Murder of a Suffragette - Marty Wingate

Women from all around the country have joined together to fight for the vote. But when one of themis killed, only amateur sleuth Mabel Canning can halt a murderer’s campaign…

Fellbridge Hall, England: Mabel Canning is thrilled to be organising a suffragette conference. But when all the women are settled in the sprawling country mansion, she barely has time for a sip of gin before chaos ensues. Leading suffragette Annie Harkin has been found murdered in her bed, clutching a white feather in her outstretched hand…

As the guests clamour for justice for Annie, young police officers Ned and Ted arrive in time to trip over the banners and be roundly ignored. And with a killer on the loose, the suffragettes swiftly vote for Mabel and her pals to take control. When it comes to solving mysteries, there’s nobody equal to the London Ladies’ Murder Club!

But soon it’s clear many a suffragette is hiding a secret under her sash. Eccentric veteran of the cause Dorothea Goose is acting rather flighty; why is she so afraid of the police? Would Annie’s rival go this far to replace her as leader? Or has someone taken a life to stop the cause of women’s lib?

Then Mabel uncovers what happened to Annie’s closest comrade in the years before the war, and she is sure the answers lie in the past. But will Mabel be elected as the killer’s next victim? Or can she crack the case and save the fight for Votes for Women?

A totally addictive whodunnit bursting with suspense and sparkling with wit, from USA Today bestseller Marty Wingate. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, Verity Bright and T.E. Kinsey.

My Review

Murder of a Suffragette follows Lady Detective Mable Canning as she tries to solve another murder. Mabel, being a modern woman has a range of friends who are interested in woman having more say in their lives and is attending a gathering of suffragettes. This book is set at a time when some women have gained the vote, but others are still without a voice.
I loved the historical setting of this book, as well as the mystery itself. Mabel is a woman of her time, but also one who is pushing against the traditional ideals that have been imposed on women. She has a man in her life, but he's there to assist her, not in any way oppress her.
I didn't mange to solve this one, I think that my skills in this area must be slipping. I enjoyed finding out who was behind it all and getting to the reveal it became obvious I'd missed one or two clues along the way.
This was a great read and I'm looking forward to more from Mabel and the London Ladies' Murder Club soon. Especially as this ended in a really quite satisfying way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Author Bio:

Marty Wingate is a USA Today best-selling author of both mysteries and historical fiction. Marty enjoys weaving humor into her books and creating characters—from quirky and loveable to sinister and duplicitous—that leap off the page. Before embarking on her series about the London Ladies Murder Club with Bookouture, Marty published three contemporary cozy mystery series (the Potting Shed, Birds of a Feather, and First Edition Library books). She has also published two standalone books of historical fiction and found stories of the past to be compelling. She’s delighted to combine her penchant for both mysteries and histories to bring her readers more satisfying stories. Marty currently resides near Seattle, Washington.

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Waltz on the Big Meadow - Dorothy A. Bell

It's 1897, an abandoned wife and mother with a rebellious teenage daughter faces a dilemma: how to earn enough cash for food and upkeep, and maintain respectability? The gossips would have it that her laundry business is a sham. She's too friendly with her customers at the local bordello and the men at the logging camp. When she takes in a border, a doctor, who arrives without his bride, tongues really start to wag. There is a second chance for love, but it's fraught with obstacles and heartache.

Widowed laundress gets second chance at love and life.

My Review

What a read! I didn't really know what to expect with this one. Yes, there's romance, but that isn't really what this book is about. Or at least, it wasn't the biggest part of it for me. I love history, and books, like this one, that take you back to a particular time. I don't know a great deal about America in the late 1800s. But from the first page of this book I was there.

I think that what I loved most about this book was the women. The pages are populated with such interestingly drawn characters. Women who are finding their way in what was very much a man's world. Women who could find themselves shunned by society if they acted in the wrong way. I felt for both Odessa and her mother Irene as they tried to navigate life. Abandoned by her husband, Irene has few options open to her, but with heart and drive, she manages to make her way in life as the story unfolds.

I was gripped by this story. Grateful that life is so very different for me and my girls. As is often the case, when we think of life being simpler in the past, it often is, but at the cost of women. There is romance here, but it isn't a defining moment for Irene. She doesn't need it, as for her daughter, in many ways she would have been better off without romance.

This was a fantastic read and one that will stay with me for quite some time. 

