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Reluctant Informer
When the Gestapo extends an offer, there’s no way to refuse.
Sabine always minded her own business, closing her eyes to the sinister events.
But that changes the moment the Gestapo needs information from her. With her husband in their hands, his life depends on her willingness to cooperate.
Soon, she’s thrust into the middle of a resistance organization, smuggling people out of Germany.
Her task?
Finding the leader.
Handing him over to torture and certain death.
Can she silence her conscience and save her husband?
Read Reluctant Informer to find out!
Previously published as part of the USA Today Bestselling Anthology, The Darkest Hour, this standalone novella will keep you wondering what happens next.
Sabine always minded her own business, closing her eyes to the sinister events.
But that changes the moment the Gestapo needs information from her. With her husband in their hands, his life depends on her willingness to cooperate.
Soon, she’s thrust into the middle of a resistance organization, smuggling people out of Germany.
Her task?
Finding the leader.
Handing him over to torture and certain death.
Can she silence her conscience and save her husband?
Read Reluctant Informer to find out!
Previously published as part of the USA Today Bestselling Anthology, The Darkest Hour, this standalone novella will keep you wondering what happens next.
164 pages, Paperback
Published June 22, 2020
About the author
Marion Kummerow
130 books441 followersMarion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.
After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime.
It's a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime.
It's a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 4, 2019
Thought-provoking novella about the horrors of WWII inside Nazi Germany. There are several pivotal moments in this story where the characters are faced with horrendous choices. What would you do? Life during WWII is well-described and harrowing.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
June 24, 2022
This book was heartbreaking and chilling, even more so because it is based on real events that may have happened. That made it even more awful.
Kummerow is a master of WWII history. She writes characters that get under the reader's skin and scenes that strike terror into the heart. This book was hard to put down as I had to know what would happen next and what Sabine would/could do. Constantly pondering what I would do in a similar situation made the reading experience even more intense. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series.
Kummerow is a master of WWII history. She writes characters that get under the reader's skin and scenes that strike terror into the heart. This book was hard to put down as I had to know what would happen next and what Sabine would/could do. Constantly pondering what I would do in a similar situation made the reading experience even more intense. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 17, 2019
Reluctant Informer is by Marion Kummerow. This book is set in Berlin during World War II. It deals with a subject that many of us who read about World War II never seem to think of, how did regular German people who didn’t believe what Hitler did come to work for him. What would cause them to turn others in and to spy on others? Why would they break down their own moral codes? This book deals with one woman who faced this dilemma. The book is easy to read and quick to read and keeps you interested as you read.
Sabine and her husband Werner had been married for five years and lived in the suburbs of Berlin. Werner was a fireman and Sabine worked in a factory. She had gone through two miscarriages during this time and as it looked like she wasn´t going to be able to be a stay at home Mom, she had been sent by the Government to work in a gun factory. She and Werner were on opposite shifts so only saw each other early in the morning and late in the afternoon. However, they were truly in love and loved each minute they spent with each other. Neither of them was a follower of Hitler and his group and managed to keep to themselves and keep their opinions to themselves as well. Many times, it was very difficult not to say something. Werner was often very upset when the Gestapo stepped in and refused to allow the firemen to put out a building fire until all the inhabitants of the building were dead. They both knew that there was nothing they could do against this government. Werner began talking of leaving Germany all together. They knew this would be very difficult and very dangerous. They decided to put off a decision right now.
When Sabine came home from work one day, their neighbor, Lily, stopped her and asked her to lunch the next day and she would even pay for it. Lily was a Nazi collaborator and the entire neighborhood knew it. Sabine did not want to go with her but knew that she would be placing herself in jeopardy if she didn´t. The purpose of the lunch was to persuade Sabine to spy on the new girl, Frau Klausen, at her work, but Sabine refused. The next time Lily approached her, Sabine called her names and told her unequivocally NO. A few days later, Werner failed to come home from work. The next day, the Gestapo picked Sabine up at her work and took her to headquarters so Kriminalkommissar Beck could talk to her. He informed her that they had Werner and he would come back if she followed their rules and spied for them. Given no choice, she was given a chance to take some personal belongings from her house before it was burned down. She was then housed with Frau Klausen and her daughter to more easily spy on her.
