Book Review Last Train to Freedom Deborah Swift#WW2 #TransSiberian #Russia #Japan #WomensFiction #Spies #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @deborahswiftauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub
I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Swift again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between May 26th – June 16th, 2025. Deborah Swift is the author of the Historical Fiction, Last Train to Freedom, published by HQDigital on 8th May 2025 (361 pages).
Below are highlights of Train to Freedom, Deborah Swift’s author bio, and my 5-star review of her compelling WWII historical suspense and thriller set in Russian-occupied Lithuania as Germany prepares to invade Russia.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-last-train-to-freedom-by-deborah-swift.html
HIGHLIGHTS: LAST TRAIN TO FREEDOM
Last Train to Freedom
by Deborah Swift
Blurb:
‘Taut, compelling and beautifully written – I loved it!’ ~ DAISY WOOD
‘Tense and thought-provoking’ ~ CATHERINE LAW
1940. As Soviet forces storm Lithuania, Zofia and her brother Jacek must flee to survive.
A lifeline appears when Japanese consul Sugihara offers them visas on one condition: they must deliver a parcel to Tokyo. Inside lies intelligence on Nazi atrocities, evidence so explosive that Nazi and Soviet agents will stop at nothing to possess it.
Pursued across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Express, Zofia faces danger at every turn, racing to expose the truth as Japan edges closer to allying with the Nazis. With the fate of countless lives hanging in the balance, can she complete her mission before time runs out?
‘Such an interesting and original book…. Informative, full of suspense and thrills.’ ~ Netgalley Review
Triggers: WW2, so mild violence
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: http://mybook.to/TransSiberian
AUTHOR BIO: DEBORAH SWIFT
Deborah Swift is the English author of twenty historical novels, including Millennium Award winner Past Encounters, and The Poison Keeper, the novel based around the life of the legendary poisoner Giulia Tofana. The Poison Keeper won the Wishing Shelf Readers Award for Book of the Decade. Recently she has completed a secret agent series set in WW2, the first in the series being The Silk Code.
Deborah used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV and enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. She likes to write about extraordinary characters set against a background of real historical events. Deborah lives in England on the edge of the Lake District, an area made famous by the Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Author Links:
Website Twitter Facebook Pinterest Bluesky
Book Bub Amazon Author Page Instagram
BOOK REVIEW: LAST TRAIN TO FREEDOM
Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift is a riveting WWII historical suspense and thriller in Lithuania that Hitler concedes to Stalin in a secret pact to divide the region between their countries. A dark cloud looms over Jewish refugees Zofia and her brother Jack, who had barely escaped from Poland to Lithuania when Germans invaded. Yet, their situation becomes dire again as Russian troops storm Lithuania and German forces gather at the Russian border ready to invade. Faced with danger from both Russians and Germans, Zofia and Jack must find a way to escape Lithuania. They jump at a chance to acquire transit visas from a Japanese diplomat, Sugihara Chiune, so they can travel on the Trans-Siberian Express to Japan, then by boat to the USA.
But there is one condition. They must deliver documents and photos of German atrocities to Japanese leaders before they ally with Hitler. Jack and Zofia travel across Siberia, but their train ride is fraught with danger as various factions pursue them to destroy the evidence of German war crimes.
Though most of the characters are fictional, the story is inspired by the historical accounts of Sugihara Chiune, a Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jewish refugees by issuing them transit visas to Japan. Author Deborah Swift has crafted a taut, historical thriller filled with heart-wrenching twists leaving you on the edge of your seat. The suspense builds as passengers on the train are revealed as friend, spy, or deadly agent. The unique storyline rolls out at at a face pace with riveting action scenes.
The narrative is told from the viewpoints of various characters to understand their motivations and decisions. Most of the characters are well-developed and engaging. Blinded by love, Jack is impetuous and arrogant. Zofia is a formidable young woman whose decisions are made from the heart. Two men ultimately compete for her affection in a love triangle. One is Otto, a German clerk who works for Sugihara in the embassy, while the other is a Japanese passenger willing to help Zofia navigate Japan to fulfill the mission. The subplot with Otto is the most poignant and heart-breaking as he struggles to find the courage to protect Zofia despite the risks to himself and his mother. Zofia’s other romantic interest is not as engaging, but he plays a pivotal role in the ending.
Last Train to Freedom is a compelling WWII historical suspense and thriller about ordinary people finding courage to unveil the truth despite the dangers to them.
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