This book was definitely a different view than most historical fiction books I have read. It took me a little bit to get into it since Hanni’s father is a Nazi and is behaving differently now. Then when things start to change for an older Hanni is when the book really starts to move.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

What a great book. Loved it. Well written and interesting take on the characters, who were coming from different angles. Would definitely recommend

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone! Can't wait to read this one!

1933 Hannelore sees the fanaticism of the Nazi regime as it sweeps to power. Her father ranks highly in the SS and she sees for herself the devastation within her beloved Germany. 1945: the war has ended and Hanni has reinvented herself to distance her life from that of her Nazi father. But his darkness continues to overshadow her life...
The Commandant's Daughter is an historical novel set in the 1930s and 40s in Germany. I have read other books by Catherine Hokin, all surrounding the war years, including What Only We Know, The Lost Mother and The Secretary.
The book features a series of murders of Germans who were active Nazis but who were rehabilitated into society due to their skills. The killer wants revenge and justice for the millions of victims of Nazi atrocities. Hanni is hiding her true identity, ashamed of not speaking out against her father. Now she helps Jewish police officer Freddy but both understand the motive of the killer.
I liked the crime element of the book and the moral dilemma it poses for the main characters as well as us as readers. The book does give some information about the Holocaust cruelties but it is distanced by being referred to as past events. However the continued devastation for the characters left behind is hugely emotive.
Hanni has to contend with her own guilt as well as her revulsion and fear for her father. Her fledgling friendship with Freddy is overshadowed by both their pasts as he deals with survivor guilt and grief at the loss of his family.
The Commandant's Daughter was an emotional book and I loved the murder aspect to the historical plot.

When the story opens it is 1933 and we meet ten year old Hannilore Foss on the balcony of room at the Aldon Hotel. It is the night of Hitler's grand entrance and march from the Brandenburg Gate to the Nazi headquarters. Hanni meets Ezra Stein, a Jewish photographer who spends a short with her and changes her life. She wants to become a photographer and show people the truth. Fast forward a few years until her father is running the ghetto/transit camp, Theresienstadt. Hanni sees and photographs things that she hopes will get her father arrested when the allies come. Fast forward to 1947 and Hanni is now living under the alias Hanni Winter. Her father has a new identity and she is scared of him. She runs to Stein Photography, where she meets Natan, Ezra's son. She works with him and lives a simple, hidden life. Meanwhile, someone is murdering SS men who have gotten away with their crimes and she finds one of the bodies. She meets Freddy Schlussel, a local German Police Detective. He hires her as a freelance photographer, but it doesn't take long for her to become an integral part of the team. What only Hanni know is that Freddy is Jewish and hiding it. Does he really want to solve this case?

THE COMMANDANT'S DAUGHTER is a very different story from those I have read during this time and setting. It combines the lead up to the war, the atrocities of the Holocaust and the murders of former SS officers as well as the secrets that both Hanni and Freddy keep during the reconstruction period and arrests of war criminals. I had some interesting questions as I was reading such as: How did they round up all the war criminals? Why were so many given new roles and identities? Meeting some of the wives of these so-called honorable men was terrible and they still held some strong Nazi beliefs, yet many of the everyday, ordinary German citizens did not. Both Hanni and Freddy are scarred by what happened during the war and are living a life hiding for various reasons. Freddy is angry and full of hatred, while Hanni tries to be compassionate and get him to understand that people did what they had to do to survive. There are several secondary characters who add to the story and then there is Reiner Foss, Hanni's father, a character that is easy to loathe.

This is a well structured, multi-layered story that touches on so many things. Societal issues and following the masses, family divides and loyalty, moral issues, survival, vengeance, pardoning those who can help others make money, love, secrets, and more. Within all this runs a mystery of the murders. I enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I didn't realize this was going to be a series when I started it, but hopefully, I will be able to continue and learn more about life after WWII.

Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres! This book was no disappointment. I was amazed at quickly it hooked me and kept me until the very end. I had the hardest time putting this down and kept putting off a ton of chores and errands that needed to be done because I didn't want to do anything except read this amazing book. This one definitely made me think a lot and consider a lot of emotions. It was told from the perspective of a Nazi commander's daughter, a perspective I've never read before or even thought much of. Read this, I think you'll love it. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series and also check out other books by this author. Great book thanks so much for letting me love it!

Hannelore Foss is just ten year’s old as she stands on a balcony overlooking the pomp and ceremony as Adolf Hitler is celebrated as Germany’s new leader. Swept up by the ceremony, she struggles to understand the view of her fellow German sharing the balcony.

But she knows it is dangerous, and that her Father is a part of whatever he is fearful of.

