Stolen Lives

Zahara #2

by Joyce Yarrow

"Atmospheric, emotional, and historically compelling." D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

Alienor, a tenacious journalist with a rare psychic gift, delves into a forgotten chapter of history: the mysterious shipment of gold to the Soviet Union during the Spanish Civil War and the perilous journey of children torn from their homeland.

As Alienor unravels a tapestry woven with secrets, betrayal, and the unyielding quest for justice, her investigation draws her into a vortex of danger. Her unique ability to "visit" the minds of her female ancestors provides not only insight but also the unbreakable will of women who fought against the tides of their times. This connection across generations fortifies her as she faces political adversaries and nefarious forces lurking in the shadows.

"Stolen Lives" intertwines the gritty determination of a young woman challenging the legacy of historical injustices with a suspense-filled narrative of intrigue, danger, and love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Thriller

250 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2024

About the author

A New York City transplant now living in Seattle, Joyce Yarrow began her writing life scribbling poems on the subway and observing human behavior from every walk of life.

Joyce is the award-winning author of the Zahara Series and, according to Library Journal, her literary novels of suspense “appeal to readers who enjoy unusual mysteries with an international setting.”

ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT (Book 1 in the Zahara Series), was awarded 5 Stars by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and chosen as a Best Book in the Historical Fiction category by the PenCraft Awards (Spring of 2024). It has also been translated into Spanish and Portuguese. The second book in the series, STOLEN LIVES earned the 2024 Firebird Award for International Suspense.

In 2022, her coming-of-age novel SANDSTORM, won a the 2022 gold medal in Women's Fiction at the CIPA/Evvy Awards.

Joyce's other published novels of suspense include ASK THE DEAD, RUSSIAN RECKONING, and RIVERS RUN BACK (co-authored with Arindam Roy).

Yarrow is a Pushcart Prize Nominee with short stories and essays that have been widely published. She is a member of the Sisters in Crime organization and has presented workshops on “The Place of Place in Mystery Writing” at conferences in the US and India.

Reviews

[Bozena · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I started reading this book, I found it incredibly alluring.
You can feel Arabia, Spanish, Jewish, and all kinds of multicultural vibes in this story.

I love this fascinating story, or rather the exchange of all these feelings like a thousand and one night stories, with the melodic writing style and tons of historical facts that the book is peppered with.

Between discovering and investigating very old mysterious deaths and worrying about their own safety, the characters are surrounded by many secrets from the past.

There is so much history in this book and the story is told in such a beautifully flowing and fairytale-like way, it's intriguing to read about things that happened in the past and are still very important part of our present-day.

This is a very sad but important story that contains a lot of historical facts about the Nazis and the persecution of the Jews and also about Franko and his machinations and what happened. It's a coming to terms with the past story.
What happened to the children and families who were separated, abducted, and misplaced.
It's a very sad but important story.
A story that must never be forgotten.

This book is packed with historical facts and combined with fictional characters that form an amazing and fascinating story through the past mixed with current events that give you insights into historical events that you could otherwise only see from historical old books.

Additionally, the book has some paranormal/fantasy vibes that make the book even more mysterious.

In this story are all nations of the world and the people who represent these nations.
People who live together, love each other and make no differences because of different religions or origins.

Ok, I should stop writing before I retell the story 🤭
For lovers of historical fiction, with a lot of true historical facts, a must-read.

[Stephan Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable story which builds beautifully on Joyce Yarrow's earlier novel 'Zahara and the Lost Books of Light'. 'Stolen Lives' kept me gripped throughout. It is well researched, with a fast paced plot, and a rich ensemble of characters. The novel, like Zahara, is a glorious mix of a 'down to earth' detective story, linked to a powerful family drama, and dream sequences, all overlaid with strong mystical overtones. It is very well written, and the descriptions of Rhodes, Ceuta and Granada are particularly evocative. I was very impressed by the huge amount of historical research that has gone into the story. This really gives it ring of authenticity. I strongly recommend this book. .

[Karla Huebner]

Joyce Yarrow's new novel, a sequel to Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, features Seattle-born journalist Alienor Crespo living in Spain, where her family has deep roots, beginning to investigate Spain's Franco-era theft of healthy babies born to poor, single, or leftist mothers. But that's just one of the threads in this intricate and multi-layered historical thriller.

Alienor, whose partner is also involved in investigating the Franco-era wrongs that continue to haunt today's Spain, has inherited a psychic ability to experience situations that her dead female relatives experienced. Many of these encounters with the past relate to her Jewish extended family's life in Rhodes and Ceuta before and during World War II, when they were uprooted and some also became involved in the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath. These visions become vital to her understanding some of the dangers that beset her in the present day. However, Alienor also connects with a medieval ancestor whose poems are preserved in the long-secret library that is the subject of the preceding book.

