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Monika Ritter #7
The Retreat
Hiding out in a cave in the Austrian Alps with three others, Monika runs into trouble. Pursued by vengeful forces of the Wehrmacht and the Gestapo, she and her three companions undergo an arduous journey over the mountains to safety in a Catholic monastery outside the town of Hallein, near the German border.
Meanwhile, Sarah is in Berlin, arranging with some of the highest-ranking German generals to assassinate Hitler and end the war. After being denounced by the local block warden, she is pursued through the streets and over the rooftops of Berlin. She will have to use all her skills to escape with her life.
In France, Oliver is again pressed into service by an increasingly desperate German Army, as they try to stem the tide of the invading Allied forces after D-Day. Unaware that he is working for the Americans, Oliver’s new comrades engage the invaders in Caen, the key to winning the battle of Normandy. Oliver will find himself faced with an impossible to save the men around him or to fight for what he sees as the greater good, and help the Allies win.
After being sent to Austria, Sarah will reunite with her beloved cousin Monika on a mysterious new mission. The two women must piece together a deadly puzzle and uncover a startling new weapon that could alter not only the war but also the future of humanity itself.
THE RETREAT is the seventh novel in a new series by the #1 Amazon bestselling author of WHITE ROSE, BLACK FOREST, and THE MAUREEN RITTER SERIES. Download it and discover Eoin Dempsey’s books today.
Meanwhile, Sarah is in Berlin, arranging with some of the highest-ranking German generals to assassinate Hitler and end the war. After being denounced by the local block warden, she is pursued through the streets and over the rooftops of Berlin. She will have to use all her skills to escape with her life.
In France, Oliver is again pressed into service by an increasingly desperate German Army, as they try to stem the tide of the invading Allied forces after D-Day. Unaware that he is working for the Americans, Oliver’s new comrades engage the invaders in Caen, the key to winning the battle of Normandy. Oliver will find himself faced with an impossible to save the men around him or to fight for what he sees as the greater good, and help the Allies win.
After being sent to Austria, Sarah will reunite with her beloved cousin Monika on a mysterious new mission. The two women must piece together a deadly puzzle and uncover a startling new weapon that could alter not only the war but also the future of humanity itself.
THE RETREAT is the seventh novel in a new series by the #1 Amazon bestselling author of WHITE ROSE, BLACK FOREST, and THE MAUREEN RITTER SERIES. Download it and discover Eoin Dempsey’s books today.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2025
669 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Eoin Dempsey
37 books1,037 followersEoin Dempsey was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1977. He grew up in the beautiful Dublin suburb of Dalkey, where he and his friends would jump into the icy waters of the Irish Sea (during summertime) to prove their manliness. Eoin had a fantastic time attending Blackrock College, where he played rugby (poorly) and did his best to coast his way through. Eoin’s first ambition was to play rugby for Ireland. Due to a lack of talent, he soon abandoned that goal for the more reasoned path of the rock star. He played in bands through his teens and well into his twenties before harsh reality came calling, and his dreams of being the next Keith Moon faded.
Eoin made the ill-reasoned decision to study business in university and was accepted into University College Dublin to study Commerce in 1995. While Eoin did attend college, studying wasn’t his priority there.
He met his beautiful wife, Jill, while traveling to the USA in 1997, though it would be several years before he managed to break her down and they got together as a couple. It was during Eoin’s second stint in the USA, which he spent with his brother in New York City, that he decided to start writing a novel, for the express purpose of impressing women. This effort was met with mixed success. Eoin finished his first novel a year later. The over hundred and fifty rejections he received from publishers didn’t discourage him. He pinned them to his wall. After spending a year in Australia, where he was fired from many jobs, including picking red and green peppers and toiling for scallops miles out to sea on a fishing trawler, he returned home and decided to write again. Another novel followed while he phoned it in at a number of jobs in financial services in Dublin.