Hanni Winter is photographing what remains of the outskirts of Berlin when she comes across a crime scene, that leads her to a chance encounter with a young detective. Freddy is enthralled with Hanni from the moment he sets eyes on her, and understands that with her photographer's eye that she could be useful to his investigations.

The pair begin what is at first a working relationship, and as Hanni begins to get to know Freddy, and his family background and history, she understands that she can never tell him her secret. That in the aftermath of the war, she is determined to make a new life for herself, and to distance herself from her remaining family member, maybe even bring him to justice.

Reiner Foss, commandant of Theresienstadt has a new identity. Arrogant enough to believe that he will not be caught, he is back in Berlin as his former colleagues face trial at Nuremberg. Hanni understands that her life may be in danger if their paths cross, but she is determined to make her Father accountable for what he did in the war.

The ending of this novel seemed to leave a bit of a cliffhanger, but also seemed to suggest that there may be more to come … in which case, I can’t wait to read what happens next!

I found it slow to start with, but it gathered up momentum soon enough! Right at the start, you read about little Hanni, a budding photographer whose life practically changes overnight when her father is promoted to a Nazi Commander. As the war goes on and she discovers what her father does, she makes it her aim to get him to pay for his crimes.

After the war, Hanni distances herself from her father and changes her name. She makes a fresh start with a new job in a photography studio. While out one day she comes across a murder of a former SS officer and together with an inspector called Freddy, they investigate what happened. This is the beginning of a spate of murders of this kind. Hanni and Freddy work together to bring justice. Each with their own secrets they keep hidden from one another.

At times, I found The Commandant’s Daughter quite tense. Dark secrets are all over, with no one wanting them to get out! If you stick with it, it’s an intriguing read. Plus it’s book 1 of 4 and I can’t wait to read the others as they tell the story of Hanni and Freddy.

Hanni Foss was just 10 years old when Hilter became the leader of Germany and her father drastically changed while overseeing a concentration camp/ After the war, Hanni must change her identity to hide from her hateful father so she can develop the photographs she took during the war and expose him once and for all. Then a string of murders leads her to help the police and she cant hide any longer.

WWII era historical fiction is one of my favorite and this was my first time reading one set right after the war. I loved the way Hokin wrote about the recovery process for many different groups of people following the war. There was such a great mixture of romance and suspense that made it hard for me to put this book down.

This is a historical novel.

It's a different take on all the others I have read.

This is about a nazi commanders daughter and all the hardships she went through.

It was a bit slow to start but then it picked up and it pulled me in.

Highly recommended

4.5 Stars

Heart-breaking, intensely emotional and wholly mesmerizing, The Commandant’s Daughter is the latest historical tale of courage, hope and love from talented historical novelist Catherine Hokin.

It’s 1933 and Adolf Hitler is Germany’s newest leader. Ten year old Hanni is watching the celebrations unfold alongside her father, unaware of the devastation and tragedy that will unfold in the coming years. Hanni watches as her father Reiner falls under Hitler’s spell and loses every single shred of humanity as he becomes the commandant of a concentration camp. Her father, once so kind and loving, is now a corrupt and heartless man who allows the people in the camps to suffer dreadful deprivation, cruel assaults and all manner of torture, all in the name of power. Hanni cannot sit by and watch these poor people suffer and, when nobody is looking, takes photographs which she intends to develop when the time is right in order to tell the world the truth about her father’s reign of terror.

Twelve years later and Hanni has escaped her father’s house and is hiding in Berlin. Still haunted by the cruelty and despair she had witnessed at the concentration camp, Hanni is determined to get justice for the people she couldn’t help as a child. As a plan is put into motion to expose him, a body is discovered in a bombed-out building that could jeopardise her brand new life. With the police looking into this case, Hanni crosses paths with a young detective called Freddy who awakens feelings deep within her she had never experienced before…

As the day to publish her photographs finally arrives, Hanni is shocked to her very core when Reiner Foss comes back into her life. With a powerful new identity that makes him more dangerous than ever, Hanni finds herself torn between her quest for justice and her future with Freddy.

Can Hanni right old wrongs? Or will malevolent forces from the past succeed in destroying her life once and for all?

High quality historical fiction does not get any better than this. The Commandant’s Daughter tells the story of a brave and courageous heroine who is so inspirational. Hanni is a young woman who never lets the odds that are stacked against her or the many difficulties she faces get in the way of her objectives. Strong, resilient and compassionate, she is a wonderful heroine who will linger in the mind and heart long after the last page is turned.

Skillfully evoking the horrors and terrors of Nazi Germany without resorting to melodrama or sensationalism, The Commandant’s Daughter is a dramatic, poignant and heart-wrenching historical novel from the talented Catherine Hokin readers will certainly never forget.

