The Incidental Spy by Libby Fischer Hellmann

She's only sixteen and is being sent to Chicago to stay with her aunt.  It's too dangerous in Germany and her parents want her to be safe.  She regrets leaving them behind, but even more she regrets leaving Josef, her love.  There's no choice, though.

Ms. Hellman shared a copy of this novella with me for review (thank you).  You can get a copy on Amazon now.

Lena begins by learning English.  When she's fluent in that, her family helps her find a job.  She's a secretary in a math/physics section of the university.  She has no aptitude for that science but she's a competent secretary.  She even falls in love there.  She marries and has a child and eventually writes to Josef to tell him.  He takes the news well.

Lena finds herself in a unique situation when her husband is killed in a hit and run accident.  She needs her job more than ever, but she worries about Max, her child.  How can she leave him alone for so long?  It's a good thing she has a close neighbor who can care for him.  Then someone kidnaps Max!

Poor Lena ends up being manipulated by the new men in her life.  They are powerful men and threaten to hurt Max if she doesn't cooperate.  She never meant to be a spy.  And working for three agencies is tearing her apart.  It's like there is no way out.  But then she finds one...

They tested Oppenheimer's bomb here in New Mexico.  The affect from the radiation is still present.  The visitor's center shows you pictures of those involved, of the explosion and of the aftermath.  It was an awful thing but it was wondrous, too.  It certainly was a weapon of mass destruction.

Reading Ms. Hellman's story was like visiting the past and watching them attempt to make the bomb.  Her story flows well and I liked her ending.  Give it a try.  It's a good read.