The Diamond Eye: A Novel

Don’t miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th!

New York Times Bestseller

The bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son—but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper—a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC—until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness.

But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Mar 14, 2023

448 pages

Average rating: 8.08

639 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

Lehrer Mutter
Jun 10, 2025
9/10 stars
I had only heard from a friend that this book was "good" before reading it, so I went in with no strict expectations. I was excited to potentially learn a bit about a historical WWII figure that I knew nothing about, understanding that the story would be somewhat embellished, of course. The book started out a bit slow for me, but grew momentum and by the end I absolutely adored it. Many great quotes are thrown in amongst the story really pounding out what women are seen as by both men and the public eye and how Mila refused to accept such nonsense. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and the rabbit hole of Google searched I fell into afterward to learn a bit more about such an amazing mother, soldier, friend, and sniper.
Harrietaspy
May 04, 2025
8/10 stars
Based on a true story and yet I kept feeling like "oh, come on. Seriously?" Felt too unrealistic but maybe...
Beagledad#33
Apr 27, 2025
8/10 stars
Really cool story about a part of history and WWII I had not heard about. It was a bit slow at times, but overall an awesome read with great characters. Lady Death was not to be messed with!
NevaehLucia
Apr 10, 2025
10/10 stars
Very thrilling and exciting story, completely captivated me and grew my love for historical fiction. If you enjoy true inspiring woman empowering stories than this book is for you.
gill.jess
Mar 24, 2025
4⭐ I love WWII historical fictions, and this wasn't my favorite, but it was still good. Despite knowing the timeframe of the story, it felt like it was happening present tense. The characters were relatable and the storytelling was emotional. There were times at the beginning that I felt like it was a little hard to push through, but by the end, the pacing picked up and the conclusion to the story was satisfying.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.