If you have read I Must Betray You, a 2023 TRCA title, please look into Ruta’s other writings. Her novels are spectacular!

Between Shades of Grey – 2011

“In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her, along with her mother and younger brother, by cattle car to Siberia. Lina’s father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All seems to be lost, but Lina refuses to give up hope. Will that be enough to keep her alive?” -WorldCat

Out of the Easy – 2014

“It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.” -Amazon

Salt to the Sea – 2017

“In 1945, three European refugees, Joana, Emilia, and Florian, cross paths en route with thousands of others in a desperate trek to freedom via the vessel Wilhelm Gustloff. But just as salvation is within their grasp, tragedy strikes, and ten thousand people aboard must fight for survival.” -WorldCat

The Fountains of Silence – 2019

“Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography and fate introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.” -WorldCat