This is a novel rich in the history and cultures of Spain and the Mediterranean world. Most fiction dealing with European Jewish history focuses on the Ashkenazi Jews, but here the long history of the Sephardic Jews--once part of multi-ethnic and largely tolerant medieval Spain but cast out by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492--looms large, intertwined with Spain's equally long relationship with the Muslim world. We learn about how some of these Sephardic Jews formed a community in Ceuta, across from Gibralter, and also on the island of Rhodes, near Turkey. Spain's 20th-century connections to the Soviet Union (largely underground during the Franco years) also play a role in both Alienor's family and the dangers she encounters.

The novel will appeal on the one hand to readers who enjoy history, but also to readers who adore thrillers filled with gunfire, assassinations, secret tunnels, conflicted loyalties and betrayal, hidden treasure, rogue police, secret societies, and daring escapes.

My thanks to Joyce Yarrow and BookSirens for the opportunity to review.

[Lauren Giac · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 4.5 🌟

Thank you to Book Sirens, All Bilingual Press, and Joyce Yarrow for an arc of Stolen Lives, out March 15, 2024!

This was my first book by this author, and I don’t think it will be my last. When we meet Aelinor, she’s investigating a story about the disappearance of many, many infants during the Spanish Civil War and on. As a journalist, she has an eye for these things. Her second sights, or visions from other strong female family members, helps her unravel this deep, dark secret of those mothers who were deemed unfit, or a degenerate under Franco’s ruling in Spain.

Mico, her partner, is a notary, and seems to be stable and have a good job… he wants the whole marriage and relationship where as Allie isn’t quite sure this is where her path should take her. He is aware of her Vijitas, or sights from other family members, and didn’t question her when this secret was revealed.

As the story evolved and she continues to dive deeper, she reaches out to others for help. Her family is so strong, and that’s displayed throughout all the flashbacks and visions she has. All of the characters had depth and throughout the safe- and maybe not so safe- decisions she made, Mico continued to worry about her. As she works along with Inspector Fernandez, Mico questions whether or not the police are the ones to trust too.

This story took me a little to get into, because of the deep foundation laid at the start of this story. I can tell a lot of research went into all the historical facts and story. For me, it catches on fast around 40% in and then you don’t want to put it down!

If you are someone who enjoys historical fiction mixed with tension, a small mystical feel, a strong female lead, and tugging at the heart strings, this one is for you!

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is a fast paced, engaging story that shines a light on little known facts about babies being stolen from single mothers during Franco’s reign in Spain and given to pro-fascist families. The birth mothers were declared unfit. Some of the babies were from Jewish homes and raised by Catholic families. Some were taken by priests and given to the highest bidder.

There is a wonderful attention to details and clearly Joyce Yarrow does extensive research for her novels. Beautiful, shimmering colors dance on the page.

Another dynamic aspect of Stolen Lives are the “visits” Alienora, the protagonist, experiences. The reader gets a glimpse into an alternative time period through the eyes of the characters, second sight.

I loved the poetry and importance of Kahil’s role as a woman who was not allowed to be recognized for her work. Lovely scene near the end of the story when Kahil and Bashir, the poet, “visit” Alienora in the present. That was an unusual touch.

There are some references to “Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, Joyce Yarrow’s previous book, but this is definitely a stand alone novel.

Stolen Lives is beautifully written very accessible and a fast read which pulled me in from the beginning. I highly recommend Stolen Lives, by Joyce Yarrow.

[Madelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

We expect to read about monsters in horror and some science fiction books, but the real monsters are those among us whose deeds are appallingly inhuman. There are the infamous barbaric leaders like Hitler and Stalin to whom others are compared. We hear less about Francisco Franco who ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975 as a dictator, assuming the title Caudillo. There is no direct translation to English for Caudillo; however, a definition of 'strongman' or 'warlord' is often used. He believed his dictatorship to be the will of God.

In STOLEN LIVES, Joyce Yarrow tells the story of babies stolen from their mothers immediately after they were born. The mothers, usually unmarried and considered degenerate, were told that their newborns died within hours of their birth. Imagine having a child that you never got to hold, maybe never even heard its first cry. This is real horror perpetrated by real monsters.

During Franco's rule, Spanish purity and Catholicism were paramount. Does that sound familiar in these fraught times? The Catholic church became complicit in the stealing of babies declared dead, and more specifically, it was the nuns. The children were given to good Catholic families, not only given, but provided with birth certificates naming the adoptive parents as the birth parents. All of this was done in hopes of nurturing the Red (Communist) Gene, inherited from their impure mothers.

STOLEN LIVES is historical fiction based upon fact. It is a narrative of the consequences of a male dominated society under a fascist regime. It is a story of mothers and daughters meeting after decades of separation where one cannot accept the declaration of a death as truth and the other must face the fact that she has been lied to all her life. These encounters can be psychologically damaging to both.

Inveterate reporter Alienor Crespo learns of the practice through her ability to become one with a female ancestor which allows her to 'live' her family history. The transition from one time period to one in the past is seamless. Suspension of disbelief is immediate. This use of magical realism adds to the poignance of the story.

The organization SOS Bebés Robados (Stolen Babies) that you will encounter in this book is real and still active today. Francisco Franco died in 1975 — nearly 50 years ago — yet there are still women searching for their so-called 'dead' children.

