The Center of Gravity, by Patricia Brandon , is a riveting historical fiction novel that begins in 1933 Europe and ends in 1975 South Carolina. "Lebensborn. Living birth, the spring of life, the breeding of Aryan children in the union of those who are racially pure and healthy..." Sonne Becker is tricked into service as a food tester for Hitler in the infamous Wolf's Lair. She endures an even greater atrocity before a sympathetic SS officer aids in her daring escape. She hides a monumental secret. Rainer von Bauchelle, a French art professor, is forced to assist the Nazis in the re-creation of the priceless stolen Amber Room in the Konigsberg Castle in Prussia. He too bears dangerous secrets, as his family hides Jews in their Colmar winery, while his best friend is a Jew who fights for the Alsatian Resistance. When their worlds collide, Sonne and Rainer receive help from an unlikely source and agree to a life-changing mission in exchange for new identities and an idyllic life on the coast of South Carolina. But how long will safety last and the darkest of secrets remain hidden?