MARLENE:

The Siren from Berlin builds on the author's previous portrayal of Coco Chanel, offering an inspiring modern character in a time of opulence and upheaval, surrounded by some of the era's most recognizable luminaries.

Glamorous and provocative, Marlene Dietrich's femme fatale persona has enshrined her in Hollywood legend. Her many films bear testament to her enduring power on the screen. Yet the life she led behind the camera was even more unexpected, compelling, and dramatic. From the lascivious exuberance of her beginnings in Weimar-era Germany to her searing fame among the predatory intrigues of old Hollywood and her courage in the trenches of World War II, here is the story of a woman who survived against all odds to become the siren from Berlin. To date, there is no historical novel that tells Marlene's personal journey from her dutiful childhood to her early struggle for recognition and audacious sexuality that helped form her image; her willing participation in, and eventual rebellion against, her movie incarnation; as well as her many lovers and adventures, culminating with her valiant stance during World War II. In his new novel, C.W. Gortner peels aside her lacquered myth to reveal the generous, tenacious woman who never took her talent too seriously; who loved as she saw fit but rarely found fulfillment; and who recreated herself when all seemed lost. C.W. GORTNER is the author of Mademoiselle Chanel (William Morrow, March 2015), as well as the other acclaimed historicals The Last Queen (Ballantine 2008), The Confessions of Catherine de Medici (2010), The Queen's Vow (2012), and Vatican Princess (forthcoming March 2016). He also writes The Spymaster Chronicles, a historical thriller series including The Tudor Secret (St. Martin's 2011), The Tudor Conspiracy (2013), and The Tudor Vendetta (2014). He was recently named one of the top ten historical novelists by The Washington Independent Review of Books.