The Secretary by Catherine Hokin is a dual timeline story set in Germany during World War Two and the 1980’s as the city is split between East and West. It’s a slow burner, as I have found with several of this author’s books, but once it finds its footing it really develops into an eye opening remarkable story that gives a fascinating insight into one families experiences of war and its long time reverberating impact. The book opens as Magda, a young woman who is methodical and never careless, always wanting to be safe, is given a gift by her boss Heinrich Himmler.

Tension radiates from the pages and she is on tender hooks thinking she has been discovered. It’s clear she doesn’t want this gift, that she would return it in an instant. For it symbolises torture, danger and evil. She has worked under false pretences with the danger of discovery imminent on a daily basis. ’We have played our parts so perfectly, they believe we are the same as them. What if no one ever believes we were not?’ An interesting statement that will stick in the readers mind as they navigate their way through this complex, twisty and eye opening read.

The story is told from two female viewpoints, that of Magda during the war years working for Himmler and then we move back and forth between Berlin in the 1980’s as her granddaughter Nina tries to understand why her city is split in two and just what role Magda played in the death of so many innocent people. I’ve read so many books set during World War Two so it was refreshing that the history of Germany is explored in a new way here. I really felt as if a window was opened into the past and the ramifications of the war were explored so many years later.

The Berlin that Nina inhabits is split into West and East with Nina living in the East. She is a complex character who initially I found difficulties in feeling any sympathy for. She seemed very whingy and moany. Not at all happy with her life and ok I could see why this was the case as her life is ruled under an iron fist, with innumerable rules and regulations and constant fear that you could be taken off the streets and imprisoned for something in this present day wouldn’t be viewed as a misdemeanour at all. But still she was hard to crack and perhaps because she was so young I didn’t value her daily life experiences earlier on in the book as much as I should have given the crucial role she played later on. I found myself much more interested in Magda’s story at least until the last quarter or so of the novel.

Nina is a crucial element to the overall story and she becomes the catalyst in bringing the past and present together in order to confront itself. She is a character who is confused and lonely and deeply caught up in a longing for a life in the west that was so very far away even though a wall was all that separated the two worlds. When we first meet her she is a young girl attending her grandfathers funeral but we then journey with her as she becomes a teenager. She has great respect for Magda but she can’t understand why her past is such a closed book. Just what did she do during the war that she will not talk about and how does it impact the present political situation.

Nina becomes a rebel and endures many spirit shattering experiences. She places herself in the firing line in dangerous situations and you do think why is she doing this? But it’s like the essence of her grandmother is deep within her. That need, desire and want to do what is right in the face of such oppression and unnecessary suffering. She is similar to Magda in that she can’t stand by and do nothing but in becoming active with the best of intentions she is putting her life on the line. One girl can’t change the course of time or history on a national scale but she can delve back into the past on a more personal, family level and in doing so she uncovers a story that is heart-breaking and inspiring in equal measure. Will Nina believe the cold hard facts as presented or can she search further, pull back the layers and see the wood for the trees and find out just what Magda has been running from all these years? Was this running and invasion necessary? Do we judge people far too rashly?

I found the parts of the book set during Magda’s time working for Himmler during the war were the sections that I wanted to get back to when I was reading about Nina. The research undertaken for this book must have been immense as you really do feel you are in Berlin during Nina’s time. But still it’s further back in the past that caught my attention. I think we still think the bringing down of the Berlin wall occurred only a few years ago when in fact it was 30 years ago. But Magda, for me, was the stand out character. The rise of national socialism in the late 1930’s meant Magda’s life direction took an unusual and over time life threatening turn.

She had been brought up to believe in and stand for equality for all. That the same standards and laws should be applied to everyone regardless of religion or politics. But when Hitler is hell bent on eradicating Jews Magda can see that her families opinions are not held by everyone. When she is offered a job as secretary to Walther, who runs a factory which employs many Jews, she jumps at the chance and as the political situation in Germany deteriorates and the venom of Hitler expands beyond the country borders, world wide, Magda finds herself entangled in a double life that if discovered could lead to the ultimate punishment.

Magda was brave, fearless, courageous and determined and the love she has for someone will see her push through the darkest of times as her resistance work increases. For what she and Walther are engaged in, if discovered, would mean not just their downfall but the end of so many others. Even after reading lots of books featuring resistance work I still am always surprised by the fact that so many people put their lives on the line when they didn’t need to. It shows their compassion and need for right to triumph over wrong, good to win over evil and their urge to fight against so much needless injustice. Magda believes, and rightly so, that nobody is worth more than anyone else on the basis of birthplace or wealth or blood. ’We bury ourselves in Hitler’s world so we are in step with them, not running behind’. She certainly did this as accepting the role of Himmler’s secretary, well she really had no other choice, really leads her to the lions den and what she learns and witnesses is very helpful. But is she too close to the centre? Will her actions be misinterpreted by those she is really fighting for? ‘We didn’t stand by, or turn away .We did something. That has to count’. But will it count when Nina makes a discovery and sets about finding the answers that arise.

Secrets and a tangled web are slowly revealed and in my mind the last quarter of the book was by far the most superior with so many twists and turns and things began to make much more sense. There are several reveals which leave you open mouthed in shock and you think wow what a clever, intriguing and spellbinding story Catherine Hokin has written. I find this author leads you along a certain route for the majority of her books and then bang with one single sentence whatever opinions you had formed of the book are shattered and the plot takes on a whole new level of intensity. I just wish as I have said previously when reading her books that this intensity would come much earlier in the book. What you think is perhaps just an average read becomes something so much more once you reach a certain point and I would love for this to be evident from the outset. Saying all that Catherine Hokin is a really impressive author and any book I have read by her has opened my mind in a new way to the past and I love the way connections are made with surprising reveals and explanations. The Secretary is definitely worth a read and will truly show you how the events of the war years were still being felt right up until the early 90’s.

Magda knows right from wrong. She knows the Nazi party and their officers' beliefs and actions are inappropriate. She works as the secretary to the leader of the the SS. At night, she distributes resistance pamphlets. Magda cannot keep the double life going, but she uses her position to share information.

Because of the content of this story, it took me longer to read than usual. Enough to say that war is absolute hell regardless from which side you look at it. This story is so interesting from several points of view. First, I have not often read of the German side of WWII. The research involved in this book is incredible! And this is a story that must continue to be told...we must not forget the suffering and death that occurred in that time of war, particularly the Holocaust.

Set in WWII Germany from 1941 to 1945 and in Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book to other readers.

This was a unique book in that it was almost a double historical novel.
Most historical fiction has a contemporary storyline and the historical one and they dovetail or feed into each other.
This one not only has a staggering WWII plot (more on that in a minute) but it also has a “contemporary” line that takes place in the 70s and 80s, so that’s more historical as well.
It’s all cleverly woven together, and the author makes some stunning connections that I have never seen before.
Let’s unpack some of that. As always, I will try my hardest to not give away major points, as it is important to discover on one’s own. I truly believe that to be the case for this novel.
The WWII story follows Magda as she is the secretary for a business owner in late 1930s Germany. It doesn’t take a historian to know what happens in that time, nor is it difficult to figure out Magda’s trajectory as the company becomes vital to the German “war effort.”
What made this time period stand out was the focus of the narrative. Many novels have been set in and around the concentration camps and the Jewish “experience” of the times.
But I don’t recollect ever reading one that details the progression and lead-up to one of the worst times for humanity every recorded.
No, that’s not hyperbole. The author is stark in both the descriptions of what happened and the German attitude towards it all. Truly eye-opening.
The more modern line takes place in East Berlin/Eastern Germany in the late 1970s and 1980s. Magda is now a grandmother (not a spoiler) and her granddaughter, Nina, is learning what life is like under the oppressive thumb of the Stasi.
She knows her grandmother is important, because the Stasi keep tabs and there are veiled references. But the author cleverly keeps Nina in the dark for a long time. The reader is only partially in on the connections, and as the timelines collide, many truths are revealed.
As I have mentioned in the past, I’m a history lover and studied WWII extensively. I’ve never made the connection of the similarities between the Nazis and the Stasi. It was amazing to read and see how Germany (especially Berlin) ended up quite literally out of the frying pan and into the fire.
It was also interesting to see how Magda and Nina paralleled each other, even as Magda tried to keep secrets (as did Nina) and Nina didn’t fully understand Magda’s reasons.
I know it all sounds a bit convoluted, but it’s crystal clear in the book. It’s a masterful look at two very dark times.
It also serves as a clarion call to those who are paying attention to current events.
We can’t let it happen again.

Favorite Quotes:

Magda was shouting. She never shouted. Her eyes were black and hard, as if someone else was using them.