How will Sabine convince herself to throw her morals away and do what she was told¬_ Could she even get Frau Klausen to talk to her
Sabine and her husband Werner had been married for five years and lived in the suburbs of Berlin. Werner was a fireman and Sabine worked in a factory. She had gone through two miscarriages during this time and as it looked like she wasn´t going to be able to be a stay at home Mom, she had been sent by the Government to work in a gun factory. She and Werner were on opposite shifts so only saw each other early in the morning and late in the afternoon. However, they were truly in love and loved each minute they spent with each other. Neither of them was a follower of Hitler and his group and managed to keep to themselves and keep their opinions to themselves as well. Many times, it was very difficult not to say something. Werner was often very upset when the Gestapo stepped in and refused to allow the firemen to put out a building fire until all the inhabitants of the building were dead. They both knew that there was nothing they could do against this government. Werner began talking of leaving Germany all together. They knew this would be very difficult and very dangerous. They decided to put off a decision right now.
When Sabine came home from work one day, their neighbor, Lily, stopped her and asked her to lunch the next day and she would even pay for it. Lily was a Nazi collaborator and the entire neighborhood knew it. Sabine did not want to go with her but knew that she would be placing herself in jeopardy if she didn´t. The purpose of the lunch was to persuade Sabine to spy on the new girl, Frau Klausen, at her work, but Sabine refused. The next time Lily approached her, Sabine called her names and told her unequivocally NO. A few days later, Werner failed to come home from work. The next day, the Gestapo picked Sabine up at her work and took her to headquarters so Kriminalkommissar Beck could talk to her. He informed her that they had Werner and he would come back if she followed their rules and spied for them. Given no choice, she was given a chance to take some personal belongings from her house before it was burned down. She was then housed with Frau Klausen and her daughter to more easily spy on her.
How will Sabine convince herself to throw her morals away and do what she was told¬_ Could she even get Frau Klausen to talk to her
July 23, 2020
Dies ist der vierte Teil der Reihe "Kriegsjahre einer Familie", die man aber alle auch unabhängig voneinander lesen kann. Ich hatte vorher schon "Blonder Engel" und "Dunkle Nacht" gelesen und beide Bücher waren echte Highlights des Genres für mich. Dieses Buch steht den beiden anderen Teilen in nichts nach!
Das Buch handelt diesmal von Sabine, die in einer Kriegsfabrik Dienst tun muss. Sabine ist verheiratet mit Werner, einem Feuerwehrmann. Die beiden lieben sich sehr und Sabine ist froh, dass ihr Mann, durch seinen Einsatz bei der Feuerwehr, nicht an die Front eingezogen wird. Eines Tages lädt eine Nachbarin Sabine zu einem Abendessen ein und bietet ihr an für den Geheimdienst zu arbeiten. Dazu müsste sie nur ihre neue Kollegin auf der Arbeit ausspionieren und verraten. Sabine weigert sich, doch dann passiert etwas womit sie nie gerechnet hat und all ihre Zweifel verfliegen...
Zuallererst einmal sind die Bücher von Marion Kummerow immer eher dünn im Gegensatz zu Genreverwandten Büchern aber diese Reihe vermag es mich ungemein zu fesseln! Trotz der recht geringen Seitenzahl oder gerade deswegen, ist das Leseerlebis ungemein intensiv! Die Autorin hält sich nicht mit Banalitäten oder riesigen Ausschmückungen auf, trotzdem lernt man sehr hart die Realität und das Leben im zweiten Weltkrieg kennen! Ich komme mir jedes mal vor, als würde ich für kurze Zeit in die Vergangenheit geworfen und würde die Geschichte live miterleben!
Wie schon gesagt ist der Schreibstil einfach wahnsinnig toll! Zwar einfach zu lesen aber man erfährt unglaublich viel was in den Gedanken der Protagonistin vor sich geht! Sabine ist nicht unbedingt die sympatische Kämpferfigur, aber gerade das macht sie so authentisch! Es gab eben nicht viele "Sophie Scholls" zu dieser Zeit, sondern die meisten wollten einfach möglichst unauffällig ihr Leben und den Krieg (über-) leben und von anderen Schiksalen nichts wissen...
Mich konnte die ganze Geschichte wieder einmal sehr begeistern, spannend, mit einer authentischen Protagonistin, und einem sehr fesselnden und intensiven Schreibstil.
Das Buch eignet sich für viele Leser. Genrelieblinge aber auch Leser, die gern man dieses Genre ausprobieren möchten, da das Buch nicht extrem dick ist. Aber natürlich auch für Interessiere rund um die Zeit des zweiten Weltkriegs kommen voll auf ihre Kosten.
Eine tolle Sache ist auch das Nachwort der Autorin, das in jedem Buch der Reihe zu finden ist. Hier geht sie auf die jeweiligen historischen Fakten ein,die sie in die Geschichte integriert hat, was sehr wissenswert ist!
