Kate Quinn has done it again! She is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. She finds these stories of heroic women and just brings them to life. I loved this story about the woman sniper. I read it months ago and I still think about her and how courageous she was. That’s how good the writing and storytelling are in this book. I am grateful for the time and effort Kate Quinn puts into her stories so we can enjoy reading them!

This book was highly engaging and SO very interesting to me! This is a perspective I haven't had much exposure to through historical fiction.

I just can't read any more WWII fiction. It's all the same general story with small details tweaked. Maybe I just need a break. Or maybe authors need to move on to something less saturated.

I love how Kate Quinn brings war heroines to the forefront and puts them in the spotlight. I had never heard of Mila Pavlichenko before reading this book and now I am totally enamored with her. I highly recommend this book with its bombshell heroine and writing that had me feeling as if I were there in the theater on the Eastern front.

Quinn keeps you thinking about this book LOBG after you have finished reading it. A strong heroine and an extremely satisfying read. I cannot wait for her next book! Bravo!!

***I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Amazing fictionalized story of Mila Pavilchenko, nicknamed Lady Death for her role as a sniper in the Russian army in WWII. I had never heard of her before this book - lots of information on life as a sniper, along with a secondary storyline involving danger in the US. This was my first book by Quinn, and it will not be my last!

Kate Quinn has knocked it out of the park again. Well written with delightful plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

I love Kate Quinn. The Huntress is one of my favourite books but unfortunately I didn’t love this one. I found it pretty mediocre and I got bored in the middle.

Kate Quinn is a fascinating author. This latest historical fiction book is an account based on the life of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Russian sniper during World War II.
Once again, true history intermingled with the story's suspense. It's obvious that Quinn's research and detailed history of this time period resonated throughout the book. When I had finished it (which I couldn't put down), I had a much richer understanding of wartime and the qualities a sniper must possess to survive. Her war scenes were so effective. The juxtaposition of war-torn Russia alongside visits to the United States added to the intrigue and anticipation of the book's outcome. Great read, as always!

Fascinating historical fiction based on a real Russian sniper who happened to be a woman, Lyudmila Pavlichenko. It was interesting also because I don't often read about World War II from the Soviet perspective. In addition to describing her battles and life during war, the story also describes her visit to the United States to gain support for the Allied troops in Europe. Very readable and entertaining.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is an excellent thriller based on a true story. Mila Pavlichenko’s life will never be the same when she volunteers to be trained as a sniper during World War II. She then becomes known for her accuracy and is given the name the Lady of Death.
I loved the fast pace of this novel by one of my favorites!

Kate Quinn always writes the best World War II books! You can tell that they are very well researched, and they are always engrossing especially if you can get your hands on the audio version! I love how she always (at least since 2017) writes about different aspects of WWII. I feel like I learn something new every time I read one of her books.

In The Diamond Eye we get, girl sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko's story. She was known as Lady Death to her enemies and is recognized as the most successful female sniper in history with an impressive total of 309 confirmed kills. This is an amazing account of her life, and I can't wait to see what Kate Quinn comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 29 March 2022.

“Snipers must make themselves calm in order to succeed, and that is why women are good at sharpshooting. Because there is not a woman alive who has not learned how to eat rage in order to appear calm,” Kate Quinn, The Diamond Eye.

With each of her historical novels, Kate Quinn gets better. After her 2021 book, The Rose Code, I didn’t think that was possible, but The Diamond Eye is a stellar achievement.

In the snowbound city of Kiev, history student Lyudmila “Mila” Pavlichenko’s life revolves around her job as a library researcher and caring for her five-year-old son, Slavka. But when Hitler invades Russia, she forges a different path. Armed with a beat-up rifle, the Russian army sends her to the bloody battlefields of the eastern front. Mila becomes the Nazis hunter known as Lady Death. With news of her three hundredth kill, Mila joins the Russian delegation and travels to the United States to raise funds for the war effort.

Still reeling from a serious injury and devastated by the loss of several loved ones, Mila develops an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a fellow sniper. But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a deadly new foe, Lady Death battles her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel loaded with phenomenal heroism and historical detail. As with The Alice Network, The Huntress, and The Rose Code, her latest features a strong, whip-smart woman as the main protagonist. Her descriptive prose made me feel as if I were inside Mila’s head and looking through a sniper’s rifle. Much of the plot came from Pavlichenko’s book Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin’s Sniper, which I look forward to reading. I will say, however, that I was uncomfortable with the author putting thought in Eleanor Roosevelt’s head, but that is a minor criticism.

A realistic, propulsive read full of action and emotion, The Diamond Eye an unforgettable true story of a quiet bookworm who became history’s deadliest female sniper. It was riveting. Bravo. 5 stars.

Publication Date: March 2022
Genre: Historical fiction
Read-alikes: Annie and the Wolves by Andromeda Romano-Lax; A Most Clever Girl by Stephanie Marie Thornton; The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II and War of the Rats by Svetlana Alexievich; Code Name Code name Helene by Ariel Lawhon; Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this novel. The opinions are wholly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC digital edition.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this in the time allotted. It remains on my “to be read” list for the future. The author is one of my favorites!!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.
A book filled with suspense and historical information. Kate Quinn is a master at creating characters that are well developed and easy to root for. Considering the timing of this novel and the war in Ukraine, this book is timely as well as well written.

The thing I love most about Kate Quinn is that she dedicates many of her novels to women whose stories would go unnoticed by history without an extra boost. She highlights those who have worked in the shadows of monumental historical events, who did their duty without complaint, and who excelled at managing the heavy burdens they were tasked with bearing. Star of "The Diamond Eye," Mila Pavlichenko, a Hero of the Soviet Union, is no exception. Lady Death is an absolutely remarkable figure, a librarian turned sniper who not only took down 309 men on the field of battle but also waged a war of goodwill with the United States to convince them to enter the war in Europe.

We jump right into the thick of World War II as "The Diamond Eye" begins. Single mother Mila Pavlichenko enlists in the Red Army and becomes one of the first female snipers the Soviets have ever seen. Although initially doubted because of her sex, Mila quickly proves her worth with her eagle eyes, nerves of steel, and some sixth sense that seems to give her an edge over even the most seasoned of Nazis. Once she's nestled snugly in her sniper's nest, the countdown to midnight begins, and when Lady Death aims her rifle, she almost never misses.

When Mila is pulled from the front to serve as part of a goodwill tour of the United States, there is no way for her to realize that she may be up against her most formidable opponent to date, an unnamed American sniper determined to assassinate President Franklin Roosevelt and pin the murder squarely on her shoulders. Will Lady Death sense the threat to her life or will she find herself on the other end of the countdown to midnight with a bullet between her own eyes?

Although "The Diamond Eye" is historical fiction, the work Quinn did to source the story, relying heavily on Mila's own autobiography, shines through and builds a novel full of wartime suspense. I could not help but hold my breath at each mortar fire, to grip my book even tighter each time Mila or Kostia took aim from the sniper's nest to Google places, people, and events furiously to see how events played out in real life to try and get some reassurance that things would end, if not happily, at least they would end with our favorite characters *alive.*

Mila's journey both through the battlefields of the Soviet Union and through the minefield-laden press conferences in the United States is remarkable. Readers will fall in love with Lady Death and will fly through the pages of her novel. "The Diamond Eye" is a must-read for fans of Chanel Cleeton, Martha Hall Kelly, and Fiona Davis.

Kate Quinn's <i>The Diamond Eye</i> is another wonderful historical novel set in World War II. This one is more firmly set in real historical events, with virtually all the characters, places, and events having real-life counterparts. Mila is a Russian army sniper with more than 300 kills to her name, who eventually sets out on a goodwill tour of the United States in 1942, hoping to convince the Americans to join the war effort on the Russian front. Mila is an engaging character who is a study in contradictions. She is both a librarian/historian and a sniper, a mother and a killer. There is a dual storyline, one focusing on the tour, and the other focusing in on the path that led Mila there. While the historical timeline sometimes drags a bit, it is nonetheless full of wonderful details and is a fully realized world. The "present" timeline is full of intrigue and suspense, leaving the reader wondering how it will all resolve in the end. Another great outing from Kate Quinn!

THE DIAMOND EYE is the latest work of historical fiction from Kate Quinn (The Alice Network, The Rose Code and more). Based on a true story, this novel shares the adventures of a female WWII sniper, Lyudmila "Mila" Pavlichenko, credited with 309 kills. I particularly liked the cynical comments about the Russian military and about propaganda in general which were sprinkled throughout. Many chapters even begin with memoir excerpts like this: "My memoir, the official version: On the morning of the second day of October, our mighty military machine moved crisply into action at Tatarka, organized and efficient. ... My memoir, the unofficial version: it was about as organized and efficient as a monkey shit-fight in a zoo."

In addition to Pavlichenko's military exploits, Quinn has crafteds tales of her travels in the United States, including time as the first Soviet citizen invited to stay at the White House. The fictionalized tête-à-têtes with Eleanor Roosevelt offer an interesting contrast to the military exploits as does the mystery associated with an assassination attempt on FDR. Ultimately, that turns into a very exciting chase near Rock Creek Parkway. THE DIAMOND EYE received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal. Pick up this title (or listen to the excellent audiobook version) if you like strong heroines and historical fiction. 4.5 stars

Quinn has become an auto-buy author for me and THE DIAMOND EYE one of my highly anticipated releases for this year!

I really enjoyed the premise of the story as I did not know much about Russian snipers, especially one that was a woman! However, I felt like the pacing of the plot seemed a bit off. The reader got SO much detail about certain topics, but not enough detail about others. For example. it was hard for me to grasp how Mila could go from a history-loving librarian to such a tough, lethal hunter. I felt like there was only a chapter or two describing her transition, but then we would get chapters and chapters about battles. STILL despite that thought, the story was extremely well-written. I loved how the story would jump back and forth between Russia and then years forward in the United States.

I would DEFINITELY recommend this to readers who enjoy
- historical fiction (especially women in World War 2)
- longer stories (435 pages)
- stories about finding your place in the world

Fantastic book! Kate Quinn has done it again! I found this book highly interesting. Enough to even look up the real lives of the main characters.