Three Words for Goodbye

From Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor, bestselling authors of Last Christmas in Paris and Meet Me in Monaco.

New York, 1937: When estranged sisters, Clara and Madeleine Sommers, learn their grandmother is dying, they agree to fulfil her last wish: to travel across Europe–together. They are to deliver three letters, in which Violet will say goodbye to those she hasn’t seen since traveling to Europe forty years earlier; a journey inspired by famed reporter, Nellie Bly.

Clara, ever-dutiful, sees the trip as an inconvenient detour before her wedding to millionaire, Charles Hancock, but it’s also a chance to embrace her love of art. Budding journalist, Madeleine, relishes the opportunity to develop her ambitions to report on the growing threat of Hitler’s Nazi party and Mussolini’s control in Italy.

Constantly at odds with each other as they explore the luxurious Queen Mary, the Orient Express, and the sights of Paris and Venice, Clara and Madeleine wonder if they can fulfil Violet’s wish, until a shocking truth about their family brings them closer together. But as they reach Vienna to deliver the final letter, old grudges threaten their reconciliation again. As political tensions rise, and Europe feels increasingly volatile, the pair are glad to head home on the Hindenburg, where fate will play its hand in the final stage of their journey.

PRAISE

“Utterly delightful and the perfect escape. I loved being swept away to 1930s Paris, Venice and Vienna alongside sisters Maddie and Clara who, despite their differences, have come together to fulfill their dying grandmother’s final wish. Unshackled by family and the expectations of society, they learn a lot about themselves and each other as they uncover long-kept family secrets and discover their own talents and desires. A heartwarming and wonderful story about the power of forgiveness and the unbreakable bond of sisters.” — Natasha Lester, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Paris Secret.

“Vibrant and laced with fascinating historical references–including the around-the-world journey of journalist Nellie Bly, the approaching shadow of the Nazi occupation, and the ill-fated last flight of the Hindenburg–this tale of the complicated love between sisters and the mending of fractured relationships will move you, entertain you, and maybe even inspire you to seek out a truer path of your own.” — Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names and The Forest of Vanishing Stars

“Three glorious locations, two different but equally engaging sisters, family secrets to uncover and hearts to be won and lost, plus one big, shocking finale, Three Words for Goodbye is the very best of immersive, escapist historical fiction. I loved it from the first page.”–Liz Trenow, NYT Bestselling author of Under a Wartime Sky