Ich gebe gerne die volle Punktzahl, da ich absolut begeistert bin von dieser Reihe und eine Leseempfehlung!
Das Buch handelt diesmal von Sabine, die in einer Kriegsfabrik Dienst tun muss. Sabine ist verheiratet mit Werner, einem Feuerwehrmann. Die beiden lieben sich sehr und Sabine ist froh, dass ihr Mann, durch seinen Einsatz bei der Feuerwehr, nicht an die Front eingezogen wird. Eines Tages lädt eine Nachbarin Sabine zu einem Abendessen ein und bietet ihr an für den Geheimdienst zu arbeiten. Dazu müsste sie nur ihre neue Kollegin auf der Arbeit ausspionieren und verraten. Sabine weigert sich, doch dann passiert etwas womit sie nie gerechnet hat und all ihre Zweifel verfliegen...
Zuallererst einmal sind die Bücher von Marion Kummerow immer eher dünn im Gegensatz zu Genreverwandten Büchern aber diese Reihe vermag es mich ungemein zu fesseln! Trotz der recht geringen Seitenzahl oder gerade deswegen, ist das Leseerlebis ungemein intensiv! Die Autorin hält sich nicht mit Banalitäten oder riesigen Ausschmückungen auf, trotzdem lernt man sehr hart die Realität und das Leben im zweiten Weltkrieg kennen! Ich komme mir jedes mal vor, als würde ich für kurze Zeit in die Vergangenheit geworfen und würde die Geschichte live miterleben!
Wie schon gesagt ist der Schreibstil einfach wahnsinnig toll! Zwar einfach zu lesen aber man erfährt unglaublich viel was in den Gedanken der Protagonistin vor sich geht! Sabine ist nicht unbedingt die sympatische Kämpferfigur, aber gerade das macht sie so authentisch! Es gab eben nicht viele "Sophie Scholls" zu dieser Zeit, sondern die meisten wollten einfach möglichst unauffällig ihr Leben und den Krieg (über-) leben und von anderen Schiksalen nichts wissen...
Mich konnte die ganze Geschichte wieder einmal sehr begeistern, spannend, mit einer authentischen Protagonistin, und einem sehr fesselnden und intensiven Schreibstil.
Das Buch eignet sich für viele Leser. Genrelieblinge aber auch Leser, die gern man dieses Genre ausprobieren möchten, da das Buch nicht extrem dick ist. Aber natürlich auch für Interessiere rund um die Zeit des zweiten Weltkriegs kommen voll auf ihre Kosten.
Eine tolle Sache ist auch das Nachwort der Autorin, das in jedem Buch der Reihe zu finden ist. Hier geht sie auf die jeweiligen historischen Fakten ein,die sie in die Geschichte integriert hat, was sehr wissenswert ist!
Ich gebe gerne die volle Punktzahl, da ich absolut begeistert bin von dieser Reihe und eine Leseempfehlung!
May 19, 2019
"Maybe it's time we stopped minding our own business and stood up against injustice."
What would you do if faced by a choice between doing what's right and saving the one you love more than life itself? Sabine and her husband, Werner, are just a normal young married couple, trying to live out their lives in the face of oppression in Germany during WWII. Between the continuous bombings, rumors of Gestapo torture, and oppressive living conditions, how can Sabine pretend that things are normal?
Trying to hide from the truth and just live her life seems to be the best option. But when she is asked to help the Fuhrer by spying for the Gestapo, she refuses. Little does she know how far they will go to make her do their bidding.
A very emotional story that really makes the reader think about what they would do in a similar situation. Would you be able to sacrifice the one you love for the greater good? How far would you go to save yourself?
The author does a wonderful job with describing the feelings of the main character in her desire to just live her life without getting involved in the politics of Nazi Germany. Definitely thought provoking, but with just enough hope to make you believe that things will turn out OK for our young couple.
What would you do if faced by a choice between doing what's right and saving the one you love more than life itself? Sabine and her husband, Werner, are just a normal young married couple, trying to live out their lives in the face of oppression in Germany during WWII. Between the continuous bombings, rumors of Gestapo torture, and oppressive living conditions, how can Sabine pretend that things are normal?
Trying to hide from the truth and just live her life seems to be the best option. But when she is asked to help the Fuhrer by spying for the Gestapo, she refuses. Little does she know how far they will go to make her do their bidding.
A very emotional story that really makes the reader think about what they would do in a similar situation. Would you be able to sacrifice the one you love for the greater good? How far would you go to save yourself?
The author does a wonderful job with describing the feelings of the main character in her desire to just live her life without getting involved in the politics of Nazi Germany. Definitely thought provoking, but with just enough hope to make you believe that things will turn out OK for our young couple.