I’ve read everything that Catherine Hokin has written and have always enjoyed her books so it was a no brainer for me to read The Commandant’s Daughter. I was expecting another historical fiction book set during World War Two, of which I have read so many books of this nature and yes I got that but so much more. I was really pleasantly surprised with the direction this book took and it has gotten me excited about this genre again when I fear I was in danger of having gone overboard and read just too much about this topic.

I thought that this was a complete novel in itself but I only discovered as I read the end notes that this is the first book in a planned series of four following Hanni and Freddy as they navigate through the shadows of World War Two into a more hopeful future. What set this book apart from all the rest out there was that the story took on a totally different direction which I had not been expecting in the slightest. It became a mystery/crime thriller detailing a series of murders that occur in the devastated city of Berlin in the year proceeding the war. I’ll admit crime/mystery wouldn’t really be my genre of choice, It’s only on the very rare occasion that I dip into this sort of book. Had I known The Commandant’s Daughter was like this I dare say I perhaps wouldn’t have chosen to read it but I would have missed out on a intriguing and gripping read packed full of mystery but also some romance. But it’s also about how two characters deal with the fallout from the war but as they come from opposing sides the connection they feel can’t be acted upon.

The Commandant’s Daughter really gets you thinking; Can people change sides given their heritage is so entrenched with what occurred during the war? Is it fair to tarnish everyone with the same brush? Can love blossom against the tide of opposition and strong held opinions and beliefs? Can revenge be enacted in a just way? The answers to these questions are not given in this book but I am sure they will be explored over the course of the books that are to follow in this series. I feel this is perhaps Catherine Hokin’s most ambitious book yet and the fact the story will stretch over four books makes me keen to see how the central storyline will be developed and managed in the future. This book provided the reader with a really strong start and the themes explored were dealt with and crafted well. I feel there has to be another storyline running concurrently alongside the main plot but will it be another murder mystery again? Who knows but I will certainly be reading the next instalment as soon as it is published.

The book took quite some time to find i’s rhythm as I felt it jumped around a lot before settling and we got down to the real nitty gritty of the story. I had thought I would be reading about Hanni’s experiences as the daughter of an SS officer during the war who also sent so many innocent people to the extermination camps and the so called ideal that was Theresienstadt which turned out to be the place from hell. Instead we are introduced to Hannelore, who later changes her name to Hanni, as she is a young girl attending a party hosted by her father as Hitler has just been announced as leader of the Nationalist Socialist Party in 1933. Hanni doesn’t like the changes in her father. She can’t break any rules as someone is always watching you and the tight unit she has with her mother and grandmother is all that she can cling too given her father Reiner is now a stern officer who will not hear a bad word said about what is unfolding and how Germany is changing. A chance meeting with Jewish photographer Ezra Stein as he waits to take pictures of a parade from the balcony of where the party is taking pace changes Hanni’s life forever. A love for photography is inspired although her future subject matter will haunt her forever. She knows the face being presented to the German people is very different from the truth and the horrific realities on the ground.

The book jumps forward and at first I found this disconcerting as I was prepared to read of Hanni’s experiences in the war but when I came to realise the focus would be on the aftermath of the war and how the city of Berlin was divided up between the Soviets, British and American’s I was able to settle down and get to grips with the main body of the story. Hanni had promised herself that when the war was finally over and if she was still standing that she would find her voice and share the stories that needed to be told, she would no longer be quiet. Instead she would share that she was opposed to the war and she would try and bring those who carried out such atrocities to justice. Primarily, her father is her target. One would think how can you go against your flesh and blood especially as you yourself would be viewed as being on the German side and aware of everything that went on? But this shows what a remarkable character she was, that she was willing to bare the wrath of Reiner and expose him. This would not be easy and danger lurked at every corner. The tension oozed from every page as you never knew what was around the corner for Hanni. You felt every bit of her fear and anguish but you were desperate for her to right so many wrongs in any way she could. Resolution was not found in this first book and I doubt it will be until the very end but I would love to be proven wrong in regard to this stance.

I’ve mentioned Freddy several times so where does he come into the story? It’s when Hani is in an abandoned building and discovers a body left in an unusual way and marked that she meets him. He is the detective that will investigate the case and the others that follow. Freddy is Jewish but changed his second name. He is still grappling with what happened to his family during the war and the fact that he comes into close contact with many SS officers and their families makes you really appreciate the genius of his character. He wrestles with his emotions and can’t keep them contained especially when the motives for the murders become clear. Is there actually a good reason for what is happening? How can Freddy push his own emotions to the side and solve the case?