By this time Eoin had managed to convince Jill, the girl he’d met in the USA years before to move over to Dublin. She did so in 2004. It was the best negotiation he ever undertook. They were married in 2007. Jill’s more brilliant negotiating skills led Eoin to move to her hometown of Philadelphia in 2008, just in time for the economy to collapse. The plan to live with her parents for a few weeks turned into eighteen months, as Eoin struggled to retain employment in a fractured economy. It was during this time that he wrote FINDING REBECCA, which would go on to be his first published novel and be translated into fourteen different languages.
Eoin and Jill have three beautiful sons, Robbie, who was born in 2015, Sam, born in 2017, and Jack who came in 2019. Eoin enjoys playing with them and marveling at how much more talented they are at the sports that he loves, particularly golf.
Eoin made the ill-reasoned decision to study business in university and was accepted into University College Dublin to study Commerce in 1995. While Eoin did attend college, studying wasn’t his priority there.
He met his beautiful wife, Jill, while traveling to the USA in 1997, though it would be several years before he managed to break her down and they got together as a couple. It was during Eoin’s second stint in the USA, which he spent with his brother in New York City, that he decided to start writing a novel, for the express purpose of impressing women. This effort was met with mixed success. Eoin finished his first novel a year later. The over hundred and fifty rejections he received from publishers didn’t discourage him. He pinned them to his wall. After spending a year in Australia, where he was fired from many jobs, including picking red and green peppers and toiling for scallops miles out to sea on a fishing trawler, he returned home and decided to write again. Another novel followed while he phoned it in at a number of jobs in financial services in Dublin.
By this time Eoin had managed to convince Jill, the girl he’d met in the USA years before to move over to Dublin. She did so in 2004. It was the best negotiation he ever undertook. They were married in 2007. Jill’s more brilliant negotiating skills led Eoin to move to her hometown of Philadelphia in 2008, just in time for the economy to collapse. The plan to live with her parents for a few weeks turned into eighteen months, as Eoin struggled to retain employment in a fractured economy. It was during this time that he wrote FINDING REBECCA, which would go on to be his first published novel and be translated into fourteen different languages.
Eoin and Jill have three beautiful sons, Robbie, who was born in 2015, Sam, born in 2017, and Jack who came in 2019. Eoin enjoys playing with them and marveling at how much more talented they are at the sports that he loves, particularly golf.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 14, 2025
Eoin Dempsey is a talented storyteller. He has a fantastic ability to make the reader feel utterly absorbed in the story, surroundings and characters. This book, an intense read, is not an exception.
July 6, 2025
This is by far the best series of books I have ever read they have all been such a great experience and sends your mind to a realistic dream cannot wait for book 8
July 1, 2025
Whew! This latest book is so intense. It picks right up from the last one, with Monika still on the run in the Austrian Alps and the Gestapo snapping at her heels. Sarah is now on her own in Berlin when her luck runs out, and Oliver is still with the Wermacht after the Allies land in Normandy. For all three of them, their well-laid plans are becoming increasingly difficult to execute. I enjoyed the focus on Sarah and Oliver in the book, not as a romantic couple, but on their separate missions. Unlike Monika, they both struggle with envisioning what Germany might look like once the war is over and Hitler is gone. Happily, when the book ends, it's only 1944, so we should still get at least one more book in this series. I loved The Retreat and look forward to the next one.
July 1, 2025
Book 7 in this fabulous WWII fiction thriller - love this saga and this book had me from page 1. Monica and tam are in the Austrian Alps and being pursued by the Nazis. They end up
Being sheltered in an abbey outside of a Salzburg. After Sarah narrowly escapes Berlin, she meets up with Monika to investigate a doctor and what they find could change the outcome of the war. In the meantime, Oliver is in Normandy and acting as a double agent for the Allies. It all comes together nicely but I can’t wait for the sequel this fall!
Being sheltered in an abbey outside of a Salzburg. After Sarah narrowly escapes Berlin, she meets up with Monika to investigate a doctor and what they find could change the outcome of the war. In the meantime, Oliver is in Normandy and acting as a double agent for the Allies. It all comes together nicely but I can’t wait for the sequel this fall!
