Now in Paperback!

Here’s a memorable tale of two unlikely heroes: the lively, beautiful Flora and her husband, the brooding, studious Simon—two immigrants, both sent to America by their families to find a better life. An improbable match, they meet in New York City and fall in love. Simon—inventor of the jigsaw puzzle—eventually makes his fortune. Now wealthy, Flora and Simon become obsessed with rescuing those they left behind in Europe, loved ones whose fates will be determined by growing anti-Semitism on both sides of the Atlantic.

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The Puzzle King explores a fascinating moment in history with a cast of characters who endure with dignity, grace, and hope for the future.

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“Skillfully using ties to her own family, Carter weaves a compelling story and a rich, multilayered novel around three Jewish sisters and deftly captures the squalor and bustle of early 20th century New York. . . . Carter proves that like her uncle, she too can create a masterful puzzle, a fine novel with twists and turns and pieces that interlock tightly. The Puzzle King is Carter at her best.” —Miami Herald

“Carter’s third novel is all the more poignant for its provenance.” —People

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“A powerful bit of family lore… A work of genealogical fiction from the late 19th century to the eve of World War II… It balances the Jewish immigrant experience in New York–both the achievement of teh American dream and the curdling of it–against the insidious anti-Semitism of Germany and Eastern Europe.” —Los Angeles Times