You feel an instant connection between Freddy and Hanni but know it can’t be acted upon given their backgrounds. As Hanni is employed by the police for her photographic skills she is drawn ever closer working side by side with Freddy. She longs desperately to tell him who exactly she is given he has been so open with where he has come from and what he has been through. They truly are so near but so very far apart and you just wish that two people who have feelings for each other could act on them and see in what direction things may go in but given all the recent history you are wary whether this will happen. Hanni wants more than a working relationship with Freddy but will the burden of keeping secrets whilst at the same time trying to seek revenge on her father prove all too much?

The synopsis for The Commandant’s Duaghter read like it was one book but in fact delving between the pages it proved to be a totally different read. Despite the tough subject matter and all the descriptions of what happened at Theresienstadt and what Freddy had experienced too I found this to be a brilliant read. Yes, we may have known who the murderer was and the reasons for his actions and normally this would spoil a book but Catherine Hokin really made this work. Her writing and the carefully constructed plot and the motivations and reasons for everything were there for a well selected reason. Every point she made, every scene and all the brilliant characters present were so well formed and backed up and made for a read with assured tension and plenty of crafty twists. I hope we won’t be left waiting too long for book two as things were left on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to get back and read more about Hanni and Freddy and what is ahead for them.

Different take on a WWII novel. It’s interesting to see the story from the perspective of the enemy as opposed to the victims. Very well written and interesting story! Definitely recommend!

Berlin, 1933, Hanni is only ten years old when Germany gets a new leader. Her father Reiner, takes a job as a commandant of a concentration camp. Hanni’s life is completely changed by everything that is happening around her. Her father isn’t the same man that she once admired. Twelve years later Hanni now, twenty two, vows to help those in the camp that she shouldn’t help when she was a child. She has photographs of what is actually going on in the camp. But then Hanni finds a body in a bombed-out building and she meets Freddy, the detective assigned to the case. She tells Freddy about everything going on in the camp where her father works. But Reiner tells Hanni that if she reveals everything about the camp, it would be very dangerous for him. But, Hanni is determined to help the people, and sending all her photographs to the Allies would save so many lives, but it would destroy her father. She must decide between the past she hates and the possibility of a future with Freddy. This book was a gripping and captivating story. The author did an amazing job of communicating Hanni’s emotions throughout the story. She was devastated by what her father was doing and so desperate to make things right. This was an emotional, heartbreaking and powerful read. I’m happy to know it is just the beginning of a series and I can’t wait to read the continuation of this story. I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It is a must read.

Thank you Catherine Hokin for such an enjoyable story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought this story was very engrossing and I look forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend it.

First, thank you so very much to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for this review copy! I have to say, here lately I have been gravitating to historical fiction and I’m loving it; but, also, I’ve always enjoyed reading about this dark part of history, The Holocaust. I can credit that with reading The Diary of Anne Frank as a child.

The Holocaust, World War II and all that encompassed was truly a working of pure evil. There is no better way to put it. Sending people to their deaths for their culture and religion is just something I can’t even fathom. Hating people for just being human and referring to them as “vermin” and “those people” just doesn’t make sense to me.

This story is about Hanni Winter, her evil father and another person who decides to take matters into his hands; by killing previous SS officers. In the end, it’s not about revenge for the Jews, it’s for not bringing honor to the German army. Mind boggling but, sounds about right.

This story was brilliantly written and drew me in from the beginning. As I stated before, this part of history is intriguing and haunting to me. I noticed there will be a second in the series and I am very excited for that. Hanni’s character is beautiful and I feel for her and all that she’s been through and all that she puts herself through. Her will to love someone and put them first before she’ll allow herself to be loved is incredible. Courageous to me.

I was hooked from the start and enjoyed it. I highly recommend if you’re a historical fiction lover.

I am a big fan of Catherine Hokin and was delighted to get the opportunity to review her latest book. I really enjoyed the Commandant's daughter and read it over the course of a day.

I did enjoy this book and I am really getting into this genre lately. This provided a different take on the time and I learnt a lot whilst enjoying escapism.

Will definitely be looking for more by this author, and do recommend if this something that you are interested in.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Great historical WW2 novel. Hanni is a brilliant main character with her determination to expose what went on in the concentration camp by her photography and this makes it a heartbreaking story told from a different perspective from most books. Good storyline with additional crime storyline to it means I will definitely be looking forward to the next one

Hanni Winter is now a photographer and she wants nothing more than to expose her father and the horrors she witnessed at the camp as well as trying to solve a sting of murders happening in Berlin. A heartbreaking and beautiful story full of trauma, healing, romance and suspense... if you love historical fiction I think you will enjoy this one. Thank you @Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Beautiful. Heart breaking. Thought provoking. One to savour and reread. A beautifully written gem of a book. Read this one. You will come away moved and changed.