I decided to read this book because Matthew Reilly is very popular with borrowers, and I had previously enjoyed another historical novel of his called The Tournament.
The title is a pretty good summary of the book. It’s about Hanna Fischer, a secretary to Albert Einstein.
Even through Hanna and some other characters are fictional, the story is based around real life figures like Albert Einstein and Albert Speer. I enjoyed the mix of history in the narrative and thought Matthew Reilly did a great job at balancing the real-life events with fiction to make a seamless story.
I really enjoyed the voice of the main character and the clever way the book was written to incorporate different points of view and timeframes. I thought the writing was cinematic, which makes sense because Matthew Reiley also writes screenplays and has even directed his own Netflix film, Interceptor, in 2022.
I recommend Mr Einstein’s Secretary because it offers an interesting read about life in America and Germany in the 1930s and a thrilling story as well.
-Jane, Tumut Library
