Review: The Huntress by Kate Quinn

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Five years after the ending of WW11, how a former Soviet fighter pilot, a young American woman and a former British War Correspondent work together to find the Nazi war criminal known as Die Jägerin, The Huntress; to bring her to justice.

Ian Graham gave up writing after the end of The Nuremberg trials, instead, he works to track down war criminals from his office based in Vienna. Investigations into The Huntress, his obsession have so far drawn a blank, until his colleague Tony Rodomovsky has a new lead.

Jordan McBride was seventeen years old when her widowed father introduced her to the mysterious woman, who would become her step-mother. Born in Austria, Anneliese 'Anna' Weber and her young daughter were pleasant enough, but something about this woman didn't seem right. Interested in photography, Jordan spent her days taking photographs, which she then developed in her dark room. One photo of Anna, caught her in a different light, increasing her doubt about who Mrs Weber is.

Born in a house on the shore of Lake Baikal, Siberia, Nina Markova wanted to escape from her abusive, drunk father like her older siblings. After a chance meeting with a pilot who landed his plane, something she'd never seen before. Inspired, she decides to head to the nearest town, Irkutsk to find an air club. She wants to learn to fly, to escape as far west, beyond Moscow, never dreaming how far she would actually get.

Written from a triple point of view, including one which features the protagonist's back story, it was surprisingly easy for me to follow the narrative and keep focused the whole time. As someone who often struggled when too much information supplied at once, the author's writing style kept me focused and invested, so much so, it was hard to put this novel down.

Having previously enjoyed The Alice Network by Ms Quinn, I knew to expect a well-researched novel. Additionally, I enjoyed reading her author notes about where she sourced her inspiration for her characters and the liberties she took to create The Huntress. As the words and dialogue flowed effortlessly, I have no criticism, only admiration for how the narrative came together to create an insightful and thought-provoking novel set at a favourite time in history for me. The most intriguing aspect was learning about nachthexen, Night Witches; their role as female Soviet fighter-pilots.

After renewing my interest for historical novels and discovering writers like Kate Quinn, I'm very much looking forward to her future work and am already eagerly anticipating The Ribbons of Scarlet later in 2019.

***arc generously received courtesy of William Morrow Paperbacks via Edelweiss+***

View all my reviews

(from Goodreads)

From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, The Alice Network, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.

In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted…

Bold, reckless Nina Markova grows up on the icy edge of Soviet Russia, dreaming of flight and fearing nothing. When the tide of war sweeps over her homeland, she gambles everything to join the infamous Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on Hitler’s eastern front. But when she is downed behind enemy lines and thrown across the path of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, Nina must use all her wits to survive.

British war correspondent Ian Graham has witnessed the horrors of war from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials. He abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. Fierce, disciplined Ian must join forces with brazen, cocksure Nina, the only witness to escape the Huntress alive. But a shared secret could derail their mission, unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride grows up in post WWII Boston, determined despite family opposition to become a photographer. At first delighted when her long-widowed father brings home a fiancée, Jordan grows increasingly disquieted by the soft-spoken German widow who seems to be hiding something. Armed only with her camera and her wits, Jordan delves into her new stepmother’s past and slowly realizes there are mysteries buried deep in her family. But Jordan’s search for the truth may threaten all she holds dear.

Book Blogger Hop 4th-10th May 2018 & The Friday 56

Book Blogger Hop

About the Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer's permission, I relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013.

Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop's purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog. 

Question:  Do you ever feel like you have emerged better for reading a book? (submitted by Rubina @ Booklove)

Answer: Yes. I love reading books where I learn something new. It can be opinions, facts or even a recipe. It doesn't necessarily make me feel better in a physical sense, but in a feel-good way knowing my knowledge base has grown a tiny bit more.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it.

* Head over to Frida's Voice to find more #Friday56

56% on my Kindle:

Today he'd pronounced us ready, and we were leaving Eve behind to await her mysterious dinner companion.

“What do you think?” I asked Finn, sliding into the front seat. “Is it Captain Camerson she's meeting?”

“Wouldn't be surprised.”

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.

One Day Christmas Special: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

PRAISE FOR THE ALICE NETWORK

• USA TODAY BESTSELLER
• One of NPR's Best Books of 2017!
• One of Bookbub's Biggest Historical Fiction Books of 2017!
• Reese Witherspoon Book Club Summer Reading Pick!
• One of Amazon's Best Books of June!
• One of Goodreads' Best Books of June!

