Skylark

Winding through the vast network of tunnels below Paris, McLain’s riveting latest (after When the Stars Go Dark) combines the stories of a 17th-century prison break and a WWII physician’s role in the French Resistance. In 1664, Alouette Voland falls in love with Étienne Duchamp, a mason who is working on expanding the city’s catacombs. But their relationship stalls when Alouette’s efforts to free her wrongfully imprisoned father land her in Salpêtrière asylum. After hatching an escape plan, Alouette and some of her fellow prisoners descend into the tunnels below the asylum. In a parallel narrative, psychiatrist Kristof Larsen bonds with his Jewish neighbors during the German occupation when he helps with the birth of their youngest child. After the family is arrested by the Nazis and their teenage daughter, Sasha, is freed, Kristof helps Sasha and other Jewish teenagers navigate the tunnels to get away from the Germans. McLain expertly juxtaposes the courageous actions of both Alouette and Kristof as they seek freedom for themselves and others and embrace the challenges and dangers of the subterranean maze. Fans of stirring historicals won’t want to miss this. Agent: Julie Barer, Book Group. (Jan.)