Beautiful Assassin

by Michael C. White

Book Overview

A breathtaking tale of love, loyalty, and intrigue set in the early days of World War II from the acclaimed author of Soul Catcher World War II seems lost for the beleaguered Soviets as they struggle... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061691216
• ISBN13: 9780061691218
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Killer Read

Beautiful Assassin is killer, in all respects of the word. As the department head of Fairfield University's low residency creative writing MFA program, Michael shows how fiction is done. I've read his short stories in Marked Men and that's also a great warmup for this full length tale. Take this book with you on your next journey. Cheers! MLB

on the mark

Wonderfully precise descriptions of rifle handling and marksmanship will let you daydream for a few minutes about what it would be like to be a sniper. There's a highly dramatic scene of dueling between the heroine and the champion SS sniper, which beats any duel from a western, including Wyatt Erp & Co. And moreover, there's a sense of humor and playfulness making the novel a delightful read, full of excellently researched and imagined World War II situations. A fantastic book, highly recommended.

One of the Best Books I've Read This Year

I love good historical fiction for the way it brings eras to life. And this is great historical fiction. It creates a vivid picture of the paranoia that encompassed Stalinist Russia. It gave great insight to the relationships of Russia and it's World War II allies, which foreshadows and explains the eventual cold war. There are few good books that I have found that cover Russian history and this ranks right up there with my other two favoritesCity of Thieves: A Novel and Child 44. Also wonderful is the portrayal of Elanore Roosevelt. It is obvious that the author had researched her well in preparation for this book. However, historical accuracy and setting is only part of what makes a great book - the other is story line and this book succeeds at both. The book is a thrilling, page-turner. The ending kept me up in the air till the end wondering if Tatyana would succeed or fail. I highly recommended book.

A Five-Star Novel That Deserves a Five-Star Title...

"Beautiful Assassin" is an excellent novel, dealing with personal choices affected by world events and political directives. The title does not do justice to the depth of human emotion and personal tragedy addressed throughout the book. This fine book deserves a title which reflects the complexity of the characters' lives and is more representative of the story than its current title. During World War II and through events over which she had no control, Tat'yana Levchenko, the title character, has become one of Russia's premier snipers. As a young woman, she followed society's dictates and married a man whom she liked, but did not love. When Kolya enlists in the Russian army, the lack of passion in Tat'yana's marriage causes her to hope he might not return from the front. Only their daughter, Masha, is the one joy Tat'yana finds in their marriage. When Masha is killed by a German aerial attack, Tat'yana enlists in order to avenge the child's death. Trained in marksmanship by her father, she rapidly becomes one of the Russian army's crack snipers. When Eleanor Roosevelt's interest in Tat'yana results in her being invited to attend an international student conference, the Russian leaders see an opportunity. Tat'yana soon learns she is to use her beauty as a means to put a face on the war and to cause men to want to protect her from the Huns. The Russians hope not only to receive financial aid from the United States, but also to have the United States enter the war. Vasilyev, her handler, leaves no doubt about how refusing to do as ordered would affect her. As the novel progresses, Tat'yana is attracted to Captain Taylor, Mrs. Roosevelt's interpreter, and he to her. Tat'yana is told the relationship, along with that of Mrs. Roosevelt and her constant companion Lorena Hickock, is to be leveraged as a means of obtaining information. Unable to compromise her morals and sacrifice her friendship with Mrs. Roosevelt and Captain Taylor, Tat'yana eventually defects. Following the introductory section, the balance of the novel is narrated in the first person as Tat'yana tells her story to a reporter. Michael White's text is so compelling and realistic the reader may forget the book is fiction. Tat'yana's personal conflict with political reality creates a palpable tension as she works through each situation. Her character is well developed; her personal growth and emotional healing are keys to the book's theme. As the novel progresses, Vasilyev, too, becomes more than he originally seems both personally and as he relates to Tat'yana. I recommend this book to any reader looking for an outstanding read; it is hard to put this book down. Further, I hope Michael White and the publisher's marketing department will rethink using title before this book is published; it certainly deserves more compelling one than "Beautiful Assassin."

Incredibly exciting

In 1996, reporter Elizabeth Meade muses over her obsession started a decade ago as the Soviet evil empire imploded when she first heard of the Russian sniper Tat'yana Levchencko. Elizabeth searched for clues about the Communist with Hollywood looks and a friend of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt during WWII. Now in Eastern Colorado she will confront an elderly widow begging to learn the true story of Tat'yana Levchenko. At first hesitant as she does not want to be another Trotsky, the old woman tells how a poetess, mother, and wife became an empty nest widow avenging sniper Soviet-American heroine before being labeled a Communist spy. In 1942 the Germans without regard to civilians bombed and fired from the air at villagers in the Ukraine. A pilot saw her beloved three year old Masha and killed her. The sniper was born on that day as she joined the army. She became the top sniper and soon was invited to the White House by Eleanor Roosevelt. They became friends as they toured the country together. While Stalin demanded she spy on the Americans, Tat'yana realized these were not soft fat cats as described by Soviet propaganda. The American media began a blitzkrieg accusing her of being Stalin's pawn. She disappeared until now when a persistent reporter interviews an elderly widow. This is a superb 1940s drama seen through the eyes of a woman five decades later after she vanished. Her story is one of sadness as she loathed the murdering Nazis killing them, but also detested the Cold War participants who "killed" Tat'yana in their abusive disregard for her whch was worse in many ways than the Germans who overtly tried to kill her. Yet she also brings rays of hope that the human spirit can overcome almost anything as she did with her late second husband Walter and someone else even while telling her heartbreaking tale. This is a winner that condemns nations for their expendable deployment of individuals. Harriet Klausner