The rest of her family was murdered in Auschwitz, but teenaged Maria Florkowska has been spared—for now—in this gripping debut novel. Once a member of the Polish resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, she is also a brilliant chess player, and this is why sadistic camp deputy Karl Fritzsch has kept her alive, using her as a chess opponent to entertain the guards. Maria plays for her life, trying to overcome her grief and pursue vengeance, intentionally provoking Fritzsch's volatile nature in front of his superiors, hoping to orchestrate his downfall. As the war nears its end, she challenges her nemesis to one final game that will end in life or death, in failure or justice.

"Saab's capable debut features a revenge plot set amidst the horrors of the Holocaust…. Readers who love WWII fiction with strong female leads should check this out."—Publishers Weekly