As historical fiction, STOLEN LIVES addresses so many issues with which we are dealing today — strongmen espousing fascist notions of ruling a country and its people, misogyny, and xenophobia are the bane of democracies holding onto freedoms and the rule of law.

Pick up a copy of ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT and follow it up with STOLEN LIVES… you won't be disappointed.

[Lenore Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I began reading Joyce Yarrow’s historical novel, Stolen Lives, the second volume of her Books of Zahara series, I wondered if I’d be able to follow the plot and characters, not having read the first volume, Zahara and the Lost Books of Light.

As it turned out, there was no need to wonder. Yarrow does an excellent job of gradually filling the reader in on any characters and relevant events from volume one, when necessary.

In Stolen Lives, Alienor Crespo, a Seattle journalist of both Jewish and Muslim lineage, is still recovering from her harrowing (and nearly lethal) experience in book one involving saving a secret library of precious historical religious books. Yarrow’s fictional Zahara libraries are clearly informed by the real-life loss of countless, precious collections of Jewish and Muslim works that have been destroyed over the centuries during wars, invasions, or by zealots who consider any religious viewpoint but their own to be “heresy” and thus wish to erase it.

Now Alienor has decided to remain in Spain with her partner Mico, though his work means he is frequently away. She spends the days getting deep into her investigation of a historical travesty that was perpetuated during and after the Spanish Civil War. During Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, healthy babies born to poor single mothers or non-Christian mothers – women deemed “unfit” by his brutal authoritarian regime – were often taken away and adopted out. Sometimes even sold like livestock to “more suitable” families; that is, those considered most loyal to Franco. Even some Catholic nuns and priests were convinced to cooperate with this cruel scheme. Alienor learns that while some of the mothers believe their “lost” children are still alive, and have been seeking them as adults, others are too sad to even discuss those days.

Still, Alienor is a most determined journalist. While researching the background of these “stolen lives” she looks also learns about a lost shipment of gold to the Soviet Union which sent missing during the Spanish Civil War. She suspects a connection between the two events, and nothing – including attempts on her own life – will stop her from trying to solve both historical mysteries, even as she manages to reunite a few of the bereaved mothers with their adult children.

One thing that sets Stolen Lives apart from most historical mystery novels is a running device that adds a taste of magical realism to the story. Alienor, like all the women in her family, has learned she has the ability to tap into the past experiences of her female ancestors, through encompassing visions that come upon her -- at first unexpectedly, and then gradually more often, as she learns to call them up to help her out in the present day. Sometimes this ability helps her save herself with precious knowledge of people’s motives, losses, or past crimes, while showing the reader how the past still directly impacts the present. The danger of using such a literary flashback device is that in less-skilled hands it could bring the novel’s present action to a grinding halt. But Yarrow’s story is so fast paced, and its story arc so well-aimed, this never happens.

She also does a wonderful job of creating a vivid sense of place for the reader, so even if you’ve never been to Spain, you will feel as if you have been there by the end of the novel. Right now, with so much religious turmoil, upwellings of both antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry, and religious wars still roiling the world, Stolen Lives truly resonates. The novel combines gripping historical and contemporary adventure, shocking betrayals, and occasionally, a bit of redemption -- along with themes of cultural heritage, and the persistence of human resilience even in terrible situations.

Some readers may wonder whether the frequent transitions between Alienor’s viewpoint in the present day and that of her various female ancestors at different time periods might be confusing. But my reading experience was that I was only momentarily confused about the time period twice, then quickly reoriented by the next sentence. A great testament to Yarrow’s skill as a novelist, for time and place transitions can be very tricky to pull off, even when they do not happen this often. And the mental time-traveling aspect also serves to give the reader a deeper, richer grasp of Spain’s past – which is, of course, what historical fiction is all about. And, if such a work happens to include strong female characters and thriller-like events and pacing, as this one does – well then, all the better! Highly recommended for lovers of historical novels incorporating mysteries, thriller plots, and multi-cultural settings and events.

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is the second in Joyce Yarrow’s Zahara series. In the first, Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, Seattle-based journalist Alienor Crespo decides to document her journey to recover her Sephardic family’s past when Spain offers citizenship to those wrongfully dispossessed. In Stolen Lives, she has achieved her goal and has remained in Spain, becoming involved in another family-related mystery. She works with her new love, Mico, to uncover cases of stolen children. Franco’s Fascist regime has discovered a “gene” that causes people to become degenerates and join the communists. The children of these women are stolen and placed with “good” families to have that gene eradicated. The novel becomes a women’s fiction thriller as Alienor uncovers Rightist political intrigues and plots to destroy evidence that such atrocities were committed and a search for a hidden cache of gold coins.

Joyce Yarrow deftly weaves past and present, far-right Spanish politics and the current situation in Spain into a cohesive whole that also reflects what has happened in the United States in the past. Think of the placement of Native American children into government schools and the attempts to extinguish their culture. Also, later, during the Baby Scoop Era of the mid-20th century, babies were placed for adoption from “maternity homes” often with no consent from the birth mothers. The settings and food seem authentic and are well-described, giving a flavor of authentic Spain. The novel is short at 250 pages but ends rather abruptly.