June 29, 2025
“The Retreat”
THE MONKA SERIES BOOK 7
In the prior books Michael and his new wife Monika are operating out of Switzerland on behalf of USA during WW II. Monika in Bern’s OSS office run by Mr. Dulles and Michael in special Airforce unit based in Switzerland. The main characters are from previous books by the author. Michael’s past included a move to Germany with his family to have a better life during the great depression in the USA. When Hitler came to power Michael met Monika, a German girl, in Germany who he eventually marries in New York in their early 20’s just before the USA entered the war.
In the prior book Monika is embedded in Berlin with her cousin Sarah in Sarah’s friend’s apartment sending German intel to Dulles in the OSS office in Bern. Michael aviates missions on behalf of allies from Switzerland. Sara becomes engaged to Oliver, a former German soldier serving on Russian front who switches sided to fight for the allies.
This book 7 is an action-packed story about the escapades of the Monika and of Sarah, who are sent on their own missions to defeat the Nazi’s by Bern OSS office. It is fast paced and absorbing. The historical fiction is spot on with actual historical records.
The trials and obstacles they encounter and overcome are heroic and make the book a page turner.
The author’s power to make the lives of these characters seem historically real is incredible.
Their tales of espionage ring true with actual circumstances that occurred during WW II with US spies stationed in Europe.
Eoin has written a great epic series on the Ritter family prior to this book.
This book and series would make a terrific movie and are beyond any of my expectations!
THE MONKA SERIES BOOK 7
In the prior books Michael and his new wife Monika are operating out of Switzerland on behalf of USA during WW II. Monika in Bern’s OSS office run by Mr. Dulles and Michael in special Airforce unit based in Switzerland. The main characters are from previous books by the author. Michael’s past included a move to Germany with his family to have a better life during the great depression in the USA. When Hitler came to power Michael met Monika, a German girl, in Germany who he eventually marries in New York in their early 20’s just before the USA entered the war.
In the prior book Monika is embedded in Berlin with her cousin Sarah in Sarah’s friend’s apartment sending German intel to Dulles in the OSS office in Bern. Michael aviates missions on behalf of allies from Switzerland. Sara becomes engaged to Oliver, a former German soldier serving on Russian front who switches sided to fight for the allies.
This book 7 is an action-packed story about the escapades of the Monika and of Sarah, who are sent on their own missions to defeat the Nazi’s by Bern OSS office. It is fast paced and absorbing. The historical fiction is spot on with actual historical records.
The trials and obstacles they encounter and overcome are heroic and make the book a page turner.
The author’s power to make the lives of these characters seem historically real is incredible.
Their tales of espionage ring true with actual circumstances that occurred during WW II with US spies stationed in Europe.
Eoin has written a great epic series on the Ritter family prior to this book.
This book and series would make a terrific movie and are beyond any of my expectations!
June 15, 2025
This is the 7th book in the Monika, Michael, Sarah and Oliver series. Monika is hiding out at a monastery with 3 others, including 1 man with a broken leg and an elderly woman who saved her life, after completing a mission in the prior book. Oliver is part of a group of infiltrators to sabotage the Germans. Sarah tried to let down the apartment manager, but her rejection of him backfired and he tried to get her arrested, so she had to make it back to the safety of the OSS. Michael is flying missions, but there is little about him in this one. There is no cliffhanger, but the war isn’t over yet and these brave young people are still working to bring down the Nazis.
Thank you to the author for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the author for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.
July 2, 2025
Looking for that perfect escape book to read at the beach? If you’re a historical fiction enthusiast, try the latest book from the Maureen Ritter Series, by best-selling author, Eoin Dempsey.
The Retreat is a cutting-edge canvas filled with tension, action and suspense which has the reader swirling quickly through experiences of WW2. Trek through intensive European miles with appealing characters whose similar goal is to rid the world of the outrageous plans of Hitler and his atrocious Nazi admirers. All the while, the cast is faced with moral decisions and uncovers the knowledge of a secret weapon which could destroy the world.
A captivating read!
June 22, 2025
I received an ARC of this amazing book. Eoin is the master story teller of World War Ii historical fiction. His way with story telling is like no other. You become part of the story; the characters become your friends, family, your enemies. The stories put you and keep you on the edge. His books are all amazing. This is the best yet in the Monika Ritter series. How can she possibly survive in the conditions she is faced with...in that cave, or crossing the mountain????
