The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

Another stunner by the First Lady of riveting historical fiction! We are deep in the frozen forest of Russia - still for hours at a time in a leaf covered trench with your partner. Body cramped, little rest, little food and water until the midnight hour when you train your rifle's scope on the target. In Mila's hands her single shot means death to a German soldier - over 309 kills before she is done. Lyudmila Pavlichenko is the heroine of this story and the latest unsung hero in the long line of fascinating women in Kate Quinn's capable hands. She was a librarian/scholar writing her dissertation before picking up a rifle in sharpshooter training and heading off to the battlefield to save her country from the German invaders. Her skill as a sniper and the novelty of being a woman took her to the U.S. to be paraded around in a media blitz to gain American support for joining the war in Europe. Her unlikely friendship with none other than First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was one of mutual respect and admiration. The story is special in two ways as it shows how the vicious and bloody war was fought on the battlefield but also in the press as Mila and the Russian delegation are paraded around the country. Fascinating both in the battle details at the Russian front and also the back story American dog and pony show that took much trust from both sides to pull off. Mila is an extraordinary character as she is pulled out of the shadows to dazzle us with her courage and brilliant skill as well as the all too human heart behind the diamond eye of a deadly sniper. Fans of WWII unsung women as well as Kate Quinn's fans will be riveted to this one-sitting story.   5 stars