An Afternoon with Belinda Alexandra and Kyra Geddes

A wartime betrayal, a race against time ... and a secret hidden in a painting.

Paris 1946: A young woman, Eve Archer, has come to Paris to find Serge Lavertu, the father she never knew. But before Eve can find the courage to tell him who she is, Serge is arrested, accused of selling a French national treasure to Hitler during the war and murdering the original owner. Could Serge truly be guilty of treason or has he been set up?

Only one person knows the truth that might save Serge from execution: Kristina Belova, a beautiful Russian artist recently returned from a concentration camp and suffering amnesia. As Eve desperately prompts Kristina to recall what happened during the war, she uncovers a passionate love triangle and a secret about her own heritage that will change Eve's view of life forever.

Our event space is wheelchair accessible via a stair lift. Please contact events@betterread.com.au with any additional access requirements and/or questions.

Belinda Alexandra has been published to wide acclaim in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Norway, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Hungary and the United States. She is the daughter of a Russian mother and an Australian father and has been an intrepid traveller since her youth. Her love of other cultures is matched by her passion for her home country, Australia, where she is a volunteer rescuer and carer for the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). An animal lover, Belinda is also the patron of the World League for the Protection of Animals (Australia).

Kyra Geddes is the author of The Story Thief (Affirm Press, April 2024). Born in Adelaide as the daughter of German immigrants, she spent her infancy in the South Australian opal fields before moving to Sydney. Following a successful career in marketing, Kyra returned to university to study English and pursue her life-long dream of writing. The Story Thief is her debut novel, and the culmination of almost a decade of research and writing. When not at her desk, Kyra can often be found visiting one of Sydney's many art galleries or daydreaming about future travel with her husband and two children.