December 11, 2025
Intensity magnified
The plot moves along with progression of the war and the incidents that occurred as they approached the beginning of the end. The interaction of our characters with the enemies they faced in Germany and those within the OSS intensified the action and the plot. It seemed that I caught my breath after one intense moment just in time for the next intense moment to rear its ugly head. I could hardly stop reading.
Looking forward to the next book.
The plot moves along with progression of the war and the incidents that occurred as they approached the beginning of the end. The interaction of our characters with the enemies they faced in Germany and those within the OSS intensified the action and the plot. It seemed that I caught my breath after one intense moment just in time for the next intense moment to rear its ugly head. I could hardly stop reading.
Looking forward to the next book.
June 20, 2025
Yet another incredible book from Eoin Dempsey!
This book focuses on the experiences of Monika, Sarah and Oliver - we did not hear from Michael in this one. The three OSS agents all had very different missions, and all were so important to changing the outcome of the war. Eoin’s writing gripped me from start to finish!
I cannot wait to read the 8th instalment in this series.
5 stars out of 5 ⭐️
This book focuses on the experiences of Monika, Sarah and Oliver - we did not hear from Michael in this one. The three OSS agents all had very different missions, and all were so important to changing the outcome of the war. Eoin’s writing gripped me from start to finish!
I cannot wait to read the 8th instalment in this series.
5 stars out of 5 ⭐️
July 11, 2025
Graphic reminder of what evil can do
Love, friendship, and higher purpose wins out in the end. This story is about bravery as one counters evil and prejudice. Well written story and great characters.
Love, friendship, and higher purpose wins out in the end. This story is about bravery as one counters evil and prejudice. Well written story and great characters.
July 21, 2025
Susan & Monica
Susan & Monica despite multiple hazards and risk to life and limb save the day again. Great series though sometimes the explanations get a little long winded. But I look forward to the next installment and an ending to the story.
Susan & Monica despite multiple hazards and risk to life and limb save the day again. Great series though sometimes the explanations get a little long winded. But I look forward to the next installment and an ending to the story.
July 29, 2025
excellent read
Excellent story line. Can’t wait for the next book. Geography of the war movements and escape routes very interesting. The WWII efforts come alive along with humans who fought, endured as the many who died.
Excellent story line. Can’t wait for the next book. Geography of the war movements and escape routes very interesting. The WWII efforts come alive along with humans who fought, endured as the many who died.
July 31, 2025
Monika and Sarah are together. The war is in its final stages.
Monika and her accomplices make it to the monastery. Sarah almost dies because of Nazi experiments. Scientist is taken. Spy work continues.
Monika and her accomplices make it to the monastery. Sarah almost dies because of Nazi experiments. Scientist is taken. Spy work continues.
August 3, 2025
Wow! I'm a huge Eoin Dempsey fan but this is one of his best! Seamless transitions between character stories, exciting, heart warming etc. I loved it!
And I can't say it enough: the man is genius with his summaries and "reminders" of what happened in the past Highly recommended! .
And I can't say it enough: the man is genius with his summaries and "reminders" of what happened in the past Highly recommended! .
June 28, 2025
This is the 7 th book of this series and it’s a real page turner! You feel like you’re there with them fighting with them ! Read an Arc for honest review and I love this writing and series !
July 9, 2025
I hope there is another book Live Monica and Sarah !!!
Excellent read
Excellent read
July 12, 2025
Great book in a wonderful series! I love Eion Dempseys work!
August 11, 2025
Not my favorite book in the series.
October 16, 2025
An adventure in history
This book is full of action and is never dull. I have read quite o few of Eoin Dempsey's books and have enjoyed them all.
This book is full of action and is never dull. I have read quite o few of Eoin Dempsey's books and have enjoyed them all.
July 18, 2025
Yay! The Retreat is appearing as an ad on the front of my Kindle as well it should be! What a captivating #7 as we continue through WWII. And just when you think you have seen everything, a new element of terror appears. This was such an exciting read! So anxious for #8.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews