Adiva Geffen Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Adiva Geffen

For international readers discovering Adiva Geffen, the best entry point depends on your preferred genre. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you should start with her breakout Holocaust novel, Surviving the Forest (also published as Surviving the War). Based on the real-life survival story of a family hiding in the Parczew Forest of Poland, it showcases her trademark emotional depth and historical research.

If you prefer contemporary mystery and suspense, you should start with Missing, a gripping thriller that introduces her popular style of tense, fast-paced investigations. It can be read entirely as a standalone, making it a perfect low-commitment introduction to her detective storytelling.

The World War II Brave Women Fiction Series

Many readers discover Geffen through the World War II Brave Women Fiction series. It is important to note that this is not a single-author series with a continuous story. Instead, it is a collaborative collection of standalone historical novels written by various Israeli authors, which have been translated and curated under this unified banner. You can read these books in any order, as each features unique characters, settings, and historical accounts.

Adiva Geffen is one of the anchor contributors to this collection, having written three of its books. To read only Geffen's books in this series, the order is:

1. Surviving the Forest / War (2019)
2. My Daughter’s Keeper (2022)
3. A Sister’s Vow (2023)

Complete Publication Order of the Brave Women Series

If you choose to read the entire multi-author series as curated by the publisher, follow this chronological publication sequence:

1. Surviving The Forest / War (2019) – Written by Adiva Geffen
2. The Jewish Spy (2020) – Written by Hayuta Katzenelson
3. Escaping On The Danube River (2020) – Written by Shmuel David
4. The Name on the List (2021) – Written by Orly Krauss-Winer
5. The Lost Girl from Belzec (2022) – Written by Ravit Raufman
6. My Daughter’s Keeper (2022) – Written by Adiva Geffen
7. The Berlin Girl's Diary (2022) – Written by Tzvia Golan
8. My Name Is Vittoria (2022) – Written by Dafna Vitale Ben Bassat
9. Underneath a Changing Sky (2023) – Written by Yaron Reshef
10. A Sister’s Vow (2023) – Written by Adiva Geffen

Adiva Geffen's Suspense and Standalone Novels

In Israel, Geffen is highly celebrated for her mystery thrillers, notably those featuring her iconic detective duo, Sami and Dikla (such as the Hebrew originals Arad Final Stop and Angel's Shadow). While many of her classic mystery novels remain untranslated, English readers can enjoy two of her major psychological suspense standalones:

• Missing (2017) – A tense thriller following a frantic search that unravels dark family secrets.
• The Girl Behind the Secrets (2017) – A mystery focusing on hidden identities, betrayal, and deep emotional drama.

What to Know Before You Start

Before diving into Geffen's catalog, keep the following tips in mind to maximize your reading experience:

• True Inspirations: Geffen’s historical fiction is heavily grounded in testimonies from survivors. For example, Surviving the Forest was inspired by a true account Geffen first heard when she was just twenty years old.
• Standalone Nature: None of Geffen's translated works require reading prior volumes. Even the books published within the Brave Women collection are completely self-contained.
• Tone and Style: Expect a mix of heartbreak, high-stakes survival, and resilient female protagonists. While the historical novels address the grim realities of the Holocaust, they place a strong emphasis on hope and human connection.