It’s come at a price, believe me – being with men whose values are as twisted as Himmler’s corrodes a little piece of your soul. But if it means I can help decent men keep their jobs and old friends get to safety, close is where I have to be.

He was of medium height and medium build and his hair was thinning. He had the kind of pasty complexion that suggested long hours in dark rooms. He was so completely unremarkable, he didn’t seem real.

That’s the worst of these things, Nina; that’s what I never wanted you to have to learn. There’s always a choice that isn’t a choice. It’s always impossible to save everyone.

There has been talk of a memorial on the platform the death trains went out of, but… Every time a plaque is installed there, it gets stolen. Sometimes I wonder what kind of people are still living here.


My Review:

This was an intense and tragic read yet Ms. Hokin’s writing was extraordinarily poignant, well-crafted, and thrummed with a taut and anxious tone throughout due to the constant peril her characters faced in both timelines. The storylines were rife with family drama, intrigue, subterfuge, and the constant danger of discovery. I was quite taken by the quality of the characters' development as the individuals were realistically flawed and believable human beings who made serious errors yet were well-intentioned and endearing, even though I often wanted to give them a pinch or two.

This was at times a harrowing and difficult read but all the better for it. No sugar coating of the appalling events commissioned by the Nazis during Ww2 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s. A riveting read. Highly recommended.

The Secretary is a book that follows the journey of two women, both of whom are strong, courageous ladies. First there is Magda, a young woman who is a secretary working within the lions den itself in Germany. Magda hates the Nazi’s and everything they stand for, so she makes it her own personal mission to try and gather as much information to try and bring a stop to their cause. She knows she is taking a huge risk, but she feels it is worth it for the greater good.

Then we meet Nina, several years have passed and she is growing up in a post war Germany. A Germany where there is a wall dividing East from West. Nina longs to escape the place that is no longer a home, but much more like a prison to her now. As a child, Nina learnt about the Tower House, a place that her grandmother had once lived, and a place that resembles something from a fairytale. She longs to escape the east to try and locate this place that her grandmother refuses to talk about, but as Nina digs for information, secrets from the past begin to come to light, secrets that could bring both Nina and Marta harm if they are uncovered.

I am sure most people know by now that there is a special place in my heart for historical fiction, so as soon as I read the description for this book it sounded like something I would love, and I certainly wasn’t wrong about that. Catherine Hokin has once again written a book that is utterly captivating from the very first page. The detail that is put in to the historical side of the story is remarkable, and really allows you to immerse yourself in to the world in which she brings to life so vividly in her writing. The characters are well fleshed out and have their own intricate personalities, allowing them to become more realistic and relatable to the reader as we get to know them better as the story progresses.

The story flowed beautifully from beginning to end, with the perfect levels of drama and mystery intertwined throughout to really keep you invested to the very end. I loved this book, and I will certainly be recommending it to my fellow historical fiction lovers!.

On her author page on Amazon, Catherine states “I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.” and in The Secretary I most certainly did. There are two leading ladies in this story. Both are smart, courageous and determined. Magda, the secretary of the title is a young German woman who is fighting to save innocent German lives right from inside the lions den. She hates the Nazis and everything they stand for but she knows that by working right within the heart of the enemy she can make a difference. She plays her role well but danger is around every corner and one tiny slip could cost more than she can possibly imagine.

Years later Nina has grown up in post war Germany. A Germany where a wall divides East from West. She longs to escape the prison that has become her country , to find a way past the wall. As a child she discovered the existence of The Tower House, a place that looked as though from a fairytale, a place her grandmother once lived when she was younger. She longs to escape the East and find this beautiful house that her grandmother never speaks of. But there are secrets buried within the past, secrets that may be misinterpreted. Secrets that could prove deadly for the future of both Nina and Magda.

This was such a fascinating read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have read many historical novels based around the Second World War and the Holocaust and this novel added a fresh perspective of those horrific events in history. Told entirely from the viewpoint of a German family, it shows the very real horror that was faced by those who did not follow the Nazi regime, those who watched the senseless murders begin to unfold and how they tried to stop it and how they tried to tell the world.

It is also a reminder, for me at least, that the end of the War did not bring peace to many German citizens. I found Nina’s story and fight equally fascinating and an eye opener to how long it took for many people to be free of the dictatorship (of one form or another) that controlled their lives.

At times heart-breaking but always filled with courage it was a highly enjoyable and gripping read and I thoroughly recommend it.