Author Bio

Married going on sixty years, yes, to the same sweet fella. Moved, relocated at least that many times over the years, but always end up back in Oregon. I was born in Burlington, Iowa but my dad had itchy feet and moved me, my sister and mother to a small town in the Willamette Valley of Oregon when I was ten. And that's when I first met my future spouse in the sixth grade. I've been a store clerk, a meat wrapper, sausage and hamburger grinder, I've put the center stick in kites, pumped gas, and for 18 years I was an aquatic exercise instructor. Love, love working out in the water. Highly recommend a water workout. While doing all of that, I wrote, read, and wrote some more and finally, after many tries and a lot of sell-education on the craft of writing a good story, I was first published in 2014 with my first Oregon Historical fiction romance. I have had a dozen novels published with royalty paying publishers. Ten of which are no longer with a publisher, but I have the rights, and they are in e-book compatible format for any who are interested. Check me out at my blog at https://dabellm3.wordpress.com.  

Her Last Promise - Catherine Hokin

‘Too many have suffered at my father’s hands. I won’t let it continue. I’ll stop him, I’ll build a world where we can finally be free, I swear it…’

Berlin, 1938.When Hanni’s beloved sister suddenly vanishes in the middle of the night, Hanni knows her
high-ranking Nazi father, Reiner, is not telling her the whole truth and may hold the key to her disappearance.

Years later, after finally learning how to live with her troubled past, Hanni dedicates herself to raising her teenage son, Leo, but her sister is never far from her mind. But when Leo begins to share Reiner’s pro-Nazi views and runs away from home to meet his grandfather, Hanni’s world collapses in an instant. She is determined not to lose her son to her father’s cruelty, like she lost her darling sister all those years ago…

Hanni has tried to stop her father before and nearly lost her life. Now she is fighting for Leo too and the stakes are higher than ever. She can’t lose him to the Nazis. She won’t let her father take her son away from her. Hanni knows this is her last chance to bring her father to justice. With her son’s life hanging in the balance, Hanni knows this will be her toughest battle yet. But with Reiner’s popularity stronger than ever, will she succeed?

A heartbreaking and gripping historical novel about courage, redemption and the endurance of the human spirit. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will be inspired by this heart-wrenching story about the choices we make to honour the lives of those we lose.

Author Bio:

I seem to have followed a rather meandering career, including marketing and teaching and politics (don't try and join the dots), to get where I have always wanted to be, which is writing historical fiction. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.

I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. Both my children have left home (one to London and one to Berlin) which may explain why I am finally writing. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.

I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website https://www.catherinehokin.com/ or on my Cat Hokin FB page or on twitter @cathokin

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Her Last Promise by Catherine Hokin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This whole series has been an emotional rollercoaster. From the beginning of Hanni and Freddie's story when they first met working together to solve a murder, their relationship growing, Hanni's secrets about her past coming out and destroying them and then facing up to life without each other. Now, 13 years have past and they still haven't been able to move on. With the threat from Hanni's evil father hanging over them, there is no way that they can be together or be safe without first dealing with him.
This book was harrowing. The more we find out about him, the more it becomes clear just how evil he is and how important it is to stop him. This book had me on the edge of my seat, wondering if we would finally see him getting what he deserved.
I loved this series, it was hard reading at times, but I still didn't want to put it down. I'm usually reluctant to leave well-loved characters behind when a series comes to an end, but this time it almost feels like a relief to move on, knowing that we're leaving Hanni and Freddie finally happy and with a chance at a real life.
These books were fantastic, but work best if you read them all. If you haven't already, go back and start with the first one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

View all my reviews

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue - Ella Carey

New York, 1938: Martha pulled the door of her Fifth Avenue apartment closed, her heart thumping, re-reading the telegram she’d been dreading. Her beloved sister Charlotte needed her help. She was alone in Paris, and the threat of Nazi invasion was growing ever stronger. The time had come for Martha to make the bravest decision of her life. She needed to bring Charlotte home.

As Martha looks out of her bedroom window at the blossom-covered trees in Central Park, she is a world away from Europe and the threat of war. But when a telegram arrives from her sister Charlotte telling of the death of their Jewish friend Anita, Martha’s quiet life changes in an instant. With the threat of the Nazi invasion growing, Martha knows she must travel to Paris to convince Charlotte to return home.

