A heartbreaking tale of France during WWII coupled with a mystery surrounding a missing bracelet, a jewel thief and Holocaust survivors. I was intrigued from the very beginning of this novel and managed to finish it in one day. While the premise is rather far-fetched - Colette is the descendant of Robin Hood - it does make for an excellent story.

In Paris during WWII, when Colette is just a teenager, she and her mother steal jewels from Nazi’s to help fund the French resistance. Until her mother gets caught and her 4 year old sister is found floating dead in the Seine. Some 70 decades later, Colette is still stealing jewelry to fund worthy organizations when a piece of jewelry she’s been searching for shows up on display at a museum. What follows is a race to find out where that bracelet has been hiding and how whoever is hiding it was involved in her sister’s death. Riveting.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this title!

Kristin Harmel does it again! Harmel has the ability to find uncovered stories and turn them into characters and plots that jump from the page, and THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU is no different.

I was engrossed from the beginning, constantly hooked to the page and wondering where she would take the narrative next. Her character building is fantastic—I could see and hear each character. I imagine building such a diverse character base in terms of age, background and life experiences was difficult, but Harmel executes this flawlessly.

It’s always tricky with WWII historical fiction because it’s so oversaturated, but thus behind the scenes look at a family immersed in jewel thievery for good was so interesting. I love how the timelines collided and how she built the story from beginning to end. The emotional arc was so strong, too.

I read a lot of historical fiction, so it’s always exciting when I am surprised by a new piece of history I haven’t read about before. This one is a must-read!

A very satisfying historical fiction! I think any historical fiction reader would enjoy this.

Colette has been raised to carry on the tradition of her ancestor - Robin Hood - by stealing from Nazis and using the funds to help victims and survivors of the Holocaust. But she has forever been haunted by the death of her sister 70 years ago.

Told in alternating timelines, this story weaves the past and present together well.

I did find some things a little too convenient to serve the plot and also questioned the ability for some of the characters to live as long and as healthily as they did, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. Rounding up from 3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel is a historical fiction novel about an octogenarian jewel thief whose past catches up to her upon the appearance of a long lost diamond bracelet. The story spans the years between pre-World War II to the present day and takes place between Paris and Boston.

The story is quite captivating, especially with how the author mixes in Robin Hood lore with World War II history, then connect it back to the present day. Colette Marceau is a character who is larger than life, and it's fascinating to read about how she slips jewels off her marks without them noticing.

There are some plot points that aren't hard to predict, but because the story is compelling, you still want to read until the end to find out how everything works out. In fact, this story would make for a really good movie.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is available now wherever books are sold.

What a great book! Historical fiction about WWII that has a new spin. This will be a best book of 2025 for me.

This story is about an eighty-nine-year-old woman that is reflecting on her life and the choices that she made.. The characters in this story are interesting and well developed. The story makes you question - is breaking the law bad when it is done for the right reasons? How can it be evil to steal from the rich and give to those in need. The storytelling has a good pace and there are twists and turns with an ending that I was not expecting.

Many thanks to Gallery Books for a NetGalley widget for this fantastic book that I unfortunately did not get to read until a few weeks after publication. I listened to part of the audiobook, and I definitely recommend the narrator. This was my first book by the author and it won't be my last!
I don't read very much historical fiction, especially not involving WWII - many times I feel like the topics or the themes (or the covers!) have been done before and I'm just over it. However, that was NOT the case with this book. I was fascinated by the jewel thefts described, and I was immediately swept into the dual timelines, from 1940s Paris to 2018 Boston area. Yet another Boston-based book that I read away from home 🤣 I fell in love with these characters and sobbed big tears at the end because of my emotional investment in the story.

