The Diamond Eye is an excellent fictionalized retelling of the life of the legendary Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (called Mila in the book). Lyundmila was an infamously deadly Soviet sniper (incidentally, born in Kiyv) who is credited with killing over 300 Nazis during World War II. She was so good at her job, she earned the nickname “Lady Death.”
The Diamond Eye tracks Mila’s determination to learn how to shoot alongside her life as a single mother trying to deal with her divorce and parent her son, Rostislav (Slavka). A difficult relationship with her mother pops into frame, as does a nervy, unsettled goodwill visit to America that feels ripped out of today’s headlines. I do know that Mila’s friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt was the real deal, and it’s quite a highlight of the book. Quinn does well blending fact into fiction, and the brew is pretty entertaining. There’s a lot of action and an intriguing spy plot that definitely works well.
The story moves from war-torn Russia to the elegance and glitz of postwar America. I am not entirely sure if Mila’s epic love affair with Kostia, a fellow soldier who serves as her partner in the field, is a hundred percent true to life, but Quinn definitely makes him feel like a part of Mila’s emotional landscape. Her truest love is Slavka, and this stays consistent throughout the novel.
Mila is a fabulous central figure. Warm, tough, playful, heartbroken and uncompromising, sometimes all at the same time, she is a wonderful person to follow around. The Diamond Eye combines a war narrative with an assassination plot and Mila’s domestic concerns (and the romance, which is a very nice bonus).
Overall, The Diamond Eye thrills its readers and gives them a heroine worth rooting for. It gets high marks for that alone.
Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or your local independent retailer
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Sensuality: Kisses
Publication Date: 03/2022
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