“The Alice Network has history, suspense, romance and women kicking butt. I couldn't put it down.”—NPR.org

“Amazing historical fiction... a must read!”—Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice

“With her latest novel, Kate Quinn announces herself as one of the best artists of the genre. The plotting is seamless, the pace breathtaking, and the prose is both vivid and laced with just the right amount of details. Fans of historical fiction, spy fiction and thrilling drama will love every moment of THE ALICE NETWORK. It‘s a masterful novel that will leave you craving more.”—Book Page

“Those looking for intrigue and danger in their summer fiction may be drawn to Quinn’s (Mistress of Rome) latest... This fast-paced story offers courageous heroines, villains you love to hate, and dramatic life-or-death stakes. A compelling blend of historical fiction, mystery, and women’s fiction, Quinn’s complex story and engaging characters have something to offer just about everyone.”

—Library Journal, starred review

“Lovingly crafted and brimming with details, readers are sure to be held in Quinn’s grip watching as the characters evolve. Powerful reading you can’t put down!”—RT Book Reviews, 4.5 star, “Top Pick”

“Smart, suspenseful and adventurous, The Alice Network is a worthy homage to the female spies of World War I of which Quinn should be proud.”—Shelf Awareness

“Page-Turning… riveting…with enough thrills, violence, and intrigue to keep any mystery enthusiast interested, especially if they enjoy well researched historical settings and intriguing characters.”—Reviewing the Evidence

“Both funny and heartbreaking, this epic journey of two courageous women is an unforgettable tale of little-known wartime glory and sacrifice. Quinn knocks it out of the park with this spectacular book!”—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America's First Daughter

“The Alice Network... perfectly balances a propulsive plot, faultlessly observed period detail, and a cast of characters so vividly drawn that I half expected to blink and see them standing in front of me. This is historical fiction at its best--thrilling, affecting, revelatory.”—Jennifer Robson, international bestselling author of Moonlight Over Paris

“Kate Quinn delivers an enthralling tale filled with breath-taking narrative that will make the reader feel as if they’re in the back of the roadster, riding along with the raucous Eve and courageous Charlie on their clandestine adventures. Suspenseful and engrossing, THE ALICE NETWORK is a must-read!”—Heather Webb, author of Rodin's Lover

“A ring of daring female spies known as the Alice Network left a legacy of blood and betrayal. Two women suffering the losses of two different wars must join forces, one to find her voice and her redemption, the other to face her fears and her oldest enemy. Kate Quinn strums the chords of every human emotion with two storylines that race over continents and through decades to converge in one explosive ending.”—Marci Jefferson, author of Enchantress of Paris

"A powerful story filled with daring and intrigue, The Alice Network will hook readers from the first page and take them on an unforgettable journey."—Chanel Cleeton, author of Next Year in Havana

“Line for line, one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Loyal and brave, the women of THE ALICE NETWORK are brilliantly revealed by Kate Quinn’s exquisite storytelling and prose. I loved every word! A must read for fans of WWI and WWII fiction.”—Renee Rosen, author of Windy City Blues

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.

Kate Quinn is a native of Southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance detailing the early years of the infamous Borgia clan. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in Maryland with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia.

Website     Facebook     Twitter     Goodreads

New Release Spotlight: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

THE ALICE NETWORK 

by Kate Quinn

On Sale: June 6, 2017

William Morrow Trade Paperback Original ISBN: 9780062654199

Pages: 528 | Price: $16.99

Also available in eBook: ISBN: 9780062654205 | $9.99

And as an audio book: ISBN: 9780062676603 | $27.99

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.

Amazon     IndieBound     Barnes & Noble     Books-A-Million     iBooks     GooglePlay

Night had fallen by the time I staggered, weary and starving, off the train in London. The city rolled out in front of me in one huge dark smoky mass—I had no idea where 10 Hampson Street might be. I had a few coins left in my pocketbook, and as I hailed a cab I prayed it would be enough. I really didn’t relish having to yank a pearl off my grandmother’s necklace just to pay for a taxi ride. Maybe I shouldn’t have left that waitress a whole pound . . . But I wasn’t sorry.

