The Orphan Collector: Chapter Sampler

Acclaimed author Ellen Marie Wiseman weaves the stories of two very different women into a page-turning novel that is as suspenseful as it is poignant, set amid one of history's deadliest pandemics. This sneak peek offers a glimpse into the haunting new novel, where a young woman struggles to survive amid the ravages of World War I and the Spanish Influenza pandemic, while those with sinister motives lurk closer than she thinks.

In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange yearns to escape the overcrowded streets and slums of Philadelphia, as well as the anti-German sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army, hoping to prove his loyalty. However, an even more urgent threat has arrived – the Spanish influenza is rapidly spreading through the city, leaving death and suffering in its wake. With no food at home, Pia is forced to venture out in search of supplies, leaving her infant twin brothers alone.

Across town, Bernice Groves has been consumed by grief and bitterness since the recent death of her own baby. Blaming the overwhelmed doctors for not being able to save her son, Bernice sees Pia leaving her tenement and is struck by a shocking, life-altering decision. Determined to transform the city's orphans and immigrant children into what she deems "true Americans," Bernice embarks on a sinister mission.

As Pia navigates the somber neighborhoods, she has no idea that her brothers won't be home when she returns. It will be a long and arduous journey for her to uncover the truth, even as Bernice plots to keep it hidden at any cost. Only with persistence and the courage to face her own shame and fear will Pia be able to put the pieces together and find the strength to risk everything to see justice prevail.

In this haunting and suspenseful novel, Ellen Marie Wiseman, the acclaimed author of What She Left Behind and The Life She Was Given, masterfully intertwines the stories of Pia and Bernice, set against the backdrop of one of the most devastating pandemics in history. With poignant and page-turning prose, the author explores themes of survival, grief, and the complexities of human nature, as the two women's paths collide in unexpected and profound ways.

product information: