Amid the turbulence of World War II a young German woman finds a precarious haven closer to
the source of danger than she ever imagined one that will propel her through the extremes of
privilege and terror under Hitler s dictatorship . . . In early 1943 Magda Ritter s parents
send her to relatives in Bavaria hoping to keep her safe from the Allied bombs strafing
Berlin. Young German women are expected to do their duty working for the Reich or marrying to
produce strong healthy children. After an interview with the civil service Magda is assigned
to the Berghof Hitler s mountain retreat. Only after weeks of training does she learn her
assignment: she will be one of several young women tasting the Führer s food offering herself
in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned. Perched high in the Bavarian Alps the Berghof
seems worlds away from the realities of battle. Though terrified at first Magda gradually
becomes used to her dangerous occupation though she knows better than to voice her misgivings
about the war. But her love for a conspirator within the SS and her growing awareness of the
Reich s atrocities draw Magda into a plot that will test her wits and loyalty in a quest for
safety freedom and ultimately vengeance. Vividly written and ambitious in scope The Taster
examines the harrowing moral dilemmas of war in an emotional story filled with acts of
extraordinary courage. Praise for V.S. Alexander s The Magdalen Girls Fans of Barbara Davis and
Ashley Hay will enjoy this tenderhearted story of sinner saints and redemption. --Booklist
Alexander has clearly done his homework. Chilling in its realism his work depicts the
improprieties long abandoned by the Catholic Church and only recently acknowledged. Fans of the
book and film Philomena will want to read this. --Library Journal