When Martha arrives, she finds a city preparing for war. Soldiers patrol Paris’ cobbled streets and families talk of packing up and fleeing with whatever they can carry. Clutching her sister tightly, Martha knows that Charlotte has already decided to stay. Charlotte’s heart is in France, and as an American in Paris she believes she will be safe.

When the Nazis march through Paris’ streets and raise their flags over the city’s most beautiful buildings, Charlotte is determined not to give in. She works for the Resistance with a Frenchman named Louis, carrying messages, and hiding Anita’s family’s precious art collection from the Nazis. Meanwhile, Martha vows to help a female Jewish professor to safety in America, only to be faced with impossible odds.

But as the war rages, Martha and Charlotte’s determination will be tested like never before. And when Charlotte uncovers a shocking secret about her family which threatens her own life, can she find the strength to protect those she loves the most?

From top ten bestselling author Ella Carey comes an utterly heartbreaking novel about the strength of sisterly love and the courage of the women of the Resistance. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, All The Light We Cannot See and Fiona Valpy.

Author Bio:

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets.

Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her facebook page and on her website.

http://www.ellacarey.com/

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My Review

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue is the fourth book in the Daughters of New York series. Although this is a series, the books are only loosely connected, with some of the same characters being mentioned. As such you can read any of these books as standalone stories.
Set mostly in wartime France, during the German occupation of the second world war. The lost sister in question is Charlotte, who remains in France after her sister returns to the US. She travels with treasures from the Louvre and from a family friend's gallery but finds herself drawn into the resistance, putting herself in great danger.
This is a gripping and heartbreaking story, with the two sisters who feature in it both suffering loss and deep challenges.
I really enjoyed this and it was a good read. I did think that there was a little too much repetition at times. I'd already gathered how a character was feeling or reacting to something and didn't feel that I needed to keep being told. I also found the number of times the phrase 'worked her mouth' was used irritating. I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to mean, but characters were described as doing it all the time. I started to imagine cows chewing the cud. These were just minor irritations though, that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Garden of Secrets - Suzanne Kelman

 1940, England: A heart-breaking, unforgettable and powerful story about love, wartime secrets, and betrayal. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen’s The Victory Garden and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale.

When Anya is sent to rural England to work as a spy, she’s glad to escape a terrifying situation at home in war-torn Russia. But as she settles into life as a land girl, she fears she’s made a terrible mistake.

With her life at risk every day, she can only turn to her fellow informer, Nikolai, who she finds herself impossibly drawn to. They both desperately want to join the fight against the Nazis and when they are told Russia has switched allegiance, they start to believe their love might stand a chance.

But no one can ever know their secret history, and being together puts them in the gravest danger. So they devise a plan. If they’re ever separated, they will find their way back to each other. They just have to follow a series of secret coded messages. Clues no one else could possibly understand. Starting with a small key, left in the place that has become most precious to them: the secret garden.

Now, England: When Laura agrees to restore a beautiful garden in the grounds of an English stately home she sees the opportunity for a new start, away from heartbreak. But when she finds a box buried under the weeping willow tree, she is spellbound by its contents – a key and a cryptic note. As she begins to piece together the fragments of a love story that stretches across wartime Europe, Laura doesn’t realise it, but she is embarking on an unforgettable journey. One which will change her own life forever.

Author Bio:

Suzanne Kelman is a 2015 Academy of Motion Pictures Nicholl Finalist, Multi-Award-Winning Screenwriter and a Film Producer. As well as working in film she is also an International Amazon Bestselling Fiction Author of the Southlea Bay Series – The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, Rejected Writers Take the Stage and The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding. Born in the United Kingdom, she now resides in Washington State.

https://www.suzannekelmanauthor.com/

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Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B09RGD1VMWsocial

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My Review

I've read quite a few books set during or just after the second world war recently, this one is a little different. Set mostly in England, it tells the story of a pair of Russian spies who first come over to the country when Russia is still on the side of the Nazis. Neither of them is particularly passionate about their cause but they have their own reasons for having left their homeland on this dangerous mission.

At the same time, we have the modern-day story of Laura, who has recently separated from her boyfriend. She also carries the scars, mentally at least, of an accident that happened when she was just a child. As she starts to renovate the walled garden at a stately home, she uncovers a seventy-five-year-old mystery.