I am passionate about WWII historical fiction. THE SECRETARY by Catherine Hokin did not disappoint. I liked this two-time period story involving Magda who is the secretary to Walther Tiedemann who owns a factory and later secretary to Himmler and Magda’s granddaughter, Nina, who spends time in one of East Germany’s famous prisons. I have not read a book about what it was like to live in East Germany. As a young girl, I do remember lots of escapes through tunnels under The Wall and people jumping from buildings over the Wall.

Although Magda was Himmler’s secretary, she and Walther were saving as many Jewish lives as possible, Magda has never told her story to Nina. The book has lots of secrets to unravel. Both Nina and Magda suffer so much for so many years. Walther’s daughter, Elsa, is jealous and hates Magda. She is determined to make Magda suffer, I thought the author did a good job telling their stories. I felt the tension as I read. I worried for these two characters and how he story would be resolved. I also learned a great deal about what East Germany was like from WWII until the Wall came down in 1989. This was my first book by Catherine Hokin but it won’t be my last. My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Did you know 63% of millennial/Gen Z are unaware 6 million people died during the Holocaust? This is the reason we need to read books both historical fiction and memoirs to share with our youth what we learn. Especially right now when we are seeing so much hate. If we’re not careful we will find ourselves going back in time.
1940- Magda works as a secretary to the leader of the SS. Her job puts her at risk as she’s secretly helping to fight against the Nazis. Magda must use the information she gets to help keep a loved one safe. But how far is she willing to go and will job help or hurt those involved?
1980- Nina found a drawing in her grandmothers trunk and is hoping it will lead her to answers about her family. Her grandmother ran away from her past and Nina wants to know what she was hiding. Nina has no clue what she’s about to uncover, and it will change everything she thought she knew about her grandmother.
Beautiful story of the past and present and how they are intertwined.

Loved it!! I loved "The Lost Mother," so I was excited to read this book and it definitely didn't disappoint. So many secrets. I don't know how they remained hidden for so long. I enjoyed how the book alternated between Magda in the 1940s and Nina in the 1980s. Nina wasn't my favorite character, she eventually grew on me. When she was younger, I don't think she understood what repercussions there would be for her actions. She's lucky Magda was always there to save the day. East Berlin didn't sound like a great place to live with all the restrictions and the constant watching. I can't imagine how it was to live in Germany during Hitler's rule or in Berlin during Soviet rule. Elsa could learn a few things from the Disney Princess- she needs to LET IT GO!!! Elsa was cold as ice, vindictive and thought she was a princess. She placed the blame on what happened on the wrong person. Loved the ending and finally learning the truth about everything.

Definitely recommend the book, especially if you enjoy historical fiction. I found it interesting reading about East Berlin and seeing how the people lived and the restrictions they were under. Loved the story, characters and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When Magda Aderbach’s organisational and fiscal brilliance comes to Himmler’s attention, she becomes his private secretary and is involved detailed plans to transport thousands of the disenfranchised to the death camps. Determined to tell their story, she keeps secret notes with a hope that she can tell the world one day. To make matters worse she is gifted the Tower House for her loyalty to the Regime, a house formerly owned by a Jewish family; a house she hates. She is so sickened by the thought of the family who will never return, she alters nothing, saving all their belongings as a shrine to their memory.
In the 1980s we meet Magda’s granddaughter, Nina, living in a GDR she despises. Their relationship is severely strained by the fact that Nina wants answers about her grandmother’s past, but Magda refuses to give them. Nina learns of the Tower House, not understanding why Magda doesn’t leave the East and go and live there, but, although she tells Magda she is going to West Berlin to find the house, her plan is thwarted.
This WWII thriller, told with a dual-timeline of 1935-45, and 1980s Berlin, is a deeply immersive novel, full of tragic loss and betrayal, and fascinating for its wealth of information about life in post-war GDR, propaganda politics, and the eventual fall of the Wall. Time and place jump from the pages with the turn of events. Relationships are carefully drawn; old acquaintances come back to haunt the present. Nina’s excursion to the West is beautifully executed, as is her gradual understanding of Magda’s past as questions and answers tumble around them. The house reminded me of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, gradually revealing a history beneath its mossy, vine-choked exterior. Excellent historical fiction.

Just beautiful. Touching. Emotional. An epic, stunning, heart rending tale that makes you think and question, cry and ache along with the characters. Do read this one.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by the author so I was really looking forward to The Secretary. I’ve read a lot of books set during and after WWII including some set in Berlin and Germany so I was on familiar ground with this book. The Secretary uses one of my favourite structures with the story moving between 1940 telling Magda’s heart-breaking story and 1989 focusing on Nina’s search for the truth and her shocking discoveries against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin wall. This is an engrossing read.

