“It has been occupying most of my free moments for the past several days…Painstakingly researched, relentlessly paced, Beautiful Assassin is a book you will not put down easily, and one that will resonate well past the closing pages.”

“This is a superb 1940s drama . . . a winner that condemns nations for their expendable deployment of individuals.”

“Brimming with political intrigue and suspense, [Beautiful Assassin] is a fascinating account of World War II told from a very different perspective-that of a female sniper who becomes a Soviet hero.”

“Tat’yana’s story is haunting”

“It is rare to find a work of historical fiction that can so intricately weave fact and fiction into a fantastic story. We follow Soviet sniper Tat’yana Levchenko from the Eastern Front of World War II to the United States as she tours with Eleanor Roosevelt, embarking on a journey of mystery and intrigue and revealing the shaky alliance between the Soviet Union and the United States.”

“There was so much I liked about this book. Tat’yana is an interesting character who evolves as a person over the course of the novel. Because Tat’yana is telling her story in hindsight, she has insight into the events that took place all those years ago, and so she comes at it from a place of maturity we might not have seen from her younger self.”

“Assassin starts off in the trenches, but like Tat’yana, it doesn’t stay there long. White is more interested in the politics and intrigue of how two supposed allies try to plan ahead for an inevitable enmity. . . her story has an intimate suspense, and the characters who orbit her are believably developed.”

“[Beautiful Assassin is] a professionally rendered tale is both compelling and interesting. So much so that the reader may be reminded of other works. The opening chapters in Sevastopol, for instance, could have been plucked from the movie Enemy at the Gates. . . . Most crucial, however, is his depiction of Tat’yana herself . . . a Ukrainian woman scarred by war and suddenly thrust into a totally alien world would be a huge challenge to any writer . . . Beautiful Assassin is a worthwhile experience.”

“Michael White has written an epic tale of the Second World War and the nascent Cold War. Tat’yana. . . is a thoroughly believable, complex woman, marked by tragedy and torn by conflicting loyalties, between following orders and following her heart. It is through her eyes that we see the vast supporting cast of soldiers, refugees, secret-service men, diplomats and spies, and a diverse range of historical figures who cross her path. This book certainly fell into the category of “couldn’t put it down.” Thoroughly recommended.”