An outstanding historical fiction that kept me on the edge of the seat. It is full of suspense. A modern day Robin Hood, Colette, has spent a lifetime lifting jewels from the cruel and unkind people and giving it to a good cause. 70 years ago, in 1942, Colette's mother, Annabel, was arrested by the Nazis and sent to her death for stealing jewels from a Nazi officer. Colette was responsible for watching over her sister, but she left her outside their window to go back and help her mother. When she came back, Liliane was gone and later her body was found floating in the Seine. One of the key elements of the story are the jewels sewn into the girls' dresses to give back to the Rosman's, a Jewish family, that were stolen from them. Colette still has half of the bracelets when they are placed together they make a butterfly. The pieces represent the Rosman's twins that the famous Jewish jeweler, Max Besner, made for the mother.
70 years later the other half of the bracelets shows up in a museum exhibit in Boston, Colette ventures out to find where it has been and who was responsible for her sister's death.
Lucas is director of the museum and has the information Colette needs. She recruits her friends Aviva, a lawyer and her best friend Marty to help her with the search. Colette has admitted to stealing over 30 million dollars worth of jewels and given the money to Jewish organizations that benefit survivors.

I did not finish this book and I will tell you why. I usually love historical fiction, especially that in which a woman is living a life of crime in a time of extreme marginalization. Add an exotic setting like Europe and voila, perfect! However, this author managed to make this story so boring and serious, I found no excitement in the plot, nor did I relate with or any strong feelings towards the protagonist, which are two things I require in a book. I felt 33% was enough to judge that this book was a dud for me. I do appreciate the copy from NetGalley and the publisher. Harmel is no longer a must-read for me, unfortunately.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with such impact. It’s always hard to read historical fiction books that are about WWII. The atrocities that took place during that time was enough to get to most people. The fact that we must be continually reminded is mind blowing to me. The story is set around the life of Collette and the many things she survived and lived through was crazy. The genius plot twists that linked everything together was brilliant on the part of this author. This is my first time reading this author and now I can’t wait to delve into her other books.

What a gem of a read this was! This has jumped to the top of my 2025 reads and may just stay there the rest of the year. We'll see!

I absolutely loved this book, all of the characters, the twists and turns, and the end was so beautifully done! I loved that there were both the ww2 storyline and the current storyline both with some of the same characters. Often times, it is different characters completely, and I loved the connections here.

The characters were complex, unique, and so well developed. Kristin Harmel does such a great job with that. I loved the descriptions of the places and almost felt like I were there both in France and in Boston!

So grateful to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars
Really loved this one. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is emotional, immersive, and beautifully written. Colette’s journey is heartbreaking but full of strength, and I was hooked the whole way through. The historical detail is rich without feeling heavy, and the moral dilemmas felt so real. I knocked off half a star only because a few parts felt a bit drawn out, but overall, such a powerful and moving read. Definitely recommend if you enjoy historical fiction with depth and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels since she’s been a young child. Her mother, Annabel always told her as she was growing up to take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. She followed this centuries-old creed that her mother instilled in her. It was never more important than seven decades earlier, the Second World War, this family tradition of theirs where Annabel and Colette worked tirelessly along side each other in Paris to fund the French Resistance.

But it all went wrong one night in Paris of 1942. The Germans arrested Annabel and Colette’s younger sister, Liliane, which was 4 years old, disappeared in the turmoil of the raid. Along with the beautiful brilliant bracelet which was expertly sewn and hidden in Liliane’s hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Shortly, thereafter, Annabel was executed. Floating in the Seine was Liliane but nowhere to be found was the bracelet.

Seventy or so years later Colette over the decades has “redistributed “ a worth of $30 million in jewels to fund many important organizations. She’s done her best to put the tremendous loss of her family behind her but a museum exhibit in Boston turns up the long-awaited missing bracelet to turn her life upside down. She may find out the truth about her sister if she can find out who owns the bracelet now and where it has been all this time. As never before she is forced to face the ghosts of her past when the diamonds are claimed by someone of her childhood. A murderer may be brought to justice at last but first, Colette must gather her braveness to open her own damaged heart.

