The Huntress: A Novel

This story was told from the points of view of three characters: Nina, her part mostly taking place during WWII, and Ian and Jordan, both of their threads taking place after the war. The movement between viewpoints was smooth and done in a way that felt necessary to the overall plot. I found Jordan's story the most suspenseful. A girl with a new step-mother who seems like the ideal step-parent. If only Jordan could shake that nagging suspicion. It reminded me a bit of Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt.In Ian's story I enjoyed his interactions with Nina. I was frequently amused by their differences and the way they reacted to them. They were great Nazi hunting partners too.As for Nina's story, this was the reason I wanted to read the book, to learn about the female night bombers. It was astounding to read about those brave women. Nina herself was an intriguing character. She was an interesting combination of toughness and vulnerability (I still would have understood how strong she was even if she'd sworn less, though). She was fiercely loyal and protective. I loved her version of helping a kid not be scared of a monster in the closet. Very unique, very Nina, and it cracked me up.I loved when the team was all working together, and I found the ending very satisfying.Thank you LibrayThing Early Reviewers for the ARC of this book.

I loved The Alice Network and didn’t know if Kate Quinn could top it but boy did she. The character development in this novel is pristine and I found myself wanting to hunt Die Jagerin along side Ian and Tony. This book was amazing and the ending was insane. I’m a Kate Quinn fan for life.

My second Kate Quinn book and I will look forward to her next works. Four parallel histories told primarily through flashbacks develop the characters very nicely. Nina's story highlights a little known aspect of WW2, The Night Witches. These women, flying an airplane equivalent of the flivver were a small but instrumental aspect of the Soviets victory over the Germans. The ironic ending suitably concludes this quite good story.

The Huntress kept me reading late into the night (morning?) as I found it very hard to put down. The only reason I did was because I simply could not keep my eyes open any longer. This tale of a woman who heartlessly kills and then goes on to live as a normal American housewife is startling. Ms. Quinn based her characters on real people so the story is all the more horrifying.There are several timelines, people and story lines to keep track of as you delve into this dark time in history. WWII has ended but there are those that are still seeking the perpetrators of the Final Solution who have gone into hiding since the end of the war. Trying to find them where they hide in plain sight and send them for trial so that they pay for the crimes they committed. Ian and Tony work together to bring these Nazis out of their holes but one particular woman has been a long term target – she is known as The Huntress and it’s as if she has vanished from the earth.Only one person has escaped from her – Nina, a member of the Russian air force. She was part of a squadron known to the Germans as the night witches. She knows the face of The Huntress and is the one who can identify her. She joins forces with the two men as she has her own reasons for wanting her brought to justice.The various plots and time lines are handled seamlessly. The action moves back and forth between what is the current time in the book (the 1950ies) and the war years. There The Huntress becomes the hunted and it becomes a matter of whether she will be brought to justice or escape again.This is a truly compelling read that is still haunting me. I know I keep saying that I have sworn off WWII novels but something about this one called to me. It’s post war so I figured it wouldn’t have me dealing with too many battles and it didn’t. It is more a chase book as the three hunters try and catch their prey to right one more wrong from a horrible war. The writing draws you into the different time periods and different worlds of the main characters. It’s one I’ll want to read again.

With three strong female protagonists, a couple of Nazi hunters and an unknowing family, Kate Quinn really blended what I worried would be three unique alternating stories into one well done book. If I ever knew, I had forgotten that Russia allowed women in combat during WWII. The story of Nina and her brave aviator friends wound the feel of the war through the story, and the hardships and changes Russia was undergoing while fighting the Nazis. Ian's "present" day of the novel (around 1950), helps detail why some were still hunting Nazis when the main trials were over and many just wanted life to go back to a sense of normal. Within that is the story of Jordan, a young Boston woman who hopes to become a photographer, and her family, newly enlarged by her dad's new Austrian wife, Anneliese/Anna. It was a very long book, but truly kept my interest with well researched details and a lot of mysterious speculation.

Kate Quinn’s latest novel, ‘The Huntress’ is an intriguing story about a hunt for a woman who has committed unspeakable war crimes by murdering numerous people, even innocent children. Ian Graham, a famous WWII correspondent, initiates a chase for Lorelei Vogt, the huntress who unflinchingly murdered his brother in cold blood. His gregarious partner, Tony Rodomovsky, as well as Nina Markova, a spunky Soviet fighter pilot of the Night Witches regiment, assist him. Meanwhile, Jordan McBride resides in Boston as an aspiring photographer who helps out at her father, Daniel McBride’s antique shop. At first Jordon is slightly distrustful of her father’s new mysterious, fiancé and then wife Annaliesse, and she eventually shrugs off her suspicions and develops a genuine love for Annaliesse and her quiet, young daughter. Although this story was very fascinating, especially Nina’s reclusive, Siberian childhood and then her ambitious stint flying many dangerous missions with the Night Witches, at times I wished for some brevity to this tale. Kate Quinn definitely presents a complete, while not compact, story enriched by multiple perspectives, which makes for a detailed, and riveting account about the hunt for a dangerous killer.