I am always amazed when authors come up with something new. In this case a special twist reference to Robin Hood.
I love this book it seems to have everything,-an interesting plot, romance, mystery and tragedy. The characters were real to me as I got to know them.. Of course it was a bad time in history of World War 2, with the prosecution of the Jewish people and hoping everything would come out alright for them.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this arc and to the author for writing such a wonderful book.
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Reviewed for NetGalley:

Historical fiction set during World War II, juxtaposed to near present day, we find Colette Marceau learning the jewel thief trade, and the aftermath respectively.

Learning jewel thievery from her mother, the apparent family trade for centuries, Colette and her family's lives as they knew them, end in tragedy in the past. While present day, Colette tries to piece together what happened so many years ago with the help of her new found family.

I applauded the portrayal of elder Colette and friends, as many of the present day cast of characters were 85+ years and the importance of findings the truths of the past, no matter the age.

Beautifully written, with some moments of disbelief here and there. But then again, that's fiction.

Told in alternating timelines between the German occupation of France during WWII and modern day, the story of Colette Marceau's life pulled me in so much that I read this book in one day. Colette, a jewel thief taught her trade by her mother believing that she stole from undeserving, evil rich people to bring resources to good causes, is now an old woman still grieving the loss of her mother and sister many decades ago. When a rare and valuable bracelet, half of which Colette has in her possession and the other half of which was hidden in the hem of her 4-year-old sister's nightgown the night she was kidnapped, shows up in a museum Colette is determined to find the owner of the bracelet and learn the truth about what happened to her sister.

Kristin Harmel is a master of telling stories that span decades and bringing characters to life. I did not feel as much of a connection to the characters in this story as I have to some of her other books, but I did really enjoy trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the bracelets. There were a lot of moments of suspense and emotion in this story as well. Fans of historical fiction and WWII stories will definitely enjoy this one.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau was nothing short of perfection. As a lover of historical fiction, I was completely swept away by the seamless way this story blended past and present. The alternating timelines were so effortlessly woven together, each revealing more about the characters and their connections in a way that felt both natural and gripping.

From the very first page, I was hooked. The writing was flawless—every word felt intentional, and every scene pulled me deeper into the world of Colette and those tied to her story. The characters were so richly developed that I felt their emotions as if they were my own. It’s one of those rare books where you don’t just read the story; you live it alongside the characters.

This book is a masterclass in storytelling, and it’s one I’ll be thinking about for a long time. If you love historical fiction that is beautifully written, emotionally resonant, and utterly captivating, don’t miss this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Kristen Harmel for an advanced copy of this beautiful book. I plan on purchasing a physical copy to live on my bookshelf forever.

Another wonderful historical fiction from Kristin Harmel. The other two I’ve read were 5 star reads but this one fell a little short of that for me. It was still a great story and wonderfully written, but I didn’t like the ending. I can’t tell you why because I don’t include spoilers in my reviews, but I would have preferred less of a “wrap up”. I was also really hoping for a “this was based on X’s life” in the author’s note because I really wanted Colette to be a real person. And maybe she did exist and just stayed anonymous. That’s what I’m going to tell myself because sometimes we need true Robin Hoods in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the complimentary copy of this book. As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.

Paris, 1934. When Colette turns ten, her mother Annabel, teaches her how to steal. When Colette questions stealing, she is explained the story of Robin Hood. It’s about taking from those who are cruel and helping those who are kind. And the golden rule is they never keep anything for themselves, except the twin bracelets belonging to her mother’s friend Helene.

Annabel and Helene are part of underground network. Annabel tries to persuade her friend Helene to leave Paris due to possible mass deportation of Jews. When Helene with her family are deported and the twin bracelets appear on mistresses’ wrist of a German officer, Annabel decides to do the right thing. At least, it’s the right thing in her mind, but that’s when she makes a fatal mistake. She lets emotions get in the way and loses her full concentrations, leading to fatal events.

Meanwhile, the bracelets are split in half, just in case, if the worst comes to pass, each girl, Colette and her younger sister, would have something to bargain with to keep them safe during the war. But her younger sister later is found dead and the bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping is gone until it turns up in the museum almost seventy years later.

This dual time line, switches between WWII and the present time when Colette is almost ninety and is proud of her achievement, funneling well over $30 million in stolen jewels to deserving organizations. One of the bracelets resurfaces at the Diamond Museum. As the bracelet reappears, it brings the painful memory back. Colette gathers her strength to find out where the bracelet came from.

As engaging as the story is, there are parts that are questionable if it’s believable. How did she support herself? Some dialogue of a young girl didn’t sound believable. The confirmation of the found body was questionable.

At the end, the story makes a good point that there is no point of holding on to the past. It robs one of good experiences.

Overall, the story has a good flow, is engaging and fast-paced, the characters are well-developed and interesting. The story doesn’t go into atrocities of the war which I personally preferred.

