The Camp Muralist
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Pub Date Nov 17 2026 | Archive Date Nov 17 2026
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Description
Two women are separated by fifty years and one dark American secret.
In 1938, aspiring artist Emma Lundgren is hired to paint a mural at a German American youth camp bordering her rural Connecticut home. Seeking a chance to practice her craft, she soon befriends a mistreated young boy inside who doesn’t seem to fit the “ideals” the camp demands. With every stroke of her brush, Emma uncovers a chilling devotion to the Third Reich, risking everything to bring attention to the Nazi agenda rooting itself in American soil.
More than half a century later, celebrated chef Lily Milan is picking up the pieces of her fractured life when a shocking revelation threatens to upend everything she knows: Her entire identity is a lie, built on a mysterious adoption. Her quest for answers leads her to Emma—the grandmother who has spent decades searching for her.
As past and present collide, Lily becomes the key to unearthing a sinister history. Together, they face the enduring echoes of fanaticism, proving that even the longest shadows of trauma can be shattered by the resilient power of love.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“In prose that is lush and painterly, Sheehan has pulled off a story that is hard to put down and even more difficult to forget.” —Michael C. White, author of Beautiful Assassin and Soul Catcher
“In prose that is lush and painterly, Sheehan has pulled off a story that is hard to put down and even more difficult to forget.” —Michael C. White, author of Beautiful Assassin and Soul Catcher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798897473496 |
| PRICE | $23.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 310 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 5 members
Featured Reviews
Jen M, Reviewer
This was a great read - the story interweaves 2 timelines - late 1930's and early 1990's - The 1930's story revolves around Emma and her life of how she ended up painting a mural for an American German Bund camp. I will say this is the first time I had ever heard of a Bund camp and it sent me right down a rabbit hole to a part of history I was vastly unaware of. The 1990's story involves Lily learning that she was adopted and going to meet her biological grandmother Emma - through the weaving timelines we get to know more about Emma and Lily and how their worlds have now come together. If you like authors such as Fiona Davis or Beatriz Williams. the writing and story style is very reminiscent of their works.
Kade O, Reviewer
I thought this one was just gorgeous. The opposition these women faced and they parallel with which they handled it. The courage of Emma surrounded by such cruelty and choosing to stay for sake of others.
Lilly’s courage to just keep going when others would
Ha e given up. Finding each other at such imperative moments in each others lives. 🤌🏼🤌🏼
I loved it. I wish that Juliet or Patric has still alive, but that is my only critique.
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