affects their lives is well documented. There is an aura at places like Auschwitz and Buchenwald that persists, and this book creates the same aura for me. The story is fiction, of course, but it weaves the fiction into real places, persons and events. If you want a book that will make the evil of the past come alive and tear at your heartstrings, look no further.

First I wish to thank Net Galley for my advanced copy of Eli’s Promise. The book by Ronald H. Balson is his sixth novel and as the rest just as exciting. Another work of historic fiction starting in WWII and finishing in the 60’s during the Viet Nam ear. The novel goes back and forth telling the story of Eli a man who keeps trying to do the best for his family and who puts his faith in an not so trustworthy man who has gotten ahead by working with the Germans during the WWII and with American government officials during the Viet Nam era. The book moved very well and as with a Balson novel kept me locked in until the end. A great read if you like historical fiction and Ronald Balson novels. I give this book a 5+ star rating.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a WWII era novel that spanned 3 time periods and locations. The main character, Eli, takes us from Poland death camp, DP camp, and Chicago before Vietnam. The main theme was war profiteering more than romance or family. It was a good page turning read and explored the question about sacruce and morality of tough decisions to save those you love. This hasn't been my favorite WWII novel I've read lately, but definitely a good one.

An intense account of a horrific time in history. The author does a great job of sharing what many may have gone through during that time. I received an advanced copy and am
Thankful for it.

This is the second book I have read by Ronald Balson and I am a big fan of Historical Fiction. I found the book gripping but very sad. It's the story of Eli Rosen , jumping between before the German invasion of Poland through WWII; the time he spent in displacement camps after the war; and during the mid-1960's in a Chicago suburb. Eli had owned a brickyard along with his father before the war and continued to run the plant after it was taken over. He had to deal with a Polish sympathizer who had promised to look out for his family, a man who was more interested in making money and the next scam than he was in the people around him. It becomes Eli's life work to make the man pay for what he did to Eli's family.
Balson does a great job of bringing us into the life that the Jewish people had to live during the war and into the Displaced persons camps where they were forced to stay for years after the war ended. It was sometimes jarring to jump time frames but I think necessary to get away from the sadness that surrounded WWII. The author says that the book is about Corruption and War Profiteering and it is blatant throughout the book and various time periods. But along with the treachery and backstabbing there is the love of family. Eli has a very strong bond with his wife and son along with his brother and father. He also develops relationships with people who are not his family but come to feel like family.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eli and his son were rescued from a German concentration camp by US General Patton himself, but how had they ended up here, were they double crossed by the man he had paid to protect them? The novel is set in three time periods. 1939 and the early part of Germany's occupation of Poland where Eli and his family run a brickyard and must try to keep themselves safe as the Nazi rules close in on them. Eli is working closely with Maximilian, a shady Nazi sympathizer, who he has been paying to protect his family and business. The second era is right after the war when Eli and his son are living in a displaced persons camp trying to survive before they can start a new life hopefully in America. While in the camp Eli learns that Maximilian might have survived the war and currently selling US visas on the black market. The third is 1960s USA where Eli meets a group of politically associated young adults who have stumbled into a ring of shady deals that he has been investigating.
I am a fan of historical fiction novels and enjoyed the glimpse into life at the displaced camp after the liberation. The novel is well written showing the emotional strain everyone was going through as Poland became more and more dangerous. The pacing of the story moves pretty quickly. I did not really enjoy the Chicago parts, it focused too much on nonessential characters and felt like it could have just been a separate story instead of trying to tie it to this one.

Before the Germans invaded Poland, Eli Rosen lived with his wife Esther, and son Izzak, in Lublin, They were comfortable, with a well established construction supply company. Lublin was the cultural centre of Jewish studies, boasting the five story sand-coloured stone structure, "Yeshiva Chachmei of Lublin". It was the most important centre for torah study in the world, it held the largest collection of biblical writings. and Rosen and Sons actually built it. Jacob, Eli's father laid the cornerstone.

As the book opens, members of the community are gathering at the Yeshiva to try to "prepare" themselves in case Hitler's army decides to invade Poland, and ultimately Lublin. Should we run? Should we stay?
When Eli goes home to Esther, Esther wants to flee. But Eli, he says where can we go? We have our business and our life here. "Esther, I'll take care of you and IIzzak. I promise. She trusts him. When the Nazi's eventually come to threaten Eli's family and livelihood, Eli turns to Maximillian Poleski, who has "connections" with the Nazis. Max makes promises to Eli, knowing, he will never be able to come through.