It has an element of suspense and mystery with a few shocking discoveries in it! Very heartfelt and exciting with romance. It had me in tears a few times. Bring along your tissues! Kristin Harmel always brings out the stunning facts of the time period that are involved in her stories. History is brought out for you. I always seem to learn a thing or two or more through her stories. It’s unputdownable! Don’t miss this one of hers! Definitely a must read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers in providing me with this and allowing me to leave an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book and am so thrilled that I did. The connection to Robin Hood initially threw me a bit as less believable, but the author so thoughtfully wove it into the plot that it was a non-issue.

Just when you think, ah, how many more WWII books can I read? What is left to tell? This one takes such an interesting perspective, somehow runs the gamut of emotions, but also is hopeful? Not as dark and depressing as it might have been.

The mixing and switching between timelines also works great, IMO, to keep the mystery alive and also to captivate. Harmel is a master storyteller.

In our current political climate, I’m finding it harder and harder to read WWII HF. It’s just starting to feel a little too close to home. However, Ms. Harmel is one of my absolute favorite authors so I decided to push through the discomfort and I’m so glad I did. I’m usually pretty good at guessing the plots of a book, and that’s not something that upsets me like the usual reader. But let me tell you, the gasps that I gasped while reading this! A few of the twists I saw coming, some of them completely blindsided me. I loved the relationship between Colette and Aviva, and love that this story focused on chosen family. I love that the story was told mostly through Colette’s POV, but that we got glimpses of other characters through flashbacks. As with all of Ms. Harmel’s books that I’ve read, I would highly recommend this to any WWII HF lovers! This was a beautiful, well-written 5 star book!!

I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it. The history was interesting and I liked the dual timeline. The main character was interesting, but not incredibly compelling.

Another good historical fiction book from Kristin Harmel. I enjoyed the characters and how they all came together.

Nazi Germany, a family of thieves, and a missing little girl.

This story was very fast paced. It was quick to pull me in. It was so many years ago that a bracelet and Colette's little sister disappeared. It was a night of Nazi raids, betrayal, and disarray. But it was devastating losing her sister. Now, years later, the bracelet that went missing has resurfaced, and Colette is determined to find out who had it, where it came from, and what happened to her sister that night long ago.

Each chapter was so engrossing. I loved the world of theft, how we learned the way they bumped, pinched, and easily slid so many valuable jewels off pretty necks and arms in order to pass to others for safe passage and hiding of Jewish families. I loved the way they referenced Peter Pan. The prejudice was ugly but familiar. The love for family and the determination was so alluring and made it easy to keep picking the book up and chasing the plot. The reveals and twists as she tried to figure out who had had it was so well done. I was okay with the love story but I found it more distracting than adding to the story. And the author note was great, don't miss it! I'm really glad the author is feeling better after the battle.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book

If you can't get enough of WWII historical fiction, put this one your TBR immediately! While it was filled with many exciting twists and turns, my favorite part of this book was the main female character - an outspoken, strong-willed 89 year old jewel thief who never got married or had children -- how refreshing! The dual timeline was executed flawlessly, creating suspense and intrigue while the reader navigates through 1930s Paris and present day Boston. There were a little too many coincidences for my liking and things that were tied up a little too neatly, but overall I really enjoyed it!

No one does WWII Paris better than Kriten Harmel and THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU is her best tale by far. The novel is time split between 1940's Paris and 2018 America, but unlike many time split stories it is one main character, jewel thief Colette Marceau, and one story -- her life long quest for a diamond bracelet and the truth about her young sister's death that travel across the decades. Like many readers, I constantly tell myself it is time to leave the WWII fiction behind as I have read dozens and dozens, but I must recommend Harmel's book. It ranks among my top 5 reads for the year.

Kristin Harmel wrote another masterpiece that wove multiple timelines soo incredibly well. This book was a gem to read.