Last Train from Budapest

By Ronald H. Balson

From the New York Times bestselling and National Jewish Book Award winning author: a dramatic and hopeful story of escape and survival in WWII Europe.

It is October 1944, and Hitler has dispatched Adolf Eichmann and his death squads to Hungary to annihilate the Jewish population. Julia Powers, operating under cover of Swiss diplomatic immunity, conceives a plan to achieve the impossible-gather as much of the Jewish population as she can and take them to safety. In order to accomplish this, she enlists the aid of prominent heroic figures for a secret rescue mission from Budapest to the Promised Land. Three thousand Jewish men, women, and children climb aboard the Stockholm Express, clinging to hope as they flee the Nazis' tightening grip in Budapest.

Transplanting an entire community across fields of battle to the sands of Palestine will require the cooperation of all concerned. Like in any community, babies will be born, relationships will be formed and will dissolve, dissension will arise, and some may even choose to leave. Despite the challenges, it must all come together if they are to successfully build a new settlement in Palestine.

What begins as a whisper in a Budapest synagogue becomes a full-scale exodus through the heart of enemy territory. Survival has a cost, but the dangers must be confronted and overcome.

Last Train from Budapest is a stirring, suspenseful tale of courage, brotherhood, and the fight for a future beyond fear. Inspired by real historical heroes, it is a tribute to the power of moral conviction--and how determination to do good can overcome evil.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250457947
• ISBN13: 9781250457943
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.3"