In The Garden At Midnight
A novel of courage, secrets, and survival set in wartime Cologne and Luxembourg.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah, Ruta Sepetys, Anthony Doerr, and Kate Quinn.
Cologne, 1942. Seventeen-year-old Karin Blik breaks curfew during the infamous Thousand-Bomber Raid and stumbles upon a secret that tears open the past she thought she understood. What begins as a simple act of courage draws the attention of men who see value in her silence—and her usefulness.
Haunted by the unsolved death of her father in Luxembourg three years earlier, Karin discovers that the threads connecting Cologne’s blacked-out streets, the Hitler Youth, and her family’s quiet garden are far more dangerous than she imagined. Every answer she uncovers leads to another lie, another loyalty tested, another night she might not survive.
As the city rebuilds by day and trembles by night, Karin must learn who to trust—her grandmother’s fading memories, the boys who patrol the streets, or the whispered truths buried in her father’s past.
In the Garden at Midnight is a gripping WWII coming-of-age novel that blends mystery, resilience, and the courage it takes to confront the shadows of history.
About Tim Byers
Tim Byers writes WWII historical fiction rooted in lesser-known Luxembourg—a place he’s wandered on foot, bike, and train in search of untold stories. He lives with his wife and best friend, Mary, in Carmel, Indiana, where he’s editing the final chapters of In the Garden at Midnight and plotting the next book in his wartime series.
The Order Of The Red Lion
A fourteen-year-old Luxembourg boy searches for his father in the shadow of coming war, and finds courage he never expected.
The Vianden Deception
Fifteen-year-old Hansi honors a promise that may cost him his life when Germany invades Luxembourg in May 1940.
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Welcome!
Here's where you'll find everything you need to know about my novels, The Luxembourg War Stories. Luxembourg is a hidden gem in the heart of Europe, fascinating, beautiful, and full of history. In the Second World War, it was on...

