About the Author

Anne Blankman is the acclaimed author of Prisoner of Night and Fog, which received a starred review and a Flying Start from Publishers Weekly. When Anne was twelve, she read Anne Frank's diary and has been haunted by World War II ever since. The idea for Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke came to her after she read about a real-life unsolved street assassination from January 1933, which was the inspiration for Monika Junge's murder. To research this book, she studied a wide range of sources, including biographies, memoirs, social histories, psychological profiles, old maps, photographs, and video footage.

Anne lives in southeastern Virginia with her husband, Mike, her young daughter, Kirsten, and, of course, lots and lots of books.

Reviews

"I'm in awed envy of the daring with which Anne Blankman plunges into her difficult and sensitive subject matter. It's terrifying and incredible to think how much of this story is true." -- Elizabeth Wein, award-winning author of CODE NAME VERITY"PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG seamlessly blends the fascinating, terrifying facts of Hitler's rise to power with a gripping murder mystery. Gretchen is a brave and believable protagonist, and readers will become engrossed in her struggle to uncover the truth. I can't wait for the sequel." -- Michelle Cooper, award-winning author of the Montmaray Journals series"A nail-biting visit to Adolf Hitler's inner circle in the early days of the Nazi party's rise to power." -- Jennifer Armstrong, author of In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer (with Irene Gut Opdyke)"Completely engrossing" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"An interesting perspective on a well-trod era." -- Kirkus Reviews"Haunting and captivating" -- School Library Journal"A winning gamble" -- Booklist