I enjoyed both of the stories in this book, both the modern-day one and the spy story from during the war. There is a certain bittersweet ending to the older story and while I could see where it was going, I did hope that it might not quite play out the way that it did. While I enjoyed the modern-day story, I was a little disappointed with how incredibly passive the main female character was. At one point, she simply stands by mutely, not speaking up about the way that she feels or what's happening. While things do resolve themselves eventually, I am a little over these doormat women, who seem to think being quiet is a virtue. Give me some fire!

This was a good read overall and one that I enjoyed. 

The Pilots Girl - Catherine Hokin

 ‘Smile, nod, and don’t breathe a word of what happens here. Or I’ll put you on the next train to Auschwitz myself.’

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/

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https://www.instagram.com/cathokinauthor/

https://twitter.com/cathokin

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. 

The Postcard from Italy - Angela Petch

 Italy, 1945. ‘Where am I?’ The young man wakes, bewildered. He sees olive trees against a bright
blue sky. A soft voice soothes him. ‘We saw you fall from your plane. The parachute saved you.’ He remembers nothing of his life, or the war that has torn the world apart… but where does he belong?

England, present day. Antique-shop-owner Susannah wipes away a tear as she tidies her grandmother’s belongings. Elsie’s memories are fading, and every day Susannah feels further away from her only remaining family. But everything changes when she stumbles across a yellowed postcard of a beautiful Italian stone farmhouse, tucked away in Elsie’s dressing table. A message dated from World War 2 speaks of a secret love. Could her grandmother, who never talked about the past, have fallen for someone in Italy all those years ago?

With Elsie unable to answer her questions, Susannah becomes determined to track down the house and find a distraction from her grief. Arriving at what is now a crumbling hotel by the sparkling Italian sea, she feels strangely at home. And after an unexpected encounter with handsome wine waiter Giacomo, she can’t tell if it’s his dark eyes or his offer to help solve her mystery that makes her heart race.

Together they find a dusty chest tucked in a forgotten corner of the building. The white silk of a World War 2 parachute spills out. And the Royal Air Force identity tag nestled in the folds bears a familiar name…

With Giacomo by her side, and before it’s too late for her grandmother, can Susannah discover the truth behind a shocking wartime secret at the heart of her family? Or will it tear her apart?

An absolutely stunning page-turner that will sweep you away to the olive groves and majestic views of the Italian coast. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes, Fiona Valpy and Victoria Hislop.

Author Bio:

Published by Bookouture, Angela Petch is an award-winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer she moves to Tuscany for six months where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, she disappears to her writing desk at the top of a converted stable. In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack she always makes sure to store a notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of her family live. When Angela’s not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.

Angela’s gripping, WWII, Tuscan novels are published by Bookouture. While her novel, Mavis and Dot, was self-published and tells of the frolics and foibles of two best-friends who live by the seaside. Angela also writes short stories published in Prima and People’s Friend.

Blog: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJaneClarePetch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B09RBCDT1Hsocial

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My Review

I have to admit that when I first started reading The Postcard from Italy, I had the strangest feeling that I had read the book before. I don't think that it was because it was similar to other books that I have read, although I have come across similar themes, I think instead the book is so well written that it feels like an old and familiar friend.

I always find books written from two different times to be interesting and the way that this story unfolds, both in the modern-day and back in post-war Italy makes for an interesting read. For me, the historical story was the most interesting and I really wanted to know how Anto and Billy's story would unfold.

I was a little less taken with the modern story. For me, Susannah didn't quite read like a woman in her mid 30's, she seemed a lot older. Or at least she seemed a lot older than me (who is also older than mid 30's) It was an interesting way to bring out the story and add some extra mystery to it.

Overall, this was a great read. I really enjoyed it and wanted to find out exactly how the story would unfold and playout. 

The Paris Network - Siobhan Curham

 Paris, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the café and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France.’

Sliding the coded message in between the crisp pages of the hardback novel, bookstore owner Laurence slips out into the cold night to meet her resistance contact, pulling her woollen beret down further over her face. The silence of the night is suddenly shattered by an Allied plane rushing overhead, its tail aflame, heading down towards the forest. Her every nerve stands on end. She must try to rescue the pilot.

But straying from her mission isn’t part of the plan, and if she is discovered it won’t only be her life at risk…

America, years later: when Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence.

Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne
finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square. Boarded up, it is in complete disrepair. Inside, she finds a tiny silver pendant hidden beneath the blackened, scorched floorboards.