Like Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, Stolen Lives is novel of strong women, blending women’s fiction with elements of thrillers.

[Sylvia Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title:
Stolen Lives (The Zahara Series Book 2)

Author:
Joyce Yarrow

Genre:
Women’s Fiction/Mystery

Firebird Award
First Place in International Fiction

Pub Date:
March 15, 2024

Print Length:
252 pages

Book Reviewed By Sylvia J.



This is the sequel to Zahara and the Lost Books of Light.


Alienor Crespo is a journalist from Seattle, Washington. How could she have known that on her first trip to Spain she would be risking her life to protect a treasure trove of books? She needs to recover from that terrible ordeal. Alienor now has a boyfriend named Mico and they share an apartment together. Unfortunately, he works seven days a week and is frequently out of town.

Alienor is starting to investigate Spain’s problem of the theft of healthy babies born to poor, single mothers. These mothers are being given anesthesia and upon awakening they are told that the newborns they gave birth to are dead, when they are actually alive. Some of the babies are sold to the highest bidder. Some are being given away to families who are loyal to Franco’s regime. This is during and after the Spanish Civil War, under Franco’s regime.The story of Spain’s stolen babies was a long and difficult one to trace, beginning under Franco’s reign and continuing well into the 1980s”. Some of the children were rescued by the Carthusians.

Alienor is a determined and persistent journalist. She looks into a forgotten chapter in history which was the mystery of a shipment of gold to the Soviet Union during the Spanish Civil war. She puts her life in danger as she searches for justice.There are many secrets and betrayals going on in the book.


This book talks about many different religions, one will find it fascinating and quite interesting. One will see that much work went into this book.


There is much history in this book. Everything flows together very nicely as the story is being told with fictional characters. If you're a fan of historical fiction, you will enjoy this book. If you are a person who loves thrillers, you'll also love this book. It's filled with tales about secret hidden treasures, betrayals, and much much more. Five stars is my rating for this book.

[Reader Views · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of the world’s suffering, I have come to realize, results from people (often old men) sitting around and inventing something called “policy.” Not all policy is bad, of course; policies created and negotiated by the people who are affected are often helpful. Truly awful policies tend to result from decisions made by people with little understanding of the issues and no personal skin in the game. Joyce Yarrow’s “Stolen Lives” illustrates this in a way that will leave you shaking your head, and possibly shaking with rage. How else to respond to a systemic policy of stealing women’s babies, telling the mothers the child had died shortly after birth, and then giving the children away to more ideologically pleasing parents?

If only this were pure fiction; but unfortunately, that is exactly the policy carried out by Francisco Franco’s government for many decades after the Spanish Civil War. The original victims were women who supported the wrong side during the war; with time, this expanded to include unwed mothers, mothers in prison, and other so-called undesirables. What Franco and his enablers failed to realize is that most mothers will stop at nothing to protect their children.

This national trauma is nicely fictionalized by Yarrow in this second novel of her Zahara Series, after “Zahara and the Lost Books of Light.” We meet Alienor Crespo, an American-born journalist who calls Seattle home but often covers stories from her base in the southern Spanish city of Granada. I read this book hoping to learn something about the Spanish Civil War and I was not disappointed. The war itself, however, was mostly presented as background; the focus was really on the fates of the unfortunate families ripped apart in the years up until the 1980s when this atrocious practice finally ended.

The story starts fast and describes multiple generations of a family through multiple shifts in time and place. I was a bit confused at first, perhaps because I had not read the first book in the series. By page 64, however, Yarrow lays out the first family tree, making things more clear; as more characters enter the book the family tree is presented again twice more to help keep the reader on track.

Central to the story is a secret link that Alienor has to her ancestors; I will not reveal it here, but it allows her to resolve the fates of several people. The biggest parts of the story belong to her great-uncle Ja’far, a Muslim who married a Jew in 1946, and her aunt Lea. Ja’far and Lea’s fates were intertwined not only with Franco’s government but also with Russia, where many leftists fled after Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War.

Alienor Crespa is a modern woman, and readers should expect some foul language and a casual attitude toward drugs and alcohol. Not to mention sex, or as she cleverly puts it:

There’s nothing like shared danger to bridge the gap between ‘pleased to meet you’ and ‘what’s for breakfast.’ p. 25

Joyce Yarrow has a point to make in “Stolen Lives” and has spun a fascinating tale to help us understand the magnitude of the tragedy. The characters essentially exist to serve the narrative; this is less a character study than a fictionalized piece of actual history. As the story progressed, the way the different characters’ fates were linked led to a truly sweeping family epic.

Anyone who has suffered either from war or family-hostile policies will not be able to read this unmoved.

The organization SOS Bebes Robados at http://www.sosbebesrobados.es has been working to provide justice for the families that suffered under Franco’s family separation policies as described in this book.

