The Mapmaker: A Novel of World War II

Resistance fighters Charlotte and Philippe, an American woman and a Frenchman, brave death or worse to evade the Gestapo and get critical information to the Allies.

Resistance operative Charlotte Denneau has critical targeting information for the Allies, and the Gestapo knows it. On the run across occupied France, she must prioritize her mission over the lives of the agents and civilians she needs to aid her escape. Germans are taking down Resistance networks with disastrous results. Agents are being arrested, tortured, questioned, and turned. Charlotte communicates in coded radio calls to London, well aware the enemy is always listening. More than anything, she must find a flight out—before the Nazis drag her to an interrogation chamber.

Philippe Gerard, a French pilot who joined the British Royal Air Force after the fall of France, faces an impossible mission: He must find Charlotte, land by moonlight to pick her up in a farmer’s field, and evade Luftwaffe fighters on the way back to England. But where is she? If he gets an all-clear signal over a dark pasture, is she really there? Or could the signal be luring him into a trap?

In the critical weeks before D-Day, every contribution counts: A well-drawn map, a timely aerial photo, or a daring landing in a muddy field might make the difference between triumph and defeat. Inspired by real-life events from World War II, The Mapmaker demonstrates how individual courage and sacrifice set the stage for victory.