The Woman in the Spotlight: A gripping and dazzling historical novel set in 1930s Berlin from the bestselling author of The Woman from Saint Germain

by J.R. Lonie

When everyone is watching, survival will be her greatest performance ... A gripping, utterly absorbing novel about survival and art as defiance on the 1930s Berlin stage, from the bestselling author of The Woman from Saint Germain



Berlin 1932: With Germany in chaos, Monika Varády, a young Bavarian actress, arrives in the capital with high hopes - to one day, just maybe, be a great star of the stage and screen.

But with the rise to power of Hitler and his brutal Nazi regime, the theatre scene falls under the control of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, becoming a minefield of political machinations that Monika, in love with a Bolshevik Jewish actor, must now navigate. As her star rises from the smoky bars of the demi-monde to the city's prestigious stages, most dangerous of all is Goebbels himself who takes a more-than-artistic interest in her.

While staying true to her beliefs and to those she loves, Monika must employ all the skills of her craft to outwit Goebbels and with her close friends, to resist the regime's attempts to rewrite German theatre and culture, by hiding in plain sight - even in the glare of the spotlight.

PRAISE

'A rich, slow-burn thriller that grips the heart and shakes the soul' BLANCHE D'ALPUGET

'Monika Várady is a poster girl for our own troubling decade, as much as her own ... The very inspiration we need' LUKE DEVENISH, author of The Heart of the Ritz

Kindle Edition

Expected publication January 28, 2026

About the author

I'm a Queenslander, even when I have been living elsewhere. This sense of place is very strong in me. I look out each day over the Brisbane River, watching it come to life from dawn onwards, the boys from Churchie rowing through the mist, then the little ferries and the smart rivercats. It's a town in which I know the what where and who without having to think about it. Soon we will be moving to Sydney because my partner has been head-hunted. Years ago, when first I left Brisbane, I didn't look back. Now I'm afraid that's all I do. But soon I am sure I will settle in down there. Instead of my river, will be Hyde Park with the beautifully restored war memorial, the spires of St. Mary's and also St. James which will be my parish church. May life continue to be so sweet. All I have to do now is finish the novel I'm writing. Nearly there.

Reviews

[Vuma Lilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the level of research that clearly went into this! This was a thrill. I’m feeling so emotionally drained!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say I was rather disappointed in this book. I was expecting so much more but this was a book that was very repetitive, the story never seemed to go anywhere, just circled around the theatre and the people but didn't have the storyline and depth I would have expected. A very slow burn and in the end I jumped through pages to get to the end and was still disappointed. I wanted to suspense and excitement of a book of this historical war genre but it just wasn't there.

The Woman in the Spotlight: A gripping and dazzling historical novel set in 1930s Berlin from the bestselling author of The Woman from Saint Germai
J.R. Lonie
NetGalley Review
HarperCollins