From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, THE ALICE NETWORK, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.
In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted…
Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.
Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.
Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.
In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth.
This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with Kate Quinn about The Huntress.
Subscribe to Updates
Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.
What's Hot
Previous ArticleTerciel & Elinor
Next Article When Nobody Was Watching
How incredible evil can pose as a normal human being.
A journalist. A female Russian night bomber pilot. A young girl in post WWII Boston. Told from three different points of view, Kate Quinn’s latest weaves together each story seamlessly. Her research is impeccable, but never overbearing. I learned a lot of things I never knew by simply reading.
Even though this book is long (500+ pages) it kept my interest. I finished it within three days! Recommended for anyone who likes historical fiction, is fascinated by the WWII era, or loves reading a good story.
Kate Quinn interweaves three storylines–one set in 1946, one in 1950, and one that begins in the 1930s and runs through World War II–to unfold the story of the mistress of a Nazi SS officer only known as Die Jagerin, the English journalist and Russian pilot who served with the Soviet Night Witches unit who team up to hunt her, and a young woman in Boston who loves–and questions–her new stepmother. There’s suspense, romance, and a crapton of competence porn. Perfect for readers who enjoy rich historical detail, aviators, and explorations of complex relationships between women.
Excellent . If you love books about Holocaust and WW2 this book is for you.
My first 5-Star read of 2019!
Were you, like me, thinking “Can Kate Quinn pull off another novel as good as The Alice Network?” Well, wonder no more. I might have liked this novel even better.
This novel has everything The Alice Network has: a plucky heroine (who I actually prefer to Charlie), a badass female soldier just as fierce as Eve, and an even more complex villain, several different shades of honorable men, and at least one swoon worthy love story. I enjoyed the hunt of this novel very much, and the audiobook (performed by the same narrator as The Alice Network) was fantastic.
Liked it
The author expertly weaves actual historic stories of an all female Russian aviator group with Nazi hunters based on actual persons and war journalists based on real journalists to create a not to be forgotten tale spanning from 1940’s Europe to 1950’s America.
Inspired by Russia’s fearsome all-female night bomber regiment known as the Night Witches, Kate Quinn weaves a tight-knit tale of wartime horror and post-war intrigue. This novel includes a fearless pilot, a sinister Nazi war criminal, and a British war correspondent who teams up with the former to catch the latter. Much as she did in her blockbuster spy novel The Alice Network, Quinn entwines fact and fiction across multiple perspectives to keep you up late at night turning pages, desperate to know what comes next.
Nazi Hunters, Ian and Tony, are determined to find a woman suspected of committing atrocities during WWII. Known as the Huntress, or “die Jäguerin,” she is elusive but the more they dig into her past, the more clues they uncover. The Huntress, meanwhile, has escaped Europe and is hiding in Boston with an unsuspecting man, Dan, and his daughter, Jordan. Will the hunters find her before she disappears yet again?
“If you’re the hunter, you stalk and if you’re the prey, you run.”
I’ve read numerous books about WWII but liked that this one focused on the aftermath of WWII. I haven’t read much about that time period, and the subject of Nazi Hunters (in historical fiction at least) was a new one for me. A year ago, I was introduced to the Night Witches, female military aviators in the Soviet Air Force, while reading Daughters of the Night Sky (4 stars) so once I learned that Nina, one of the main characters in this book, was a Night Witch, I was eager to learn even more about these courageous women.
Fans of historical fiction will love this richly detailed, highly suspenseful, barrel-rolling adventure around the globe. Be sure to set aside a good chunk of time before you open this book because you definitely won’t want to abort, or bail, before zeroing in on the dramatically satisfying conclusion! See what I did there?
Last but not least, I would highly recommend reading the author’s note as it explains what characters were based on real people which, in my opinion, added even more depth to the story.
“The dead lie beyond any struggle, so we living must struggle for them.”
Location: Austria (Vienna), Russia (Siberia, Irkutsk, Moscow), Germany (Cologne), and Massachusetts (Boston)
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I consider Kate Quinn one of the best historical fiction writers and I can always rely on her to give me unforgettable stories. The Huntress was another such story. This is an ambitious novel that combines three different timelines and three different POVs and Kate Quinn pulls it off beautifully. I was invested equally in all three characters and didn’t mind switching between different perspectives.
