This is an excerpt from Shadow and Light, a recently published novel by Jonathan Rabb, a literary thriller set in the decadent world of the Babelsberg film studios during the early rise of the Nazis. Excerpt used by permission of Farrar, Straus & Giroux LLC and read by actor Harvey Friedman.

Jonathan Rabb is the author of three previous novels, Rosa, The Overseer and The Book of Q. He lives in New York.