Although this could be billed as another WWII historical fiction story, it's really not so much a war story as a story about the aftereffects of the war and its impact on a singular young girl - Collette Marceau. I thoroughly enjoyed this dual timeline story that carries readers from 1942 Paris to 2012 Boston, where Collette at nearly 90 years old, discovers the whereabouts of a long-lost family bracelet and is determined to hunt down its provenance. I loved this story's premise of a family legacy as jewel thieves who steal from the rich and nefarious - in this case Nazis and Nazi sympathizers - to help the those in need, much like their long-ago forefather Robin Hood. Collette was brave, clever, quirky and fiercely independent.

Kristin Harmel is an author on my “must read” list. I love historical fiction and she is excellent at researching and writing it. “The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau” is a new twist on WWII era and beyond with dual timelines. There is so much to love in this book. I did have trouble with the ending, there may have been too many issues to finish, but the ending was rushed and this beautiful story didn’t deserve that.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this wonderful e-ARC to read. This review is my honest opinion.

This was one of the meat WW2, historical fiction books I read in a long time. It was thrilling. A jewelry thief, Paris, the war, long lost love. I could not put this book down. Read it in a day. Colette had a long life full of regrets and loses. She lived her life doing what she as taught - stealing. A family story of being descended from Robin Hood- allowed her to steal from “bad” people and help the needy. This was a bit of a stretch for me - but I loved the story nonetheless the less. Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this 5 star book.

THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU by Kristin Harmel

I loved this story of Parisian jewel thieves who are descendants of Robin Hood! Stealing jewels from vile and despicable people, then redistributing the proceeds to aid the needy and fund humanitarian organizations is just the sort of moral ambiguity I can get behind.

If you love historical fiction as much as I do, this one has it all; a compelling protagonist with well-crafted minor and side characters, historical accuracy, and a dual timeline that flows and converges seamlessly. Were some plot points predictable? Sure, but I didn’t mind. IMO it didn’t take away from the emotional impact of Colette’s story.

Overall, another well written, meticulously researched, and heartfelt story that had me turning the pages well into the night. Highly recommend!


Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Pub Date: 06.17.25
**ARC courtesy of Netgalley & GalleryBooks

I adored this novel and simply devoured it. I liked the characters and their complicated lives and connections both past and present.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for a fair review. This is the first book I've read by Kristin Harmel and, for the most part, I enjoyed it. She is a good storyteller and this story was very different from most historical fiction that pertains to World War II. The plot centers on the title character, Colette Marceau, who is a jewel thief with a Robin Hood twist. She steals from not so nice rich folks (i.e., rich Nazis) to support various causes (i.e., the French Resistance). Does that make it right? Good question, but stealing jewels runs in her family. In the modern-day story, Marceau is an old woman who lives alone in the United States and has no family, but she does have one of two priceless bracelets, which, during the war, her mother had sewn into her nightgown. Her little sister had the other one. In the historical story, Marceau is a young girl caught up in Paris as Germans invade. With her mother arrested and her father abandoning her after her younger sister is believed dead, Marceau lives with tremendous guilt, until the second bracelet turns up at a local museum decades later. I am not a fan of the back-and-forth timeline. I always find the historical portion much more interesting than the modern one and this book was no different. Why can't authors start at the beginning and tell the story? My only other complaint about this book was the contrived ending. It was hard to believe. I saw it coming but kept hoping for something more realistic. Overall, I did like the book and would recommend it. I also look forward to reading more of Harmel's work.

Can I say book of the year? OMG, I absolutely loved this book! I didn’t want it to end—the characters, the writing, the story—everything was amazing! I was completely hooked from start to finish and could not put it down. Did I mention I love this book???"
This review truly captures your passion for the story! Let me know if you’d like any other tweaks or additions. Would you want to highlight any specific standout characters or moments?

Thank you to Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this stunning book!

This story is told in varying chapters between past and present with the past being France during the initial stages of the Holocaust and the present being now. While one might argue, "oh, another Holocaust book" it goes unsaid that this one is another tale from the Holocaust that has to be heard.

Colette Marceau is a jewel thief; she has been a jewel thief for her entire life. As a kid growing up in Paris, her mother taught her how to steal jewels from the bad in order to help the good. An every day Robin Hood. Colette and her mother were living in Paris, during the start of the Holocaust, and they would steal jewelry from Nazis or Nazi supporters in order to help fund the underground (the same underground movement that helped Jews and other marginalized groups get to safety). One night, Colette loses everything due to a small error her mother makes while stealing two prized bracelets from a Nazi sympathizer. She loses her mother, her younger sister, and her father. One thing she was left with, though, was half of that prized bracelet that her mother risked her life to steal. The other half of that bracelet vanishes into thin air, never to be seen again.

And, yet, years later Colette is in her 80s when the bracelet suddenly reappears in a museum collection leaving Colette stunned to see it. It also leaves her begging to understand how it came to be in the museum because its history is so closely tied with the tragic ending of her family.

