The Sniper's Kiss by Justine Saracen

The Sniper's Kiss
by Justine Saracen
Pages: 288
Date: March 14 2017
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.25
Read: February 2 to 3 2017

*I received this book from NetGalley, and Bold Strokes Books in return for a fair review.*

Genre/tags: Historical Fiction, military fiction, politics, war, WWII
Location: New York, Washington DC, Tehran Iran, Moscow Russia, Other parts of Soviet Union, Eastern Front (including Belarus)
Characters: Main - Mia Kramer and Alexia Vassilievna Mazarova (both have Point of views);
famous side characters: Harry Hopkins (boss of Mia), Franklin Delano Roosevelt (USA President), Eleanor Roosevelt, Lorena Hickok (Eleanor's 'close' friend), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Premier), Vyacheslav Molotov (Minister of Foreign Affairs - Soviet Union), Lyudmila Pavlichenko (Soviet sniper with 309 kills), Fyodor Dostoyevsky ('obviously enough' Dostoyevsky does not make a physical appearance in the story - but he is brought up so often, his writings and the like, that he feels like another character in the story).

The book was not exactly what I thought it would be about - it opens with a prologue - a discussion with a Russian/Soviet sniper with someone named 'Mia'. Then moves to Mia's Point of View doing stuff . . . in the USA. As a citizen of the US. That's part of the - 'not exactly what I thought' comment.

Another part of that 'not exactly what expected' leads directly from the synopsis of the book 'It is 1944 . . . in the midst of it, two . . . women meet . . .murder in her heart . . . killed a hundred of them . . .' are all misleading. It's not 1944 when the book opens in chapter one in 1942, and for a good portion of the book, it is 1943. And the two women do not meet in the midst of the war in Europe, they meet in Iran, I'm not sure what 'murder in her heart' refers to, and that last one is . . . well, wrong. Though the sniper in the prologue had killed 309 men for Stalin. Not a main character, though.

Mia Kramer, otherwise known as Demetria Fyodorovna Kaminskaya ('They made us change our name when we arrived in the country'), starts the novel answering questions from the police. Who suspect her of having murdered her father. They can't pin it on her, though, so she moves on with her live - to a certain extent, finally starts it (since she had been under the very controlling thumb of her father before hand). She moves to Washington DC to work for the Government, and eventually, about a year later, moves to a job with the Lend-Lease program and living & working in the White House directly for the man running Lend-Lease, Harry Hopkins.

Mia is 29, though I wasn't certain of that until I looked over the book again just now - and saw her application where it listed her age. So, Mia is 29 in 1943 when she begins work as Harry Hopkins assistant at the White House. Before she can even learn what her actual duties entail, a man in a wheelchair enters the room - the president. So - it's that kind of book. The kind where a lower ranking individual is close to several people of power, including the president, his wife, and others. And even has drinks with Stalin (I might mention why later).

And before Mia can settle into her new job, she's off to Tehran with Hopkins for a meeting between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill. This is where Mia first spots the other lead character of this book, as a very sharply dressed guard. Though the reader encountered Alexia earlier in the book. They don’t actually meet at this time Tehran, though, just see each other.

Alexia Vassilievna Mazarova started the book as a teacher – specifically one attempting to fight fires at her school in Arkhangelsk caused by German planes. When the school explodes, Alexia sees it as a sign to join the fight. And so she does, she enlists in the Red Army. After training she ends up in an elite guard unit that guards such things as the Kremlin and Stalin. Whether or not it is accurate, it is speculated that she got the job because of her looks. (Though she did get high marks in marksmanship in training.).

Story:
The book follows both Mia and Alexia as they attempt to live their lives against the backdrop of WWII (at least during the years of 1942-1945) - their lives mostly out of their own control because of WWII. Through various means, Mia ends up working directly for the man who runs the Lend-Lease program for Roosevelt. Which means that she rubs shoulders with several historically significant individuals, some clearly remembered in our time (the Roosevelt's and Stalins of the story), some more hidden (the famous, at the time, snipers and government officials).

Similarly Alexia ends up being a low-level individual who through various means, apparently mostly because of her looks, ends up rubbing shoulders - or at least is in the same room as some famous individuals. Mostly through her first assignment after training - working as an elite honor guard in Moscow.

"A name, for a kill? What's that?"
"The sniper's kiss."

Those following along, and/or seeing the title, seeing the book description, might be confused. Up to this point the only sniper I've mentioned is a side character, a famous one, but still - a barely seen side character. So . . . what gives? Well, somewhere along the line Alexia feels that it is somewhat 'cowardly' to be in the honor guard while a war is on. She feels like she needs to be at the front. And, somewhere along the line, she transfers from this elite honor guard to the sniper school - and from there moves to a unit to be a sniper.

The book, to a large extent, is quite interesting - though more as a look into an area of history largely outside most fictional accounts of the war, and less as something else, like, say, a romance (though there is something of that going on). Specifically the parts seen from the eyes of Soviet troops (Alexia . . . and later Mia); and specifically the parts seen by government types making sure the lend-lease program is operating correctly (Mia).

The book is more satisfying as a work of historical fiction, than as a romance. Largely because the people involved were reacting to events and unable to control them, shape them, mold them.

Rating: 4.25

February 4 2017