King's Ransom (Lemmons, Thom) [Paperback]

Jan Beazely (Author), Thom Lemmons (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lemmons, Thom | Publication Date: September 21, 2004

The Faith to Face Tyranny
Faith to Face the Third Reich
Two Stories of Undaunted Courage

Set during the darkest days of World War II, King’s Ransom tells the heroic story of Tsar Boris III, King of Bulgaria, and his extraordinary efforts to save his country’s Jewish population from Hitler’s concentration camps. Aware of the price he might pay for his risks, Boris faced the Third Reich with courage and resolve, firm in his Christian convictions that would not permit him to abandon nearly 50,000 Jews. Boris, along with members of the Orthodox Church, Jewish religious leaders, and others, ultimately ensured that no Bulgarian Jews lost their lives to Hitler’s regime.

Based on a True Story

Historically accurate, Boris’s quest to save Bulgaria’s Jews is interwoven with the love story of Daria, the Jewish attendant to the Bulgarian royal family, and Dobri, a sergeant in the king’s guard. With courageous characters and passionate storytelling, King’s Ransom reveals how individuals acting on faith can change the course of history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Meticulously researched, King’s Ransom is a carefully constructed tale of love and brutality, heroism and cruelty, faith and despair, triumph and defeat.  Jan Beazely and Thom Lemmons have vividly woven fictional characters with accurate, but little known, historical figures and events to give us an incredible story that needs to be told.”
--Kay Arthur, author of Israel, My Beloved

“For those who love stories of faith and courage, King’s Ransom is a must read. In a time when our world suffers under the blight of unreasoning hatred, this little known chapter in history yields unforgettable lessons.”
–Oliver L. North, LtCol USMC (Ret.), best-selling author of Mission Compromised and Jericho Sanction

“Like a rich tapestry done in vivid colors, King’s Ransom weaves twentieth-century history and heart-stopping intrigue into an intricate pattern that delights the eye and engages the imagination. The authors guide us through the Bulgarian culture and countryside with deft hands, never allowing historical detail to overshadow the powerful story or the carefully drawn characters, who truly come alive on the page. A masterful work!”
–Liz Curtis Higgs, best-selling author of Thorn in My Heart

“Steeped in historical accuracy, King’s Ransom rivets our hearts with true stories of previously unsung heroes. Their song has found our own time and place, thanks to the keen research of Jan Beazely and Thom Lemmons. A mesmeric read about a period in history when the lines between evil and good blurred, this story shows how honor and love triumphed in this forgotten kingdom of hidden heroes.”
–Anne de Graaf, Christy Award-winning author of Into the Nevernight

“King’s Ransom is, in a word, wonderful. It’s well written, rich with historical detail, populated with vibrant characters, and deft in illustrating the struggles of both the Bulgarian Jews during World War II and the gentiles who helped them. Highly recommended!”
–Sylvia Bambola, author of Refiner’s Fire, Tears in a Bottle, and Waters of Marah

“Beazely and Lemmons have crafted a carefully researched and excellently written work of historical fiction.”
–Robert Whitlow, best-selling author of Life Support

“King’s Ransom took me on a breathtaking journey into a time and place of which I knew little, and made me feel as if I now have friends in the past.  Thom Lemmons and Jan Beazely have stunningly portrayed the very personal struggles of a royal family, Jews in an increasingly anti-Semitic environment, and Christians in every walk of life.  This story will live on in my imagination for years to come.”
–Janelle Burnham Schneider, author of “From Carriage to Marriage” in the Brides for a Bit anthology and “A Distant Love” in the Christmas Duty anthology

From the Inside Flap

The Faith to Face Tyranny
Faith to Face the Third Reich
Two Stories of Undaunted Courage

Set during the darkest days of World War II, King's Ransom tells the heroic story of Tsar Boris III, King of Bulgaria, and his extraordinary efforts to save his country's Jewish population from Hitler's concentration camps. Aware of the price he might pay for his risks, Boris faced the Third Reich with courage and resolve, firm in his Christian convictions that would not permit him to abandon nearly 50,000 Jews. Boris, along with members of the Orthodox Church, Jewish religious leaders, and others, ultimately ensured that no Bulgarian Jews lost their lives to Hitler's regime.

