Book Summary and Reviews of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

Book Summary

Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who "is the best there is at sweeping historical drama" (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.

Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance.

But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette's four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane's body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.

Seventy years later, Colette—who has "redistributed" $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn't the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she's forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Chapter One opens with our main character, Colette—now in her eighties—preparing to steal from a neo-Nazi at an upscale benefit in Boston. We're in Colette's perspective, so we can see her justifications for the theft. Did you agree that Colette's actions were justified? Or did you start off with the feeling that she was a criminal, regardless of her motives?
2. In Chapter Two, we meet Colette's mother Annabel, and we get a bit more insight into why stealing is their family tradition; they believe themselves to be descended from Robin Hood himself. Are there any traditions in your own family—or things related to your heritage—that have shaped decisions in your life?
3. Do you believe that being the ...