The story then leaps ahead to Föhrenwald DP camp, 1946, and Eli and Izzak, have survived the war (not a spoiler because you know that from the beginning), and Maximillion the cheat reappears. If there is one thing Eli promised himself and his wife Esther, it is that he will find Maximillian and get revenge for his thievery.

Finally, Eli Rosen is in Albany Park, Chicago, its 1965, the war is on in Vietnam, and Eli is there looking for something or someone.

The story is about corruption and war profiting, as Balson explains in his author's note., told from the perspective of the victims, who lost their families, their livelihoods and their lives.

My favourite of the three time periods was by far the time the family spent in the DP camp, in particular, the parties where Adinah sings Yiddish favourites.

Just one thing that is extremely eerie, was reading about the Tuberculosis pandemic in the DP camps. The affected had to be "isolated" in sanitariums, and, nurses, doctors and visitors, "masked up". It was clear back then that: "Droplets in the air do not penetrate the mask. Better safe then sorry." Its crazy that right now we are experiencing #covid_19, self isolation, and social distancing.

I really enjoyed reading Eli's promise. it was an interesting and different take on a WW2 #historicalfiction. 5 stars! Thank you #netgalley and Ronald Balson for the e_ARC of #elispromise in return for my honest review.

Eli promises to avenge his family after being betrayed. His resolve despite insurmountable odds provokes sympathy for his plight.The story transitions between Lublin's occupation, onset of war, concentration camps, liberation and DP' Displaced Person camps to 1960's Chicago.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Historical fiction is my favorite genre so I was intrigued by Ronald H. Balson's new release. As a fan of 'Once We Were Brothers' I settled in for an thought-provoking and inspiring read.

I was immediately swept into the story and kept paging through the book to reveal the Rosen's fate. From the onslaught, I rooted for Eli to succeed and for Max to be brought to justice. Their protector sold them out to cement his relationship with the Nazis. Will Max get away with his subterfuge or receive his comeuppance?

While I felt Mimi and Chrissie's stories added depth to the novel, it felt disjointed. Predictably, it was devised to circle back to Eli but felt like another book rather than a catalyst to further the family's saga. It wasn't until the end that the novel that warranted Chrissie and Preston's inclusion. I felt the plot, twisted and instead of adding to the story, detracted from the read. Part I and III were my favorite sections while Part II felt like an unwelcome interloper.

Despite my criticisms, the DP portion was an intriguing angle. I never realized, how long some DPs were detained despite being liberated due to quota laws. Eli's Promise delivers a disturbingly-wonderful account of Eli Rosen's story and his perseverance to have justice prevail.

I truly enjoyed Eli's Promise by Ronald Balson. I've read all of Ronald Balson's other books, and this one, like the rest, was utterly captivating! Reading fiction about World War II and the Holocaust has always been fascinating to me, not because of the suffering but because of the hope, strength, and will required to survive and endure. Those characteristics all come through in this novel.

I also appreciated that this book takes place post-war as well, in a displaced person's camp as well as in America in the 1960s. Without giving away too much of the plot, Eli truly does fulfill his promise to himself and his family to uncover secrets and take down corruption dating back to war-era Poland. One always hopes for restitution and resolution in hard times, and seeing that unfold in this book was great.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book before release day. All opinions are my own.

I'm sure the novel is lovely but I couldn't get into the story. It seemed very wooden with no life to anyone.

What a great read!!! This book was such an eye opener to the occupation of Poland as well as the displacement camps that happened after world war 2. It was so sad in some places and yet the characters had such hope and soo much love as a family. I also really enjoyed getting to see a personal view of the displacement camps which are so rarely talked about in books and history. It really lends a whole other angle to what the Jewish Europeans went through and what stigmas were attached to them from the rest of the world. I also liked the parallel storylines the author wrote to show the profiteering that happened in EVERY war, not just WW2. I think it would make a great read and I hope other reps give it a try as well.