[Lisa Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I had read the prequel to this book beforehand. It was a bit confusing for the 7 chapters but by then the story takes off and you can keep up without all the background from the first book. This is a beautifully written book about Spain’s history which, to be honest, I didn’t know a lot about. It focuses on Alienor’s quest to follow her family’s journey through wartime. Being of Jewish and Arabic lineage made her family’s past heartbreaking. I remember hearing of Franco’s regime but had no idea that babies were taken from women determined to be of ill repute, poor, and/or of “red gene.” Truly awful knowing that many of these women and families were killed and dumped in ravines. Alienor’s journey as a reporter and through her visions from past relatives brings this horror story to life. The terror and challenges she faces while seeking out her heritage and the mystery that surrounds it makes for a wonderful but heart wrenching read. Ms. Yarrow writes quite eloquently and found myself immersed in the past and in the future. Well done.

[WeLoveBigBooksAndWeCannotLie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been to Spain?🇪🇸
I haven’t but plan to go soon! I love historical fiction and Stolen Lives by Joyce Yarrow was exactly what I needed! This is only the second book I’ve read about Franco the dictator of Spain, and his rule was truly brutal. After reading Ruta Sepetys book The Fountains of Silence, I was learning more about the buried secret of stolen babies.
Alienor Crespo is truly a brave and unique woman. As a journalist from Seattle, she is set to uncover the truth about Spain’s history and isn’t willing to stop until she figures it out. I adore Joyce Yarrow and her writing really shines in Stolen Lives! This book is thoroughly researched, and I felt like I was right there in Spain following along on her journey.
Thank you so much @joyceyarrowauthorn for this gifted copy!
Stolen Lives was published earlier this year and is available on our Amazon storefront!🧜🏼‍♀️🌺

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is a journalist with some special abilities and he is looking into what happened when gold was smuggled. He wants to find the children who were also taken away from their home. What will he find out? Can he help them? See how he gets on
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I want to review

[Elizabeth Gauffreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is Joyce Yarrow’s follow-up novel to Zahara and the Lost Books of Light. Having read and enjoyed Zahara, I would recommend reading it first because Stolen Lives draws so much from it.

Intrepid Seattle journalist Alienor Crespo is living in Spain recovering from her ordeal of protecting medieval manuscripts that had been saved from destruction during the Spanish Inquisition and were threatened with destruction once again.

Alienor is now pursuing a story about the Stolen Lives project, whose purpose is to discover the identities of babies stolen from their mothers during the Franco regime and unite them with their birth families. In addition, Alienor’s romantic partner Mico works for We Remember, an organization dedicated to identifying Franco-era remains thrown into mass graves, so their families can give them a proper burial.

The book is very well-researched, with a strong emphasis on Spanish history and culture, particularly in the first five chapters, when the reader is introduced to characters representative of actual people impacted by the Franco regime and its aftermath. Using the elements of fiction to create characters the reader can identify with ensures that history and cultural heritage are presented in a way that will be engaging and impactful for current readers.

After the relevant history is explained, the book shifts to a thriller. Alienor is faced with untying a Gordian knot of the past, the strands of which include: the role of the Roman Catholic Church in stealing the babies from their mothers; the lengths to which a dictator and his loyalists would go to ensure a populace that was loyal to him; the fate of people who risked their own lives to save others; shifting national alliances; misogyny; antisemitism; eugenics; and the location of a stash of missing gold coins. Not only is she driven to get the story as a journalist, she has the gift of second site, which enables her to visit the past and view the events through her female ancestors’ eyes, thereby raising the stakes for her personally.

My main takeaways from Stolen Lives are twofold. The first is just how far the tentacles of the Holocaust reached. The second is how Spain was taken over by multiple cultures, each of which tried to erase all traces of the ones that had come before and replace it with their own, a pattern that can still be seen around the world. This makes Stolen Lives a story for our time and into the future as people continue to fight for their own cultural identity when it’s threatened.

[Jane Isenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Zahara so I was hoping Stolen Lives would live up to that gripping combination of history and suspense. Stolen Lives is as exciting and full of surprises as its predecessor. This time Alienor Crespo is a little older and with all the skills and opportunities of a woman in her thirties living in Spain with her lover Mico. She had met him while she was there working for The Seattle Courier and has returned to follow up on the fate of the babies stolen from their mothers by Franco and the church decades ago.
Mico adores Alienor, has a good job as a notary , and is what I call a “nice guy” in that he worries when Alienor encounters dangerous situations and people in her search. Although she loves Mico she has little interest in marriage at the moment. I find her desire to remain single, a rare phenomenon among women of my own generation.
But the way she handles her love affair is not Alienor’s only skill. She seems incredibly fearless and knows how to do many things I, now 83, grew up assigning to men. She drives a car with skill and very fast when necessary without killing anybody. She also knows how to get around Spain by other means of transportation such as trains and buses. When necessary she walks, runs, and climbs at least one mountain! She camps out when necessary. Although Alienor does not own a gun, she shares one in this story and as two women pass this weapon back and forth, I reread that violent but necessary, scene. I have great appreciation of how Alienor feels free to use her brain, her body, and a gun, along with her ability to get along with most people.
Alienor is Jewish and familiar with many historic events that sometimes materializes alive in her mind. She can be looking over a poem in the library or a scene from a long ago event as it arises into her head and eventually this vision fades away, but not before it has taught her something that will illuminate a problem she is trying to see more clearly.
Her article is written by the time she’s on a plane home and a new assignment based in Seattle will await her. I hope we get to follow her next adventure . . . . .