February 9, 2021
Out of all the books I’ve read so far in the series this one seems to be the most plain book. I do appreciate that the continuous theme of what is a persons soul is in this book with a character not related to the klausen family. But there’s nothing in this book that made me feel deeply for Sabine’s pains like I did the for Klausen sisters. I can understand her pain from the situation she’s in and I can understand her reasoning for agreeing to certain tasks but besides that I didn’t really feel anything while reading the book or for the character. Although this was one of the longer books I felt that I didn’t get enough of a story of who Sabine is to love her or actually get to see her personality. Marion highlighted that Sabine tried to keep her head down and stay out of anything and I think because of that mentality this character didn’t have a personality to me since she didn’t really give any opinions she just wanted her husband back that’s it. I was happy for Sabine’s ending although it leads to large destruction but I felt that the ending was rushed after she made contact with Ellen. I understand in WWII things change in a matter of seconds but this ending still felt rushed.
May 27, 2019
It's easy today to look back on the citizens of Germany during World War II and judge them for not standing up to the Nazis. But what would you do if the life of someone you loved, your husband, your children or another family member was threatened and the only way you could save their life was to work with the Gestapo?
Like all of Marion Kummerow's books, this story is engaging and thought-provoking. Reluctant Informer was part of a limited release anthology containing stories by 10 bestselling historical fiction authors. While the anthology is out of print, you still have the opportunity to read this story, which I assure you will be difficult to put down. Marion Kummerow is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and this is an excellent story to start with, if you're unfamiliar with her work. However, if you've read any of her stories before, this one, like all of the others, will not disappoint you.
Like all of Marion Kummerow's books, this story is engaging and thought-provoking. Reluctant Informer was part of a limited release anthology containing stories by 10 bestselling historical fiction authors. While the anthology is out of print, you still have the opportunity to read this story, which I assure you will be difficult to put down. Marion Kummerow is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and this is an excellent story to start with, if you're unfamiliar with her work. However, if you've read any of her stories before, this one, like all of the others, will not disappoint you.
May 13, 2019
Reluctant informer.
Brilliant as can be expected from this author, although not actually part of the war girls series it is connected and you can't help having sort of love hate feelings for the main character, but at the same time I felt that had I been in her shoes I would have done exactly the same as her. Really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down, well done Marion Kummerow will definitely recommend this and all other books by this author.
Brilliant as can be expected from this author, although not actually part of the war girls series it is connected and you can't help having sort of love hate feelings for the main character, but at the same time I felt that had I been in her shoes I would have done exactly the same as her. Really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down, well done Marion Kummerow will definitely recommend this and all other books by this author.
May 28, 2019
Reluctant Informer is another well written book by Marion Kummerow that describes the horror of Nazi Germany. If you have been reading Ms. Kummerow’s War Girl Series you have already met Sabine, Frau Klausen’s unwanted boarder. You will meet these two women and other familiar characters in this book. While this book can be read alone I suggest that you read the War Girl Series also, since Reluctant Informer meshes well with that series. All are great reads.
September 8, 2025
I love all thing Marion Kummerow, and this does not disappoint! Ms. Kummerow writes the best historical fiction; all based on real events. This series is fascinating, this is Sabine's story. None of us would know what we would do, unless we were in that day and time. I can't wait for the next book in the series!!
May 24, 2019
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Struggling to keep her head down and survive the war, Sabine suddenly finds herself in a world of trouble with the Secret Police. Difficult choices must be made.
Struggling to keep her head down and survive the war, Sabine suddenly finds herself in a world of trouble with the Secret Police. Difficult choices must be made.
May 16, 2019
An emotional story of just how easy it is for evil to make you do things you never thought you'd do. Well written and fast paced. Highly recommend!
April 21, 2021
I thought this book was very suspenseful. Marion Kummerow is an excellent author who does her research for her books thoroughly.
January 31, 2022
Another great read
Another great chapter to the vww2 story. I'm trapped and on to the next! Thank you for the characters you've introduced.
Another great chapter to the vww2 story. I'm trapped and on to the next! Thank you for the characters you've introduced.
July 12, 2024
great read
Another book in the series. Read it so fast couldn’t put it down. Excellent read. Highly recommend this whole series
Another book in the series. Read it so fast couldn’t put it down. Excellent read. Highly recommend this whole series
May 19, 2025
This series of books is just wonderful.I can't wait to finish one,so i can start another.If you haven't read any of this series,you need to check one out.Reading some of these books again,they are wonderful.
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