The Last Checkmate: A Novel

· HarperCollins
1.0
1 review
Ebook
416
Pages
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About this ebook

A young Polish woman imprisoned in Auschwitz plays chess in exchange for her life in this “smart and haunting” WWII novel (New York Times–bestselling author Patti Callahan).

A PopSugar Best Book of the Year!


Maria Florkowska is many things: daughter, avid chess player, and, as a member of the Polish resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, a young woman brave beyond her years. When she is captured with her family by the Gestapo, she also becomes a prisoner of Auschwitz.

While Maria’s parents are sent to their deaths, the sadistic camp deputy Karl Fritzsch is intrigued by her chess skills and spares her life. But only for so long as he cares to play against her.

Overcome with grief, Maria vows to avenge her parents—a vow that makes her fight for her own survival. For four grueling years, Maria uses chess to get inside Fritzsch’s head and orchestrate his downfall. It’s a game of the highest stakes. And there can be only one winner.

Ratings and reviews

1.0
1 review
Milli Adzo
June 25, 2023
Weak character development. Implausible creative license. Predictable ending. My actual rating is zero
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About the author

Gabriella Saab graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor of business administration in marketing and now lives in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where she works as a barre instructor. While researching The Last Checkmate, she traveled to Warsaw and Auschwitz to dig deeper into the setting and the experiences of those who lived there. The Last Checkmate is her first novel.

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