The Crestfallen Rose.

• Author: Crispin, William K.

The Crestfallen Rose By Michael D. Martin

In his novel The Crestfallen Rose, lawyer Mike Martin merges the journey of an American child born blind with that of two women whose lives are devastated in pre-World War II Germany, and turns it into an exciting tale of love and death.

Samantha Talbot is born blind. Her mother Ally, a nursery owner, searches for the cause. She finds a mysterious link to a pesticide and its manufacturer, Worldwide Chemical. No lawyer will touch her case until former district attorney David King agrees to pick up the fight for her and Samantha. King's well-earned reputation as a straight dealing federal prosecutor steers his now private practice governed by empathy for his clients and a reflective search of his own personal direction haunted by events past.

What distinguishes this story from others is the intriguing backdrop of human drama cultivated by the clash of fascism and survival engulfed by so many during the time leading up to World War II. Martin deftly extracts a chapter from the many that could be told and brings this story to his audience.

Decades before Samantha's birth, Amalia Hecht...