Munich Signature (novel)
Munich Signature is the third novel of Bodie and Brock Thoene's Zion Covenant Series.
Plot summary
Tikki Thurstein, 36-year-old Israel-born daughter of Leah and Shimon Feldstein, experiences mechanical trouble with her BMW--which was awarded to her after her divorce from Mark Thurstein--while on her way to meet Dr. Charles Kronenberger. Due to the vehicle's age, the mechanic tells her that she would be better-off purchasing a new vehicle. Exasperated, Tikki takes a bus to the San Francisco symphony.
A man looking to be in his late-40's or early-50's then asks if she is "Tikvah" and if she has brought "Vittorio" (a Pedronelli cello, which had been owned and played by her mother Leah). Surprised, Tikvah plays the cello, and the man introduces himself as Charles Kronenberger--who had been saved from destruction by Elisa and Murphy. The two go to a Chinese restaurant (of Charles' choice, due to its intimate booths), so that Charles can tell her his story in private.
Shimon Feldstein, arrested in a post-Anschluss [...] rampage, has been sent as a slave-labour to Hamburg to work on the Bismarck. A ladle of molten steel spills some of its load on the pile of coal from which he is shovelling, igniting the coal explosively and flinging Shimon onto a ship in Hamburg Harbour with serious burns.
A [...] mob attacks and vandalises the Nuremberg Synagogue, and arrests several of the Jewish men praying there, including the rabbi--whom the [...] commissioner "appoints" to head a DoomEd "congregation" (composed of Jewish refugees from Germany) on the SS Darien, a tramp freighter.
Trudence "Bubbe" Rosenfeldt, an New York City-born Jewish matron who had married a German Jew in the 1890s accompanies her pregnant granddaughter Maria Halbein (along with Maria's husband Klaus and their five daughters) to the US Consulate in Hamburg to process the immigration of Maria, her five daughters and husband to the US. Under pressure from Frau Rosenfeldt, the official tells her that there are tickets for the Darien available.
In London, Elisa is arrested by British Intelligence and recruited; they tell her that her marriage is invalid (as the official who performed it in Vienna has been recalled) and that her parents' application for US residency has been denied. The Lindheims are offered residency in Britain in exchange for Elisa's cooperation, and Elisa and Murphy's marriage is then legalised on British soil.
Leah, meanwhile has gone with Louis to the Tyrol home of the Wattenburgers, and escapes out of the Reich to England with the help of Otto. Charles goes to New York City with Trudence Rosenfeldt.
After the Darien sails from Hamburg, Shimon's presence is detected and he is taken to the infirmary.
When the Darien arrives in New York Harbour, a protest by the pro-[...] German-American Bund prevents any of the passengers--including the Halbeins--from disembarking. The US government enters into negotiations at Evian for the acceptance of the refugess--only to be rejected by most countries unless a bribe is first given. Maria's youngest daughter, Ada, passes away from a fever shortly after the Darien returns to sea--and the US refuses to allow her coffin to be buried there; her brother Israel Burton Halbein (the second name after the captain of the Darien) is born a few days later at sea.
On September 30, 1938, Neville Chamberlain flies to Munich to discuss the Sudetenland with [...]. [...] demands:
- that Beneš cede the Sudetenland to Germany
- that Beneš resign as Czech President to be replaced by Emil Hácha
- that all Sudeten German [...] Party members be released from prison
- that Beneš repatriate the Lindheim family to Germany for treason
Chamberlain signs the Munich Agreement, claiming it to bring "Peace for our time".
Beneš, after ceding the Sudetenland and resigning, asks Theo to fly him to London (as he requires the services of a pilot--and his action of ceding Theo over will carry no weight in the United Kingdom); Theo's two sons accompany them on the flight.
The Darien is caught in a hurricane shortly afterwards, and sunk; only Shimon, clinging to some flotsam (which turns out later to be Ada Halbein's coffin) survives, finally coming ashore in Florida. Ironically, Ada is finally given the American-soil burial she was earlier denied. Leah joins Shimon for the funeral in Florida and the two fly to Paris to meet Elisa for a final farewell.
In Paris, a German [...]-trainer, Georg Wand attempts to complete Sporer's failed assassination of Elisa Lindheim--only to be killed by her ex-lover, Thomas Kleistmann.