[Literary Titan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyce Yarrow’s novel Stolen Lives, the second installment in the Zahara series, deftly combines historical intrigue with supernatural elements to create a compelling narrative. The protagonist, Alienor, is not only a journalist but also a psychic, gifted with the ability to witness past events through the eyes of her female ancestors. This unique ability embroils her in a dangerous quest to uncover the fate of family members lost under Spain’s Francoist regime and to reunite mothers with children forcibly taken at birth. As the story unfolds, Alienor’s connection to her ancestors deepens, leading her to the discovery of distant relatives and putting her in the crosshairs of unknown adversaries. Her psychic journey also uncovers a trove of stolen gold coins, bringing peril to those she holds dear. This raises a poignant question: Are some stories too perilous to pursue?

Stolen Lives is a masterful blend of suspense and drama, characterized by its fast pace and the seamless integration of multiple timelines and hidden secrets. Yarrow’s narrative prowess is evident in her creation of robust, stubborn characters who are willing to challenge limits to seek justice. While the use of foreign terms occasionally challenges the reader, it ultimately enriches the authenticity and depth of the setting. The novel culminates in a satisfying resolution, providing relief after a series of intense, disheartening events.

For readers drawn to historically rich thrillers that boast engaging dialogue and resilient characters, the Zahara series promises to be a rewarding experience. The author's notable work captivates and educates, leaving a lasting impression with its intricate storytelling and vivid characterizations.

Joyce Yarrow's Stolen Lives is a testament to the power of historical narratives woven with supernatural flair. Through its intricate plot and dynamic characters, the novel not only entertains but also invites readers to ponder the ethical implications of delving into painful pasts. This balance of thrill and thought makes the Zahara series a valuable addition to the shelves of those who appreciate thrillers enriched with history and heart.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Stolen Lives" by Joyce Yarrow is a riveting mix of history and intrigue. The novel opens on the Island of Rhodes during World War II and takes readers on a journey through the decades to present-day Spain. Alienor's quest is deeply personal as she uncovers her family’s past, filled with heartbreak and resilience. Her Jewish and Arabic lineage weaves a rich tapestry of history, culture, and tragedy that informs her investigation into Spain's "stolen babies"—a dark chapter where infants were taken from mothers deemed unfit by Franco’s regime.

The transitions between different time periods can be a bit bumpy, but the story’s depth and emotional weight make up for it. The use of magical realism effectively ties the past to the present, particularly through Alienor's ancestral visions.

One of the book's strengths is its exploration of Spain’s multifaceted history, especially through the lens of Alienor’s family’s experiences during wartime. The novel sheds light on lesser-known aspects of Spanish history, including the persecution of Jews and the practice of separating infants from their birth mothers under Franco’s rule. It also delves into other heavy themes such as the Roman Catholic Church's role in the baby thefts, the lengths dictators go to secure loyalty, and the enduring impact of cultural erasure.

"Stolen Lives" follows up on themes from Yarrow’s previous novel, "Zahara and the Lost Books of Light." While it can stand alone well, reading the previous book first will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the ongoing story.

This story that will linger with you, shedding light on the hidden corners of history while connecting them to the present in a powerful way. If you're interested in historical thrillers with a touch of magical realism and strong female protagonists, this book is for you.

[Carol LaHines · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Alienor Crespo, an intrepid journalist who returned to Spain to search for her Sephardic roots, Joyce Yarrow has an indelible heroine. Alienor has Vijitas, or visions, that connect her across time to her matriarchal ancestors, enabling her to inhabit their consciousnesses and reifying ancestral memory. In Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, Alienor helped save the precious knowledge of the ancient libraries from the period of the Convivencia—when Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived in harmony in Spain, prior to the expulsion of the Jews in 1492—for posterity; in Stolen Lives, she embarks on a more personal mission, to reckon with Spain’s infamous history of the missing children during Franco’s repressive regime—that is to say, those stolen from their loving parents and who were raised as the children of their political enemies—as she uncovers her grandfather’s role in helping to reclaim some of the victims. Yarrow seamlessly weaves in the history of the Convivencia, the origins of the Landino language, the diaspora of the Jews from Rhodes, and the family’s dispersal during World War II, into the action-filled narrative. As Alienor believes, it is better to know the truth than to subscribe to the Pact of Forgetting, as many in modern Spain have chosen to do. In uncovering the histories of the missing children, Alienor gives voice to those whose futures and very identities were cruelly rewritten for them, erasing their bloodlines and their connection to their ancestral past—connections Alienor so vividly embodies.

