Four years later. Hanni Winter shivers in her thin coat as she hurries through the empty Berlin streets to her job. Despite the freezing winter and poverty all around, her cheeks flush when she meets the man she is photographing today, charismatic Tony Miller, the American pilot risking his life to bring food and provisions to the starving people of the city. But her rush of joy turns to ash as she sees the man behind him…
It’s been years since Hanni fled her terrible past, but seeing Reiner Foss now brings back harrowing memories of the man they called The Showman, and of the concentration camp he commanded. The last time she tried to expose him, Hanni almost died, can she dare to try again? Or should she seize the chance she sees in Tony’s sparkling eyes to leave the horrors of the war behind?
Hanni is no longer the frightened child she was when the Nazis devastated her life beyond repair. She vows to avenge every person who suffered at Reiner’s hands. But does her attraction to Tony leave her vulnerable? Can Hanni protect her loved ones from her past, or will the cost of fighting her demons ultimately prove more than she can pay?
A devastating novel about finding the strength to survive when all hope seems lost. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz grab your tissues and dive into this heartbreaking story.
Author Bio:
Catherine Hokin is the author of several World War Two inspired novels set in Berlin, her favourite city. Following a History degree at Manchester University she worked in teaching, marketing and politics, while waiting for a chance to do what she really wanted, which was to write full time. Her short stories have been published by iScot, Writers Forum and Myslexia magazines and she was the winner of the 2019 Fiction 500 Short Story Competition. She is a lover of strong female leads and a quest.
Catherine now lives in Glasgow with her American husband. She has two grown-up children – one of whom lives, very conveniently, in Berlin – and a lifelong addiction to very loud music.
https://www.catherinehokin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cathokin/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09QT63TQRsocial
My Review
I loved the first book in this series, The Commandant's Daughter so I was really excited to read The Pilot's Girl when I got the chance. I'm pleased to report that my anticipation was not misplaced and I really enjoyed this second book too.
We join Hanni and Freddy a year or so after the events of the first book. Hanni is still working for the police as a photographer when she is able and she is still looking over her shoulder with fear that her father may at any moment move against her and bring her world crashing down. Freddy is of course, still coming to terms with all that he lost during the war and how he lives on with his family all gone. The two of them are still very much in love, but unable to act on that or take things further. Thrown into this is another murder, this one praying on seemingly unconnected people, strangling them and leaving them as though laid out peacefully. Together Hanni and Freddy must try and work out who is behind all of this death and put an end to it.
I love historical murder mysteries, particularly if, like this one there is a romantic element, especially one that just simmers beneath the surface. The story here is gripping and post-war Berlin is not something I've given a great deal of thought to. Following the lives of the people who inhabit it though, in the pages of this book, you can't help but be drawn into their world.
I loved this book and found both the murder mystery and the elements of the story that had more to do with our characters' ongoing struggles and hopes gripping. A fantastic read.
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