Mistress of the Ritz: A Novel

Mistress of the Ritz is a novel based on the true story of an American woman who worked secretly for the French Resistance during World War II while serving as hostess to occupying German forces at the Hôtel Ritz in Paris. Blanche Auzello and her husband Claude, the hotel's director, preside over the glamorous Ritz, where guests including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are welcomed. Their marriage is troubled, and they harbor secrets from their guests and each other. When the German army occupies Paris in June 1940 and establishes headquarters at the hotel, Blanche and Claude face a new reality. With officers like Hermann Goëring now occupying the suites, they must navigate a dangerous situation that demands deception. To survive and resist their Nazi occupiers, Blanche and Claude create an intricate web of lies that threatens everything they hold dear. A single shared secret between them ultimately endangers both their lives and the Ritz itself. The novel weaves together suspense, marriage, and wartime survival, drawing on historical events.