Rated of 5
by Anne G. (Austin, TX) Beautiful Assassin
Clear your calendar when Beautiful Assassin arrives because you won’t want to stop reading until you find out the whole story of beautiful Tat’yana Levchenko the Red Army sniper with 300 kills to her credit. The early scenes of Tat’yana stalking a German soldier are hold-your-breath intense and then the story gets really interesting when she visits the USA and is invited to join a youth tour with Mrs Roosevelt where Tat’yana becomes the spokeswoman for the Soviet cause. I enjoyed the interplay of fact with fiction and found fascinating the insiders look at the secrets and techniques of WWII espionage. Of course when you have a beautiful woman there’s always some romance involved and the handsome Captain Taylor adds an interesting dimension. This is a great book for anyone who likes their war story combined with a bit of romance.
Rated of 5
by Valerie C. (Chico, CA) An okay read
This novel about a woman soldier's life during WWII is a fairly entertaining read. Until you near the end it is slow moving, not riveting, and I feel the characters could have been developed more. If you are interested in a historical novel around this period and like strong female leads, this book may appeal to you.
Rated of 5
by Marganna K. (Edmonds, WA) Simple & Predictable
What spy would let a reporter drop in on her in her old age and readily tell her story of being a deadly sniper, a spy and a defector to this complete stranger? That's what I'm asked to believe in the first pages of Tat'yana's story. OK, I said, I'll go along with this but let's hope the story line improves. It did not - I was disappointed in the characters, the plot, the historical aspect of the story and the writing style. I did read it and was so happy to put it down. I thought the 1st part of Tat'yana's story as a sniper was the best part - it held promise but as she became a hero and then a spy in America, the story lost its punch. After that fairly strong start, it did not hold intrigue, suspense, thrills, depth, emotional strings, historical insight for me. I would not recommend this book to friends, didn't care about the characters, wouldn't replace it if lost during reading and wouldn't read another book by author - my 4 points required to rate as a "good book". MK
Rated of 5
by Mary D. (Claremont, CA) Beautiful Assassin
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were plenty of dark parts; a book about war and soldiers cannot help but have many dark and sad spots. But this was particularly interesting because it is written from the point of view of a former Soviet female sniper, a point of view unfamiliar to us Americans. The character of Tat'yana is very strong, honest and she firmly believes in the fight for her country. This makes her disillusionment all the more intense and sad, when she realizes that she is being put "on show" in America and is also expected to spy, for the Soviets, on Eleanor Roosevelt to obtain blackmail material. Her choices are hard and she is quite torn in making them. The book is hard to put down, the characters are well-defined, or hidden in the shadows if called for by their position in life.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in another side of World War II and the development of the USA vs. USSR Cold War in its early stages.
Rated of 5
by Eileen L. (Danvers, MA) A great read with a compelling story to tell
This is not the type of book I generally pick up but I am so glad I did! From the first page this book drew me in. The protagonist is fascinating, the history interesting, and the story a great blend of intrigue, romance, and surprises. The author brings to life a fascinating period in our history and weaves a realistic, fully developed character into it. This story was over way too soon!! We are fortunate that Michael White has other work out there to read!
Rated of 5
by Doris K. (Angora, MN) Beautiful Assassin
I am an avid reader of historical fiction and this book is historical fiction at its best . The author did a great job of making the characters believable. Written from the view of a loyal Russian female soldier, it gives insight into her motivations for her loyalty to her country.
The descriptions of the war between Russia and Germany and the part Tat'yana Levchenko contributed to the war were brilliantly written.
This would be a good choice for a book club as there would be many areas to discuss. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction should read this book.
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of 5
by Anne G. (Austin, TX) 
of 5
by Marganna K. (Edmonds, WA) 
of 5
by Mary D. (Claremont, CA) 