[James Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alienor Crespo, the protagonist of Joyce Yarrow’s new novel, is a Seattle journalist living in Spain. Due to her family’s history, she begins probing the history of one of the most enduring traumas of the Franco regime—the theft by the Catholic Church of newborn babies from mothers deemed “undesirable” because of their unwed status, participation in the Republican resistance, or other factors.

Alienor’s search takes her through centuries, cultures, and religions, territory Ms. Yarrow explores with affection and an unerring eye for detail. It takes her on a quest to reclaim lost lives and a hidden treasure, putting her life and that of her partner in peril as Russian agents follow her progress.

Key to her investigation is a gift passed to her by her grandmother and mother—“vijitias,” visits with those who have come before her. She thinks their thoughts, feels their pain, and experiences what they endured. These frequent flashbacks are believable to the reader because they relate to contemporary events. Her visions provide clues, but Alienor must solve the many layers of this puzzle.

The story combines elements of mystery, thriller, historical fiction, and magic realism. The effect is seamless. Ms. Yarrow’s descriptions are vivid. Her settings come alive. Her writing, as she fuses Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu influences, is lyrical.

If you read not only to be entertained but to learn something new, this genre-bending page-turner is for you.

[Eva Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stolen Lives” by Joyce Yarrow reunites us with Alienor Crespo, the unstoppable time-hopping young journalist who captivated me in the first book, “Zahara and the Lost Books of Light.” This time she’s investigating the stories of infants who were stolen from mothers deemed “unfit” under Franco in Spain and given or sold to regime-favored Catholic families. Alienor’s grit and determination to reunite these mothers with their stolen, now-grown children, and also to find a trove of gold “liberated” on a payment from Spain to the Soviets in WWII, put her in the cross-hairs of political enemies and Russian thugs. But she’s not alone. Her gift of “visiting” the minds of female ancestors in both recent years and centuries past brings her the support of generations of equally brave and determined women. This is a meticulously researched and complex story that intertwines past injustices, modern intrigue, danger, and love into a tale of a young woman finding her voice and her place in her world and the worlds of the many people whose lives she changes. “Stolen Lives” is a wild and unpredictable ride that will keep you turning pages to the end. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading “Zahara” first.

[Bhaswati · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Stolen Lives proves anything, it's that Joyce Yarrow is a master conjurer who possesses the ability to focus on her destination with tunnel-vision sharpness while also marrying diverse firmaments -- aesthetics, spirituality, history, and literature. Yarrow achieves this with a literary flourish that makes reading her a sophisticated pleasure that's at once soothing -- like having a gourmet meal in the comfort of your own home. This is a masterly crafted book that draws the reader in from the get go and sweeps her through a multiverse voyage like no other. While shining a light on one the darkest chapters in modern-day Spain's history, the lost children of Francoism, Stolen Lives goes far beyond, and above, to bring home timely, if difficult lessons from the horrors of the past. Narrated with cinematic vividness and a fantastic relish, this is a book that desperately needs to be read -- to understand the ways in which humans can tear each other apart and the ways in which only humanity can restore fractured spirits, cutting across divides of religion, ethnicity, language or politics.

[Linnea W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is far more than a historical thriller it's a rich, multilayered meditation on memory, identity, and the resilience of the human spirit. From the opening pages, I was captivated by Alienor, a fiercely intelligent and emotionally complex journalist whose psychic connection to her female ancestors gives this novel a mystical and emotionally resonant edge. Her journey into the heart of a long-buried secret centered on a mysterious gold shipment to the Soviet Union during the Spanish Civil War is gripping, but what truly sets this book apart is the way it bridges past and present with startling clarity and purpose.

Authoritative in its historical detail yet deeply personal in tone, the novel never loses sight of the emotional toll that political upheaval exacts on individuals and families. Alienor’s encounters with the lives of displaced children, her brave confrontation of modern-day corruption, and her profound connections with women of the past all coalesce into a story that is both haunting and healing. This is historical fiction at its most affecting a page-turner with a soul.

[Steven M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books that entertain, and then there are books that change you. Stolen Lives belongs firmly in the latter category. It’s an emotionally gripping, intellectually rich novel that delves into one of the lesser-known yet crucial chapters of history: the forced exile of Spanish children during the Civil War and the covert operations that took place under the guise of political alliance. What makes this narrative truly shine, however, is the way Alienor’s psychic ability weaves generations together. She’s not just solving a historical mystery she’s healing a legacy of pain.

The writing is lush and atmospheric, creating a vivid sense of place, whether in war-torn Spain, the stark halls of Soviet bureaucracy, or the shadowy corridors of modern power. Every character, no matter how minor, is drawn with nuance and empathy. This book reminds us that history is not just dates and events it’s stories, families, lives stolen and sometimes recovered. I finished this novel feeling both heartbroken and hopeful, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[LTG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Lives centers around healthy newborns who were stolen from anesthetized mothers in Franco’s hospitals and given to Franco sympathizers to raise. The mothers were told their children had died. The book is well researched, from the details of silk reeling to the political landscape in which the story takes place. The characters and plot meander all over Europe and Morocco, and each place is depicted with authenticity. Kinda like combining a novel with a travel log. Yarrow does an excellent job of capturing the intertwining of Spain’s various cultures, Spanish, Jewish, Muslim without oversimplifying or falling into cliches. Yarrow highlights danger in subtle ways that the reader does not expect, thereby increasing the micro-tensions of the story that’s already dense with danger. And every now and then, she delightfully side tracks into a memory that had qualities of magical realism. The multiple dimensions of Stolen Lives have much to offer. I highly recommend the book.

