MY ENDLESS THANKS to everyone who supported, encouraged, and assisted me in writing this book. My agent, Kaitlyn Johnson, for your brilliant insight and unending faith in me. My editor, Lucia Macro, Asanté Simons, and the entire team at William Morrow, you are a dream come true. My dad, who was my first reader and research trip companion, and my mama, who ignited my passion for literature and history. My brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family for their love and enthusiasm. Adrian Eves, one half of the Guild. Olesya Gilmore, dear friend and incredible writer. Mary Dunn for being an early reader, and Melanie Howell for helping with Yiddish and Judaism. The Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary in Warsaw, Poland, for answering my questions, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum for such important, necessary work. Amanda McCrina for wonderful feedback and historical insight. Finally, to my grandfather. “If I could dedicate this story to the man who encourages me to keep reading, learning, and creating, it would mean more to me than all the success in the world.” Words I never shared with you, part of an academic admissions essay stating that my career goal was to write a historical novel.

Within that essay, I described how you never doubted that I would achieve the dream I started chasing as a little girl. As I developed this story, you assisted with research material and planning my trip to Poland. Every Sunday, you called me from the bookstore to suggest historical novels you thought I’d like—many published by “that publisher you love,” William Morrow. This book, in unpublished manuscript form, was my last gift to you, though neither of us knew it would be. So, Poppy, this story is as much yours as it is mine and is my very small thank-you. Dedicating this book to you truly does mean more to me than all the success in the world. I love you, I miss you, and I am forever grateful to you.

P.S. Insights, Interviews & More . . .*

About the Author

Meet Gabriella Saab

About the Book

Historical Figures in the Novel

Miscellaneous Facts and Info

About the Author

Meet Gabriella Saab

GABRIELLA SAAB graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s 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.

This is her first novel.

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About the Book

Historical Figures in the Novel

Karl Fritzsch

On July 10, 1903, Karl Fritzsch was born in Bohemia; in 1930, at the age of twenty-seven, he joined the Nazi Party and the SS. He held a position at the Dachau concentration camp from 1934 to 1939, then moved to Auschwitz in May 1940 to serve as camp deputy under Rudolf Höss.