The Diamond Eye
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4.6 • 28 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of The Rose Code and The Alice Network
*Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee: Best Historical Fiction 2022*
In the snowbound city of Kiev, aspiring historian Mila Pavlichenko’s life revolves around her young son – until Hitler’s invasion of Russia changes everything. Suddenly, she and her friends must take up arms to save their country from the Fuhrer’s destruction.
Handed a rifle, Mila discovers a gift – and months of blood, sweat and tears turn the young woman into a deadly sniper: the most lethal hunter of Nazis.
Yet success is bittersweet. Mila is torn from the battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America while the war still rages. There, she finds an unexpected ally in First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and an unexpected promise of a different future.
But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a terrifying new foe, she finds herself in the deadliest duel of her life.
The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.
Praise for The Diamond Eye
‘The Diamond Eye – combat novel, wartime love story, assassination thriller – sets up and pulls off a double-barrelled surprise-ending worthy of its larger-than-life inspiration’ The Wall Street Journal
‘Mila’s was an incredible life and Quinn does it justice in this fast-paced novel’ The Times
‘This timely and earth-shattering tale of heroism will leave you breathless’ Woman’s Own
‘An extraordinary novel, based on a true story’ WI Life
‘Kate Quinn’s skill is in developing characters and relationships, adding tension, suspense and smart plotting’ Choice
‘Equal parts historical fiction and riveting thriller, Quinn’s latest novel celebrating heroic women is a highly cinematic action novel’ The Washington Post
About the author
Kate Quinn is a native of southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Classical Voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Daniel Silva’s excellent The Collector, retired Mossad chief Gabriel Allon once again finds himself entangled in a relentless spy adventure, despite having retired in Venice. When he’s called on to authenticate a recovered Van Gogh, his investigation leads him to the young Danish art thief Ingrid Johansen, who recently stole a Vermeer on the Amalfi Coast. The interplay between these two characters, and their exchange of trade secrets, creates an intriguing contrast between the world of espionage and the world of burglary, and will delight fans of the genre. Silva keeps up his customary brisk pace as the plot unfolds, and his dialogue is particularly absorbing. Set against the backdrop of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, this artfully crafted tale is tightly woven with a critique of the Russian regime, a theme prominent in Silva’s recent novels.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Quinn (The Rose Code) draws on a historical female sharpshooter from WWII in her exciting latest. In 1937, Mila Pavlichenko studies history at Kiev University and raises her five-year-old son, Slavka. She's estranged from her husband, Alexei, a surgeon whom she met when she was 15. When the Germans invade Russia, Mila, who's already trained at a marksmanship school, enlists in the army, is assigned sniper duty, and earns the nickname "Lady Death" for her high number of kills. In battle, Mila is steadfast about completing her missions with her partner, Kostia, and also finds time to write letters to Slavka. In 1942, Soviet leaders send Mila with a delegation to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Roosevelt in a bid to seek American support. The trip has its highs and lows, as Mila unexpectedly develops a friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt, but faces a threat from a misogynistic male marksman who sends her threatening notes. Quinn humanizes Mila by showing how she and Kostia use humor—along with a healthy amount of vodka—to cope with their risk-taking, and she convinces with her description of Eleanor's political savvy and influence on the president. Historical fiction fans will be riveted.