I just couldn't get into this book - I tried reading it twice, but didn't get in the story. I'm sorry I couldn't leave a better review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

This fast-paced World War II novel is a must read for all historical fiction fans. The author quickly transports you to Berlin and sends you back in time, with the flip of a page.

Magda is The Secretary working in The Tower House during the Second World War, she is living a double life and is storing up and smuggling secrets out of her office. But, she is determined to keep the man whom she secretly loves safe. Fast forward forty years later when Nina, Magda’s granddaughter, is in Berlin with a fake passport in her hand, some bank notes and a piece of paper with a scribbled address of The Tower House. When Nina locates and enters The Tower House where her Grandmother Magda also walked those same hallways all those years ago, so many things are revealed to her. Nina is so much like her Grandmother, that it is almost as if you are reading about the same person. This story was so well written and researched, that it is not only a history lesson, but so descriptive that you forget your reading a book and feel you are watching an entertaining movie playing out in your minds eye.

This extraordinary and engaging read was absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed this time-slip novel and I cannot recommend it enough…absolutely, heart-stopping amazing. Thank you Catherine Hokin for this outstanding read, loved it.

This book was so different from any other WW2 fiction I’ve read in the past. Magda’s story was so heartbreaking but she also showed incredible resilience in the face of all the danger she was in. I loved the addition of Nina’s story and thought it was great how the author showed the parallels between how the two women handled the adversity facing their shared home of Germany.
The writing in this book was also beautiful. Everything flowed together so perfectly that I found it difficult to put down. I felt as though I was sucked in to the book and had to keep going to find out what happened next. I really enjoyed the experience of having to make connections between the two stories to see where they would start to overlap. The way both women in this story were written was also incredibly inspirational and really made me stop and think how I would have reacted to being in the same position.
The twists at the end of this book left me totally shocked. I found that they added to the overall excitement of the book and really made all of the storylines come back together full circle!

Magda is the secretary to the leader of the SS, spending her days with high-ranking Nazis. In the evenings, she spends her time recruiting people to the resistance. This double life is incredibly dangerous, but Magda is determined to help as many people avoid the ‘resettlement’ trains that she has seen being developed as possible.
Forty years later, Nina sets off with a fake passport over the Berlin Wall to try to find the house in the West she heard so much about from her grandmother. She faces many obstacles in her journey but when she finally makes it there, she discovers even more secrets that she’s not sure if she’s ready to face.

Full review to follow on the blog tour next week.

Tense historical fiction novel with a dual timeline - one in the 1930’s and 1940’s, one from 1980’s, linked by Magda

I’ve read many books set in the era of WW2 but none about how someone ended up in East Germany.

Well written and planned. Lots of twists and turns. Happy to recommend

This book brought back memories of being in West Germany when the famous Wall came down. My husband was military and we just happened to be stationed over there at that point in time. It was definitely a poignant moment and you could see on the faces of people how meaningful it was and what memories it must have evoked in them.
The author Catherine Hokin not only tied the Wall coming down, but her Character Magda was so deeply immersed into being a spy for the resistance that only a few new and those that did were killed. She was out in the wind so she kept her mouth shut and remained loyal on the East side because it was the safest place for her and her unborn child.
Now her granddaughter Nina was chafing at the constraints of the East and Magda was going to be forced into dealing with her secretive past.

This is an explosive book looking at a different type of angle of resistance and the nuances of what sacrifices one has to pay. I love all the characters because they are relatable and you can feel them and sympathize.

I definitely would recommend this book.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Look. I tried really hard to enjoy this more. I just don't do well with dual timelines in historical novels. If it takes place over a set of years, I prefer a linear timeline. When it comes to this story, the two timelines were just so different.

We have Magda, so does some pretty brave things throughout WWII. She had a pretty solid plot that I enjoyed well enough.

We have Nina, who has to deal with the affects of the Berlin Wall, which admittedly, isn't something I've ever read before. Typically, it's the "present" time of dual timelines that I don't care for, and while that was the case here, I will say it was much more interesting than other books I've read with the same format.

If you love a good mix of historical fiction set in the past, as well as the mystery of figuring out historical connections with family members, this is the book for you

This review has been posted to Goodreads