In The Huntress we follow a British war correspondent, Ian Graham, and Nina Markova, a Russian female pilot from the Red Army night bomber regiment, known as Night Witches, both on the hunt for a notorious Nazi criminal, nicknamed the Huntress, who killed a number of people including children during WW2 in Poland. We also follow an American teenager, Jordan McBride, who suspects that his father’s new fiance is not who she claims to be. Jordan wants to uncover the truth about her stepmother. Ian and Nina’s hunt leads them to Boston and into Jordan’s life.
This book, like all other books by Kate Quinn, is meticulously researched with attention to historical facts about WW2, the Night Witches, and the hunt for Nazi criminals after the war. I found the historical note at the end of the book very informative.
There are a lot of historical fiction books about WW2 and sometimes it feels like this particular time period has been done to death but The Huntress is a unique and a well-written story that I highly recommend.
Kate Quinn has written another enthralling novel The Huntress.
If only I could give it more than 5 stars.
There is so much history in this book that we would should never forget . What a tribute to that time in World War 2 and post war.
I never knew that the Soviet Union was the only country to put female pilots in the air to bomb the Germans.
The story is told from 3 perspectives: Nina, Ian and Jordan. We cant forget Tony though. Kate Quinn has made these characters come to life, you cry with them, you rejoice with them and you are afraid for them.
Usually I cant wait to get to the end of book but this one, I kept putting it down , not for long mind you, as I hated to finish the book.
Please take time to read the Author’s note that give the novel even more depth and enhancement.
This book will stay with me for a long time to come. I will buy another copy to lend out because I am keeping mine for myself.
Kate Quinn, author of the best-seller THE ALICE NETWORK, has given us another extraordinary WWII story. She has masterfully woven a tapestry of interlinking characters whose backstories slowly weave themselves together to produce a novel rich in historical details, powerful characters, human frailties, sisterhood and feminism, and justice.
There’s Lorelei Vogt, the extraordinarily cruel SS officer’s wife, known as the Huntress, who has now become the target of the hunt. My favorite character is Nina Markova, a natural born aviator, one of Russia’s legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment attacking the Germans night after night. Nina’s fearlessness and cunning result in her being the only witness to escape the Huntress alive. Caught between Lorelei and Nina, is Jordan McBride, a young Bostonian who dreams of a career as a photographer.
Jordan’s world is turned upside down when her widowed father introduces her to his new fiancée. At first Jordan is happy that her father has found someone to love, but then she starts noticing things about the German widow that concern her. Soon she uncovers secrets that may endanger her life as she becomes caught up in a quest for justice led by Ian Graham, a British journalist who has become a Nazi Hunter. The murderer of his all too trusting brother is his #1 target – the Huntress.
While this is a well-researched historical thriller, I also loved the story’s lighter moments, usually involving the witty Nina. She will shock you, she will make you roar with laughter, she is tough and crude. Nina is a character you absolutely cannot help loving.
Kate Quinn hits it out of the park again with this post-WWII novel about the hunt for a Nazi war criminal. Quinn’s stories are always packed with larger-than-life characters, but Soviet Night Witch pilot Nina Markova will grab readers by the throat and refuse to let go until the very last page. This is Kate Quinn at her absolute finest!
The Huntress is a “don’t bother me, I’m reading” type of book. Once you start, it’s almost impossible to tear yourself away. It is hard for me to put into words how much I loved this book! Kate Quinn has written a captivating and sometimes heartbreaking story!
I can’t recommend Kate Quinn’s books enough! They are fast-paced, page turners that give me all the feels! Don’t miss out on another of her epic tales, and see true genius writing come to life on the page!
A fierce Russian female pilot (or Night Witch) an evil Nazi murderess in hiding paired with Kate Quinn’s always pulse-pounding pacing and tightly crafted prose–I mean this book has everything a historical fiction fan (or any reader looking for page-turning, breath-holding high-stakes drama) could desire. But beware, pick it up and your plans to do your laundry (or much of anything else) in your free time, are toast. Brava Kate!
Another amazing historical fiction by author Kate Quinn. I find the stories about the Night Witches of Russia to be fascinating. She totally makes you feel in the book. Her attention to detail is amazing. I was on the edge of seat from the opening lines until the end.
Definitely 5 stars.
Really hard to put this down. Well-researched, fascinating, well-paced. My first Kate Quinn, but not my last!
The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a fantastic book. Once you start reading this book you won’t want to put it down. This book is definitely a page turner. This was very well written and the characters were well developed. I highly recommend this book to lovers of Historical Fiction.