STRONG, FAST, AND TOO SMART describes tomboy Hattie Dumond, born in bilingual New Orleans in 1914. No one, including Hattie, thought that would save her life two decades later. She struggles against the restrictions women face in those early 20th century years. Yes, she's a tomboy, but she can slip into the role of debutante and trains her intellect to straddle both worlds.

In Paris, she studies medicine at the Sorbonne, graduating as Hitler's Nazis invade France. Stranded in Europe, Hattie is forced to fend for herself and accepts a marriage proposal proffered by an officer in the French Army. It's the only way to get out of Paris before it's too late.

She learns to love Luke DeValcourt, the good man she marries, then loses him to a Nazi prison. Hattie joins the French Resistance to rescue him and others, then escapes with Luke across the Channel to England.

Trouble follows Hattie like a pebble stuck in a shoe. She doesn't see that danger remains a challenge while she believes she's safe at home. Hattie has a lot to learn…if she lives.

Her return to Louisiana offers a lingering mix of pitfalls and danger threatening her medical practice and the people she loves. What must she do to prevail? Will she? Or will she suffer the terrible consequences?