Based on a True Story

Historically accurate, Boris's quest to save Bulgaria's Jews is interwoven with the love story of Daria, the Jewish attendant to the Bulgarian royal family, and Dobri, a sergeant in the king's guard. With courageous characters and passionate storytelling, King's Ransom reveals how individuals acting on faith can change the course of history.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (September 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578567785
• ISBN-13: 978-1578567782
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 Stars...Character and Color, August 27, 2005

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: King's Ransom (Lemmons, Thom) (Paperback)

History is so rich in lessons, yet so boring when presented incorrectly. (Or was I the only one who nodded off in Social Studies classes?) In "King's Ransom," the authors bring to life a little known section of WWII history. Bulgaria seems distant and exotic, even inaccessible, but this book clears all these hurdles and makes the country seem rich in character and color.

The book opens and closes with thoughts of an old man, a former guard for WWII's King Boris of Bulgaria. The story itself unfolds through the years of Hitler's occupation. We get to see the internal struggles of the king as he tried to placate Hitler, while keeping his own people alive. Bulgaria, caught on all sides by extreme pressure, faced violence and death. Somehow, with political acumen, King Boris managed to walk a tightrope that, ultimately, protected thousands of Jews from extermination.

The authors do a wonderful job of portraying the king's struggles, as well as the travails of the common people. You'll find suspense, romance, intrigue, and spiritual strength here. Although it starts off with a lot of information to assimilate, it quickly settles into a nicely paced tale of this oft-neglected country.

I read the story while on a trip to Romania, and had the privilege of passing on the book to an actual Bulgarian woman. She was so impressed that her history was covered in this fashion. The joy on her face even surpassed the enjoyment I found between the pages.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable!, September 28, 2004

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King's Ransom (Lemmons, Thom) (Paperback)

Based on a true story, "King's Ransom" is set in Bulgaria during WWII. Tsar Boris III is in the midst of trying to save his country's fifty thousand Jews from Hitler's regime and to save his country from becoming crushed between the allies and the Third Reich.

During this crisis, Tsar Boris III leads his country with wisdom and poise. Interwoven in his quest is the passionate love story of his personal body guard, Dobri, and the Queen's Jewish confidant, Daria. "King's Ransom" tells how individuals faced with unimaginable fear can use their faith to change history.

***** Remarkable story that is very well written. It does not take long for you to find yourself caught up in the lives of these courageous people. A MUST to read! *****

Reviewed by K. Blair for Huntress Reviews.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent fictionalized account of a courageous ruler, October 19, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King's Ransom (Lemmons, Thom) (Paperback)

Hitler returned to Bulgaria the farming and grazing lands of Dobrudja, which had been taken away from the country when the victors carved up Europe just after World War I. He also gave to Bulgaria's Tsar Boris III, Thracia and Macedonia to control. More to the point through diplomacy, Bulgaria avoided invasion although Boris understood the tightrope he walked on as he had to pacify his ally Hitler while not making an enemy of Russia.

When the laws regarding the Jews were implemented, Tsar Boris was forced to apply them to maintain the peace with Hitler. Bulgarians in his government enthusiastically carried out the laws forcing Jews to wear the star. When Jews were rounded up to place in camps, Boris said no as he needed them to work in Bulgaria, saving lives. His final stand was refusing to join Germany in the war with Russia. Not long afterward Boris died, but to this day Eastern Europeans remember his courage and actions saved a beleaguered race at least in his nation.

This is a wonderful fictionalized account of a ruler who balanced the threats of Fascist Germany and Communist Russia in order to keep the devastation of war from destroying his small nation. His courage surfaces when he refuses to send the Bulgarian Jews to the concentration camps in Poland. He died a beloved remembered hero.

Harriet Klausner