I absolutely loved this book. In another life, perhaps I'd have been a jewel thief! I have always been intrigued by this activity (think the Ocean's Eleven series, for example). While this book is a work of fiction, I love the idea that there would be people out there risking their lives to help fund the underground movement that supported the marginalized community.

I also found this book to have quite a bit of intrigue and mystery. I could NOT put it down.

Overall, despite being "another book" based on the Holocaust, I like that this one tells another perspective.

Kristin Harmel has crafted something truly extraordinary in The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau—a novel that proves there's still fresh ground to explore in WWII fiction. This isn't just another wartime story; it's a breathtaking blend of historical drama, mystery, and family saga centered around Colette, a jewel thief whose lineage traces back to Robin Hood himself. When a diamond bracelet surfaces in a Boston museum decades later, it unlocks memories Colette has spent a lifetime burying, forcing her to confront the night she lost everything: her mother to the Nazis and her four-year-old sister Liliane to a tragedy that has haunted her for seventy years. The premise alone is irresistible, but Harmel's execution elevates it into something unforgettable.

The dual timeline structure works brilliantly, seamlessly weaving between 1942 occupied France and present-day America as we witness both young Colette learning the art of stealing for the French Resistance and the elderly woman she's become—still sharp, still determined, still carrying the weight of survivor's guilt. Harmel handles the historical elements with remarkable skill, making the wartime setting feel authentic and lived-in while never losing sight of the deeply personal story at its heart. What makes this book so compelling is how it transforms the familiar Robin Hood legend into something entirely new: a family tradition of redistribution that becomes an act of resistance, survival, and ultimately, healing.

The character development is exceptional, particularly in how Harmel presents Colette as both a vulnerable young girl and a formidable elderly woman whose quest for answers drives the entire narrative. The mystery surrounding the bracelet and Liliane's fate kept me completely absorbed, turning pages late into the night because I simply couldn't put it down. While the ending ties up perhaps a few too many threads in neat bows, the emotional journey is so satisfying that any minor contrivances are easily forgiven. This is Harmel at her finest—a master storyteller who understands that the best historical fiction doesn't just teach us about the past, but reminds us of the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love and hope even in the darkest times.

I am always excited for a new Kristin Harmel book, and this time was no exception! Colette Marceau is one of my all-time favorite characters, and I wish I could go back and read this book for the first time!

As usual, Kristin’s writing is beautiful, the book is impeccably researched, and the story is fascinating.

I would highly recommend this historical fiction novel to all!

This book! It was definitely a 5 star read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I haven’t read a historical fiction that I’ve loved in a long time. This is a beautiful book, wonderful character development, it’s mysterious, it was hopeful, very emotional with dual timelines. I would say it’s a medium paced book. This beauty releases next week and I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery books for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review

Colette Marceau is an accomplished jewel thief—trained by the best: her mother, Annabel. The women descend from a long line of thieves going back to none other than Robin Hood himself. Like their legendary ancestor, they steal from the greedy and cruel to “redistribute” wealth to those in need.

When Hitler takes over France, the mother-daughter duo joins the French Resistance, using their skills to help innocent Jews escape the death camps. But one theft changes everything. Annabel makes it personal, stealing an exquisite diamond bracelet taken from a friend by a high-ranking Nazi. The bracelet, part of a matching pair, brings the wrath of the German military straight to their doorstep, altering the course of their lives—and stealing the future Colette might have had in a single night.

Decades later, now in her nineties, the bracelet resurfaces, unearthing old wounds and long-buried memories Colette has spent a lifetime suppressing. As she traces the provenance of the unique piece of jewelry, she is forced to confront the ghosts of her past and decide whether she can finally make peace with her story.

Once again, Kristin Harmel proves herself a masterful storyteller. If you think you’re tired of WWII novels—think again. Colette and the unforgettable cast of characters around her will “steal” your heart. Do not miss this one, s’il vous plaît!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and of course the author Kristin Harmel for the advanced copy of the book. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is out on June 17th. All opinions are my own.

This is a masterpiece! Once again, Kristin Harmel delivers a heartfelt and engaging adventure. Across dual timelines, the character development, interweaving of stories, twists, and turns are thrilling. I couldn't wait to pick up this book each day and am still sad to have finished it. Brava! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Wow, what a great story! This one really kept the pages turning. Colette was a child in Paris when she lost her mother. Her father abandoned her and she thinks that she was responsible for her sister's death. Now she is in her 90s in America when she sees a bracelet that brings memories of her childhood. Where has the bracelet been all these years and who had it? All these questions drive Colette.
This story is told in two timelines, one in the past and one present. We see what happened in the past and the resilience of Colette to make a new life in America. She has always grieved her mother and sister. Colette has always wanted to know what happened to her sister. This may be her last chance to find out everything. This book is for anyone who likes historical fiction or just wants to give it a try. I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KristinHarmel and #GalleryBooks for a copy of this book.
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