Defending Britta Stein

A Novel (Liam Taggart and Catherine Lockhart, Book 6)

By: Ronald H. Balson

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

A story of bravery, betrayal, and redemption - from the winner of the National Jewish Book Award.

Chicago, 2018: Ole Henryks, a popular restauranteur, is set to be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II - most consider him a hero.

Britta Stein, however, does not. The 90-year-old Chicago woman levels public accusations against Henryks by spray-painting “Coward”, “Traitor”, “Collaborator”, and “War Criminal” on the walls of his restaurant. Mrs. Stein is ultimately taken into custody and charged with criminal defacement of property. She also becomes the target of a bitter lawsuit filed by Henryks and his son, accusing her of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Attorney Catherine Lockhart, though hesitant at first, agrees to take up Mrs. Stein's defense. With the help of her investigator husband, Liam Taggart, Lockhart must reach back into wartime Denmark and locate evidence that proves Mrs. Stein's innocence. Defending Britta Stein is critically acclaimed author Ronald H. Balson's thrilling take on a modern-day courtroom drama, and a masterful rendition of Denmark’s wartime heroics.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2021 Ronald H. Balson (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"This brilliantly imagined novel [is] part courtroom drama, part historical reckoning. Chock-full of finely wrought detail about the war and dashed with suspense and intrigue, it's a must-read for historical fiction buffs." (Newsweek)

Great Read

Defending Britta Stein: A Novel (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart #6) was a good read by Ronald H. Balson. This was a great story of bravery, betrayal, and redemption. Ole Henryks is a popular restaurant owner who is to be honored by the Danish/American Association for his civic and charitable contributions. He is well known for his actions in Nazi occupied Denmark during World War II with many people considering him a hero. Britta Stein is a ninety year old woman who doesn't believe he is a hero. She has leveled public accusations on him calling him a coward, traitor, collaborator and war criminal. She is taken into custody and charged due to spray painting those words on his business. Henryks and his son wage a bitter lawsuit on her. Attorney Catherine Lockhart hesitantly takes on Mrs. Stein's case. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Torturous

This is only my second review in 4 years.
This book was nothing as I had anticipated. The story was laborious , uninteresting , uninspiring. The reader was monotonous. I could not finish and skipped to the end after half way through. It never changed and it never went anywhere .
Don’t waste the credit .

Great story with a lesson in history

This book has characters that come alive through the narrator. I love courtroom dramas, but this novel puts the courtroom in the background as the story and history become front and center. I had heard some of the history of Denmark during World War Two while traveling in Denmark but I learned a lot more through this novel. It really showed how the population took action, sometimes in opposition to each other. This is a wonderful book to experience as an audio book because the reader is superb.

Great book!!!

I loved the series! I have listened to all the books in this series.

Riveting

I enjoyed this book from the 1st pg until the last. It combines love, honesty, compassion, devotion & true inner strength.