The Forgotten

Monika Ritter #11

by Eoin Dempsey

It is February 1945. Following her escape from the labor camp at Linz III, Sarah is eager to return to the field. Despite Monika’s urgings to the contrary, Sarah agrees to a mission behind enemy lines in occupied Czechoslovakia, where she and Monika are sent to investigate Albert Göring, brother of Hermann Göring, the second-in-command to Adolf Hitler and the official heir to the Nazi throne. Albert is rumored to be an anti-Nazi who uses his brother’s influence to shield himself from the draconian punishment others in his position would face. When Albert proves far more than they had anticipated, Sarah sees a unique opportunity for redemption.

Meanwhile, when a mysterious stranger arrives in Geneva, Michael Ritter is tasked with flying him to liberated France on an urgent mission. But after being shot down in the forest along the Franco-German border, Michael meets a group of cut-off American soldiers, entirely surrounded by the enemy, who have dubbed themselves the “Forgotten Battalion.”

Michael will learn that their only hope lies in a few words spoken by a dying man and the contents of a mysterious briefcase lost in the woods. With no other way out for her husband, Monika travels across war-torn Germany to the front lines, where she will embark on a desperate chase to find the briefcase that can save them all and to act on the last wishes of a dying man.


The Forgotten is the eleventh 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

Eoin 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.

Reviews

[Margaret Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Brillant book in the series. Each book just keeps getting more interesting. The Ritter family certainly have partaken in all aspects of the war. Their strength and faith in each other is remarkable
I will miss this when the series finish!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Forgotten is outstanding! I thought the story would begin to wrap things up because it is so close to the end of the war in Europe...boy, was I wrong! I was pleased that Michael had a sizeable part in this book because he is one of my favorite characters in the series. Between Monika, Sarah, and Michael, the action never stops for a breather. The author cleverly included the Lost Battalion in the story, as well as a rarely covered historical figure, Albert Goring. Now, I have to wait for the last book and hope that Mr. Dempsey doesn't kill off one of the major characters.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve have really loved this series , I feel part of family so I feel ups and down with them . One more book til the end I’m going to miss them

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Forgotten”
THE MONKA SERIES BOOK 11

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 books Monika cousin Sarah act as Red Cross nurses going from Switzerland into Germany to carry out allied missions that Dulles assigns them. Dulles is head of the OSS office in Bern and has used Monika and Sarah as spies to cross into Germany where they have been effective against The Reich.

This book 11 is an action-packed story about the escapades of the Monika & Sarah to convince Goring’s brother to help free concentration camp victims. Michaels flies the brother of the German General to the French allied front to deliver conclusive info about the Nazi concentration camp activities, so that his brother, the General will stop the attack on the allies. 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!

[Ave Jeanne Ventresca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Followers of this dynamic series have to place #11, The Forgotten, at the top of their summer reading list! Three protagonists dart through their own plots with their own distinct missions, each hoping to reach a similar ending, an end to this horrific war. Their heroic and gripping experiences during the very end of WWII, certainly do impede the enemy.
Readers will enjoy a captivating, action-packed slice of the American experience in which to experience a sympathetic view, containing the sights and sounds of the actions of war. Throughout Europe, spies and heroes are amplified through the author's creatively developed scenes, with highlighted character development. This historical fiction relies on rarely acknowledged realities from WWII, which enhances the experience. Looking forward to the next novel in this series!

[Michelle Schulten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eoin's books are always amazing! The further into this series I read, the more I can't put them down! I received an ARC of this edition. I have read all of them and once he is done with the last one in the series I will read them all again. His writing and knowledge of the WWII history that he covers in his books are sometimes little know history facts. I've learned so much, and even better I have thoroughly enjoyed every word. His characters are now friends and family! This is his trademark, once you read his books you'll be looking for all of the books he has written, from the Klondike gold rush to the shores of Ireland. As well as many, many WWII books and series.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monika and Sarah are sent to see if a German is really willing to help. His brother was a high-ranking Nazi, but without as much power as previously. Michael and his co-pilot are flying a man who supposedly has something that can change things in the war, but they are shot down and the man dies. However, he tells Michael that the briefcase he was carrying should be given to his brother. Monika and Sarah are called back, but at the last minute, Sarah stays behind. Monika’s new assignment is to get the briefcase. This isn’t the end of the war for any of them.

[Carey Mundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

11th book in the Ritter series and what a read it was! Monika and Sarah have returned to the Reich, to Pilsen to investigate Albert Goring and assess his willingness to help the Allies. Michael is on a different mission, taking a passenger with a secret briefcase to the western front near Metz. His plane goes down and he and a group of soldiers are in a stand-off with the Nazis. Both plot-lines are unforgettable and made this book hard to put down

[Thomas Heidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional sequel to the series that I couldn’t put down. Captivating in every sense, emotional engaging, as it reminded me of my father’s serving in both world wars. Eoin is a master of historic fiction peppered with real events! Jonzing for the next …
Thank you 🙏

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Good One

I have enjoyed every single book of this series including this one, I cannot wait until the next book comes out to see what adventures everyone will be going on next.

[Lynn Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The forgotten... will NEVER be forgotten

Absolutely brilliant! I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and am so looking forward to another episode. Eoin Dempsey is one of my all-time favourite historical fiction writers and never disappoints

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great World War 2 book!

[Arla Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monika et al

Another great addition to the Monika Ritter series but I think Eoin is dragging the story out a bit longer than it’s needed!

[Jack H.McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

exhaustingly good

This is a hard to put down series. I’m just finishing book 11 and will dive into book 12. I like the storylines and how my interest is kept— A timely read….

[James Lurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting for book 12!

[Karen Jordan-Alaimo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As WWII continued it was interesting to imagine what it might have been like to survive fighting near the front. I never knew how important a hole in the ground could be. I enjoyed this one so much, even though my stomach was churning through most of it.