As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future?

Inspired by true events, an epic and emotional novel about one woman’s strength to survive in the most difficult circumstances and the power of love in the face of darkness. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Lost Girls of Paris will be completely gripped from the very first page.

Author Bio:

Siobhan Curham is an award-winning author, ghost writer, editor and writing coach. She has also written for many newspapers, magazines and websites, including The Guardian, Breathe magazine, Cosmopolitan, Writers’ Forum, DatingAdvice.com, and Spirit & Destiny. Siobhan has been a guest on various radio and TV shows, including Woman’s Hour, BBC News, GMTV and BBC Breakfast. And she has spoken at businesses, schools, universities and literary festivals around the world, including the BBC, Hay Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, Ilkley Festival, London Book Fair and Sharjah Reading Festival.

https://www.facebook.com/Siobhan-Curham-Author-398343120181969

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https://twitter.com/SiobhanCurham

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B09NDWYHWMsocial

Audio:

UK: zpr.io/cSqeybP5cfya
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Listen to a sample here:

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My Review

I've read a few books over the years about the French resistance. It's one of those inspiring time that just manages to hold us completely gripped as we try and contemplate both the horror of the war that surrounded them in occupied France and the strength and character of those who had the bravery to stand up and resist the Germans. The Paris Network tells such a story, set both during the war with the story of Laurence and in the '90s when Jeanne discovers who her mother was and what happened to her.

I particularly liked the idea of a book shop owner being part of the resistance, using the books to help encourage her friends and neighbors, to pass messages, and to also undertake an act of defiance. Setting out to read those books that were banned by the nazis. 

This was a great read and one that I really enjoyed. I don't think I've read anything by Siobhan Curham before, but I'll certainly be checking out her other titles in the future. 

The Commandant's Daughter - Catherine Hokin

 A heartbreaking novel about the incredible courage of ordinary people during the Second World War. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will never forget this powerful story of hope found in the darkest days.

1933, Berlin. Ten-year-old Hanni Foss stands by her father watching the celebrations marking Adolf Hitler as Germany’s new leader. As the torchlights fade, her safe and happy childhood changes forever as Reiner, the father she adores, is corrupted by his new position as commandant of an infamous concentration camp…

Twelve years later. As the Nazi regime crumbles, Hanni hides from her father on the outskirts of Berlin. In stolen moments, she develops the photographs she took to record the horrors of the camp – the empty food bowls and desperate faces – and vows to get justice for the innocent people she couldn’t help as a child.

But her carefully constructed new life is threatened when Hanni discovers a body hidden in a bombed-out building, and meets Freddy, the tortured young detective in charge of the case. Could the fierce emotion in his brown eyes distract Hanni from her quest for atonement?

Or will Reiner stop her himself? Because on the day she plans to deliver her damning photographs to the Allies, Hanni comes face to face with her father again. Reiner Foss has a powerful new identity and he makes it clear just how dangerous it will be to expose him. Now she faces a devastating choice, between the past which haunts her, and the chance of a future with Freddy…

Author Bio:

I seem to have followed a rather meandering career, including marketing and teaching and politics (don't try and join the dots), to get where I have always wanted to be, which is writing historical fiction. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.

I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. Both my children have left home (one to London and one to Berlin) which may explain why I am finally writing. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.

I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website https://www.catherinehokin.com/ or on my Cat Hokin FB page or on twitter @cathokin

My review

The Commandant's Daughter is half historical novel and half a murder mystery. Although, in some ways that description might be a little misleading. We follow Hanni Winter, daughter of an SS commandant during the second world war and her friendship with Jewish survivor and policeman Freddy. The story focuses on the rebuilding of German society after the war and how the various people came to terms with what had been before. At the same time, Hanni and Freddie find themselves investigating a series of murders, never sure that they actually want to discover who is behind them.
Both Hanni and Freddy have things to come to terms within this new world. Hanni's father has reinvented himself and this leaves her fearful for her own safety and longing to unmask him. Things, of course, are rarely so simple.
I enjoyed both the side of this where Hanni and Freddy must come to terms with what they have lived through and the way that life has changed and the murder side, although in many ways, both aspects are closely intertwined. This is the start of a series, of I believe, four books. I'm interested to see where Hanni and Freddie's stories will go and how they will come to terms with all that they have experienced.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.