The Barman of the Ritz

A gripping, atmospheric historical novel based on the astonishing true story of Frank Meier, the legendary head bartender of the Hôtel Ritz in occupied Paris—who used his position behind the bar to aid the French Resistance while concealing a dangerous secret: he was Jewish. June 1940: German troops march down the Champs-Élysées and requisition the legendary Hôtel Ritz on the Place Vendôme. High-ranking Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe commanders—including Hermann Göring—make the palace hotel their luxury headquarters. Protected by the hotel's neutral Swiss ownership, the glamorous Petit Bar becomes a hotbed of Nazi officers, collaborators like Coco Chanel, and covert resistance operatives. Behind the counter stands Frank Meier, cosmopolitan mixologist and confidant to Europe's elite. Smiling and pouring cocktails for the very men brutalizing Europe, Frank walks a lethal tightrope between complicity and survival. Using the secrets spilled over dry martinis, Frank coordinates with the underground network, passes intelligence, and risks his life to protect his young Jewish apprentice and his beloved Blanche Auzello. Rich in historical detail and psychological suspense, The Barman of the Ritz is a breathtaking testament to resistance, morality, and the courage to fight back from within the lion's den.