This was an excellent book that I enjoyed because it described the situations of a unique man that lived during the Second World War. Eli Rosen, is a businessman who inherited the company from his father Jakov Rosen, he lives a happy life in Poland. However, one day he hears some dreadful news, the war has just begun. Germany has invaded Eli's dear country. Immediately he starts making plans on how to survive. Eli leans on his friend Maximilian Poleski, who begins to collaborate with the SS. His friendship with Maximilian is vital because he also has important contacts in the United States. Maximilian promised visas to the Rosen family, but it will not be an easy task. This is a book that made me feel Eli's anxiety and concern for his family. Eli is persevering in his goals, the excellent writing of this novel made me understand the behavior of this great character. It is a must-read book. I thank NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with a book in exchange for an honest review.

Luben, Poland. 1939. Eli Rosen owns a brickyard with his father and brother. Eli's wife Esther and his son Isaac have faith, despite the recent Nazi occupation. Then Eli comes home with white armbands, each with a blue Jewish star, which must be worn and visible at all times. Eli says "It's only an armband," but Essie protests "first they mark us to separate us from society, then they will collect us, and then they will eliminate us. It's an armband today, tomorrow it's a yoke."

As time goes by, Esther's prediction becomes truer and truer. People are disappearing. Esther is forced into a job sewing uniforms for the Nazi armies, slave labor. In the end, all but two hundred of Lublin's forty thousand Jews were murdered.

Into the Jewish community in Luben comes a man named Max, who seems to have connections at the highest level, "who dangled those connections in the face of those who were desperate. He took their money, or whatever they could give him, and he sold them hope. He delivered on those promises when it was convenient for him, and he apologized with a shrug when it was not." Who is able to "protect" his friends. For a price. And then another price. And then that isn't enough. Eli and his family are "friends," and so when Essie disappears, Eli goes immediately to Max. Who demands money. Who says he'll do all he can. Who ends up doing nothing. And Eli promises himself that he will hunt down Max and bring him to justice.

In the Fohrenwald DP Camp, in the American Zone, in 1946, Eli waits for a visa to America, along with thousands of others. While waiting, he hears of a man who is selling Visas to America on the black market. A man named Max. Slippery eel that he is, he eludes capture despite Eli's best efforts.

In Chicago, Albany Park Neighborhood, 1965, Eli Rosen rents an apartment and settles in. He watches and he waits. Tenaciously, he watches and he waits.

This is the story of the ripple effects of Max in America -- thievery, scamming, murder, threats, extortion, payoffs, corruption. A story of belief and doubt, trust and distrust. Lies. And hate and love.

I read this EARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. pub date 09/22/20

This was a book that I could not put down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was an emotional read about the horrors of the Second World War. The storyline was good letting me know more about the persecution of the Jews by the Germans. I recommend that you read it.

I have read most of Ronald Balson's books and enjoy his historical fiction stories regarding WWII. This story was enjoyable, but a bit predictable in regard to characters and the ending. I was drawn to the characters created to show the devastation of the time, and the strength needed to endure the cruelties presented to them. I saw similarities of using a writer to forward and investigate the story, as it did in Once We Were Brothers., a story which I loved. Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I have read all of Ronald Balson's books and found this one a bit tiresome and predictable. It could be that I have WW 2 fatigue but this was a little too detailed and gruesome for my tastes. I understand the need for background but this could have been a lot tighter and more uplifting then the sad star predictable story it became... Maybe with better editing

I have been a fan of Ronald Balson's books since I read Once We Were Brothers many years ago. With this book, Eli's Promise, Mr. Balson has again crafted a story that grabbed my interest from the first page. It does begin during the Holocaust and my heart was wrenched at what his characters had to endure. I was very caught up in Eli's life and that of his family. But what really made this book so interesting for me is that Mr. Balson jumped to continue their story in a displaced persons camp after the war and then made another jump to the United States in the mid 1960s. The back and forth of the time periods kept me thinking about how the story would progress over the years and what connected the various events. In my opinion this is a different kind of war story, one that deals with corruption and the base inclinations of people to profit off the misery of others. I think this will become another classic from a master storyteller.

A solid 4 stars. I love Mr. Balson’s WWII fiction. I was disappointed that it was not a Liam and Catherine novel but enjoyed it very much. I love the style of writing going between time periods, keeps everything moving very quickly.