[Lillian C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is a triumph of storytelling an exquisite blend of historical suspense, emotional insight, and metaphysical exploration. What begins as a journalist’s quest for truth soon becomes something far more profound: a reckoning with the past, both personal and collective. Alienor, the novel’s unforgettable protagonist, is driven not only by professional curiosity but also by a deep and mysterious connection to the women who came before her. Her psychic gift is not just a plot device; it’s a metaphor for inherited trauma and the invisible threads that bind generations.

The story’s emotional gravity is balanced by its taut pacing and intricate plotting. The mystery surrounding the Spanish gold and the stolen children unfolds like a well-executed chess game, but it’s the intimate moments the dreams, the memories, the ancestral voices that linger in the mind. This book is a powerful reminder that history’s most enduring truths are often buried in silence, and only the brave dare to uncover them.

[James I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is not just a novel it’s a deeply immersive journey into the heart of Spain’s hidden past, seamlessly weaving personal healing with historical reckoning. Joyce Yarrow crafts an unforgettable narrative anchored by Alienor Crespo, a fierce, intuitive journalist whose pursuit of truth leads readers through tangled family secrets, political betrayal, and sacred traditions buried beneath the centuries-old soil of Andalusia.

Yarrow’s prose is graceful and incisive, dancing between the lyrical and the investigative. Her gift lies in her ability to marry fact and fiction without losing either the gravity of history or the intimacy of personal experience. This book dares to confront Spain’s Pact of Forgetting while asking the boldest of questions: What happens when the past refuses to stay buried? The balance between action and introspection is spot-on, making Stolen Lives both a page-turner and a soul-stirrer.

[Novels Alive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Alienor Crespo’s talent for inhabiting the minds of her female ancestors leads her down the path of another adventure.

Author Joyce Yarrow covers the tumultuous events of World War II up to the present day in Stolen Lives, the second installment of The Zahara Series. The author adds a helpful cast of characters guide to the beginning of the story.

Alienor’s investigation of stolen babies during the Francoist dictatorship in Spain reveals secrets that put her and those around her in danger.

The paranormal aspect ties the past to the present, including an unexpected connection to a missing gold shipment. Alienor sees the past unfold through the eyes of her ancestors.

For optimal enjoyment, the series should be read in sequence. Stolen Lives builds on Alienor’s talent to delve into the past for answers. ~ Amy for Novels Alive

[Kate Eminhizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to jump into this newest work by Yarrow as I read and enjoyed her previous book Zahara and the Lost Books of Light. While it is a relatively short book at 250 pages Stolen Lives is filled with layers of historical insight and character storylines. Yarrow entwines the devastating practice of separating infants from their birth mothers during Franco's dictatorship in Spain with the historical persecution of Jews. Main character Alienor is tenacious in her desire to uncover the truth of her family and the mystery surrounding the Soviet gold.
At times I found that the story was to heavily worded. At other times I found myself mesmerized by Yarrow's ability to form such beautiful lyrical prose. Hopefully Yarrow will continue to unveil some of these underexposed historical events utilizing Alienor as her conduit.

[Jennifer W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book you read it’s a book you experience. The author has created a literary journey that is as immersive as it is illuminating. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and its haunting aftermath, Stolen Lives examines not only the political betrayals of the past but the emotional inheritance of those betrayals across generations.

Alienor is one of the most compelling characters I’ve encountered in recent fiction. Her gift the ability to psychically connect with her female ancestors is portrayed with such emotional realism that it feels entirely natural within the context of the story. It serves as a powerful narrative device, offering not only historical insight but a deep emotional resonance that bridges time. The novel deftly tackles themes of justice, identity, and the enduring strength of women in the face of oppression. It’s a novel that challenges, enlightens, and ultimately empowers.

[Jared Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Lives is a novel that dares to dig deep not just into buried political secrets but into the soul of a nation still haunted by the echoes of war. What impressed me most was the courage with which the story confronts moral gray areas. Alienor, with her rare psychic gift, becomes both a seeker of truth and a vessel for the voices history tried to silence. Her journey is equal parts harrowing and enlightening.

The novel’s scope is vast tracing lost children, stolen gold, political cover-ups but its beating heart lies in the relationships between women: mothers and daughters, sisters, ancestors and descendants. These intimate bonds infuse the story with warmth, even amid darkness. There’s a palpable sense of reverence for generational memory, for the ways women carry history in their bones. This is a novel that demands to be read slowly, reflected on deeply, and remembered always.