The driver took me to what he said was Pimlico and dumped me at a line of tall row houses. It had started to rain in earnest. I looked around for my hallucination, but there was no flash of blond hair. Just a dark street, the spitting rain, the worn steps of number 10 climbing to a dingy peeling door. I hoisted my case, clambered up, and banged the knocker before my courage deserted me.

No answer. I banged again. The rain was falling harder, and despair rose in me like a wave. I pounded and pounded until my fist ached, until I saw the minute twitch of the curtain beside the door.

“I know someone’s in there!” I wrenched the door handle, blinded by rain. “Let me in!”

To my surprise the handle turned, and I flew inside, falling at last off my impractical shoes. I hit the floor of the dark hallway on my knees, tearing my stockings, and then the door banged shut and I heard the click of a pistol being cocked.

Her voice was low, graveled, slurred, ferocious. “Who are you, and what the bloody fuck are you doing in my house?”

The streetlamps sent a blurry light through the curtains, half-illuminating the dark hallway. I could see a tall gaunt figure, a straggle of hair, the fiery end of a lit cigarette. The gleam of light off a pistol barrel, pointing straight at me.

I should have been terrified, recoiling from the shock and the gun and the language. But fury had swept aside the last piece of my feel-nothing fog, and I gathered my legs under me to stand, torn stocking snagging. “I’m looking for Evelyn Gardiner.”

“I don’t care who you’re looking for. If you don’t tell me why I’ve got a damned Yank breaking into my house, I’ll shoot you. I’m old and I’m drunk, but this is a Luger nine-millimeter P08 in excellent condition. Drunk or sober I can take the back of your skull out at this range.”

“I’m Charlie St. Clair.” Pushing the wet hair out of my eyes. “My cousin Rose Fournier went missing in France during the war, and you might know how to find her.”

Abruptly the electric wall lamp switched on. I blinked in the rush of harsh light. Standing over me was a tall gaunt woman in a faded print dress, her graying hair straggling around a time-ravaged face. She could have been fifty, or she could have been seventy. She had the Luger in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other; she kept the pistol steadily trained on my forehead as she raised the cigarette to her lips and took a long drag. Bile rose in my throat as I saw her hands. Good God, what had happened to her hands?

“I’m Eve Gardiner,” she said at last. “And I don’t know anything about this cousin of yours.”

“You might,” I said desperately. “You might—if you’ll just talk to me.”

“That’s your plan, little Yank?” Her hooded storm-gray eyes surveyed me like a contemptuous bird of prey. “Burst into my house at nightfall, no plan, and I’m betting no money, on the chance I’d know something about your m-missing friend?”

“Yes.” Faced with her gun and her scorn I couldn’t explain why, why the chance to find Rose had turned suddenly all-consuming in my wrecked life. I couldn’t explain this strange savage desperation, or why I had let it drive me here. I could only state the truth: “I had to come.”

“Well.” Eve Gardiner lowered her pistol. “I suppose you’ll want t-tea.”

“Yes, tea would be—”

“I don’t have any.” She turned and made her way back down the dark hall, walking long-strided and careless. Her bare feet looked like an eagle’s claws. She weaved a little as she walked, the Luger swinging freely at her side, and I saw she still had a finger through the trigger. Crazy, I thought. The old cow is crazy.

And her hands—they were monstrous knobbed lumps, every knuckle misshapen and grotesque. They looked more like lobster claws than hands.

“Keep up,” she said without turning, and I scurried after her. She struck a door open and flicked on a light, and I saw a cold sitting room—a mess of a place, grate unlit, drapes drawn so no chink of light could come in off the street, old newspapers and dirty tea mugs lying everywhere.

“Mrs. Gardiner—”

“Miss.” She flung herself down in a shabby armchair overlooking the whole messy room, tossing her pistol down on the table beside it. I winced, but the thing didn’t go off. “And you can call me Eve. You’ve f-forced your way into my house, so that’s a level of intimacy I’m already disliking you for. What’s a name?”

“I didn’t mean to force my way—”

“Yes, you did. You want something, and you want it badly. What is it?”

I pulled up a hassock and sat down, suddenly uncertain where to start. I’d been so focused on getting here, I hadn’t thought how exactly I should begin. Two girls times eleven summers, divided by one ocean and one war . . .

Kate Quinn is a native of Southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance detailing the early years of the infamous Borgia clan. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in Maryland with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia.

Website     Facebook: @KateQuinnAuthor     Twitter: @KateQuinnAuthor     Goodreads