The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

 Mila Pavlichenko is a student, library researcher, and single mother when she decides to take a riflery course.  She finds she has a talent for sharp-shooting so when Russia enters WWII, she enlists to defend her country from the German invaders. She becomes a very effective sniper and rises through the ranks in the Russian military.  Although conflicted about her nickname of Lady Death and in her relationships with her ex-husband, her shooting partner, and her commanding officer, her main focus is in defeating the invaders who have caused so much death and destruction in her beloved Russia. 

Here is another book that I just chose while browsing the available titles.  I figured that I enjoy  WWII historical fiction and I ultimately liked The Rose Code written by Quinn. This turned out to be an interesting book.  It is based on a real person and many of the events in the book are taken from Pavlichenko's own memoir.  I think the author was trying to address the question, "how can a woman kill over 300 men and not lose her soul or her sanity?" The answer the book puts forward is that being a sniper is just one other way to "do your bit" during wartime. Mila seems to rather successfully separate herself from the job she needs to do, though the terrible things she experiences as her battalion is forced back on two different fronts give her PTSD for the rest of her life.  A fascinating part of the story, also based on history, is that after serving as a sniper, Pavlichenko is chosen to be part of an diplomatic envoy to the United States and becomes friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. The author adds some elements to the book, like various romances and the attempt on President Roosevelt's life, which are not part of the historical record, but she weaves them into the historical elements pretty well, and they give the story a thrilling and satisfying ending. (2022, 448 p)