An interesting historical novel about a fortune teller working for Hitler, who apparently had an obsession with such things. This is complicated by the fact that she is also the pupil of his former fortune teller, who was executed for being Jewish.

There is plenty of intrigue to keep the reader engaged but I felt there was a missed opportunity to explore the reasons why Hitler used clairvoyants in the first place. Maybe that’s a question for historians and psychologists but I would have liked to have seen more of this in the novel.

An interesting book which had a twist in it which a I was not expecting.

Edith is German and lives in Paris with her daughter. She is asked by a representative of Hitler to become a fortune teller for him. Her teacher who taught her how to become a better fortune teller was the previous one for Hitler but he was killed as he was a a Jew. Edith is also asked to become a spy for the British so that she can help them in win the war. We see how things play out with what happens.

I really enjoyed the book it kept me guessing what would happen in the end would Edith escape from Germany only time will tell. I thought the characters all worked well together.

It was well written and found it exciting and also heartbreaking.

As a lover of historical fiction, I was excited for this read and it didn’t disappoint!

The tagline from Penguin reads: Hitler had two fortune tellers. One predicted his rise to power, the other aimed for his demise. The story follows the latter, Edith, as she becomes Hitler’s personal fortune teller during WW2. As his trust in her grows, so too does the power Edith holds. But, can she use this to pull of the ultimate deception?

I really enjoyed this book and devoured the last 200 pages in one sitting. The pacing is quick and I found it to be quite gripping. I do enjoy historical fiction that features strong women and Edith’s character in this really carried the story. It’s part family drama, part love story and part war novel, although taking place not on the battlefields but in cabinet rooms and government offices. A kind of historical, political thriller, if you will.

Overall, this was a great read for me. It had plenty of twists and turns that kept me hooked until the final page. I’ll definitely be looking out for other novels by Maetis.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the eARC.

I am grateful to J C Maetis, Penguin General UK – Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. Here follows an honest review to help you decide whether or not to add this title to your TBR list.

As horrific as the time was, I often find books centered around World War II to be a fascinating read. I think a lot of that stems from the rise of someone seemingly insignificant who grew to be this terrifying tyrant who came so close to bringing the entire world to its knees. Selecting this historical fiction with its claim to truth inspired events, I was hoping to glimpse more into the past and the people that both, helped build Hitler up, and those that ultimately helped tear him down.

The book was a typical wartime novel centered around espionage. There was a little double crossing, a little romance, and a large dose of death. For the most part, it was a steady pace that could have been a little faster. Towards the end the story seemed to drag, even though it suddenly took off post climax and tried to cram a lot into the final two chapters. I would quite happily have shaved at least 10% off the length and lost some of the repetitive fears and scenes involving capture.

The book was not without its flaws, the biggest being the narrator. At the start of the book, we are sold the perspective that Teresa Delmar will tell us stories of the past, however, there are several first-hand accounts that don’t sit well within the tale because the perspective cannot and does not belong to the narrator. If you can move past this, the story will hold interest for those who are suckers for love, historical fiction, relationships during times of conflict i.e., between friends of different backgrounds, neighbors, colleagues, etc.

Owing to the subtle flaws, the pace, and the lack of overall originality, I rate the book 3/5. I neither loved it, nor loathed it. Nor did I truly invest in any of the characters as there was quite a rich cast that I found hard to keep up with. It’s one of those books that you just have to read and discover for yourself.

The story begins in Berlin of the 1940s and tells the story of clairvoyant Edith Creutzen, Hitler's personal fortune teller. Although she is clearly terrified she take the position. Soon we learn that Edith does not support what Hitler is doing and she risks her life by teaming up with British intelligence and begins to feed him misleading advice. The one to one sessions she has with Hitler will bring a chill to your spin. Soon it is not just her life on the line, but her families too. If you like stories with tension and intrigue; bravery and endurance. As Edith passes encoded messages to the resistance, there is always a danger that the SS will get her!
Thank you to net galley; and to Viking publishers for the advance copy to read and review. I enjoyed the book, it is a good read.

So this book has left me a conflicted. I thought the story itself was very interesting but I want to know more about the history. It says inspired by true events, but what does that actually mean? Maybe because I got the ARC, I didn’t get the history section at the back of the book that normally comes with historical fiction.

What I liked about the book was the location and the main characters. A lot of historical fiction centered around World War II and the resistance takes place in occupied territories whereas this one actually takes place in Berlin, which makes it different. What I’m conflicted about is the main characters’ proximity to Hitler. This is why I want to know more about the actual history and the true events that inspired it. it feels weird to read a fiction book that involves numerous encounters with Hitler. I would hesitate to call it disrespectful, but it’s maybe too much fictionalization history for my personal taste. I think actually if the entire story had happened, but the person she had been telling fortunes to was a secondary officer in the third Reich rather than Hitler himself, I would have less hesitation about rating it.

Also, I appreciated the amount of things that were happening. It felt very realistic to what I imagine living under a dictatorship would be like in terms of constantly being afraid and on edge. I just wish that they didn’t continue building on each other and that at least one of the problems were allowed to be solved kind of 2/3s through the book. It felt like things were reopened over and over to build suspense, but it just ended up feeling like there were too many things happening.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC!

Edith Creutzen is a fortune teller, who is requested by Hitler to become his personal clairvoyant. Edith has recently lost her boyfriend in a motorcycle accident, and she and her daughter Louise find themselves alone and vulnerable in a Paris under Nazi control.
The British and French Intelligence agencies tell Edith she could help them by influencing Hitler with her readings, and subtly guiding him into battles that will have a poor chance of success, thus shortening the course of the war. His last fortune teller was executed, and was a great friend and mentor to Edith, could this job be the chance she has been waiting for? She could avenge his death and save many lives, including her brother who is at risk of being forcibly detained as a disabled person suffering from Trisomy syndrome.
Edith treads a very dangerous line in trying to placate Hitler and obeying orders from Churchill’s War Cabinet.
There is excitement and real tension throughout this story, and the twist at the end is fantastic. The research is done so it doesn’t read like the dry bones of history, but it is fluid and well paced.
My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK, Fig Tree for my ARC freely given in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication. A four star read.

There were two major issues with this book.

The first is that the reader needs to have a favourable opinion of fortune telling, or at least be persuaded of its plausibility for the purposes of the novel by its author. Neither of those criteria were met, for me.

Secondly, a fairly basic and particularly egregious narrative structural error early on in the book. The novel is structured as a story told in 1973 by Teresa Delmar looking back to events during the Second World War centred around Edith Creutzen, the 'fortune teller' in question and a friend of Teresa. At the start of Teresa's narrative ("sharing her story" as the book's author J C Maetis tells us), the reader is told about a daring mission by a member of the French Resistance, and that person's thoughts and actions: "[he] contemplated his fate...his hand started to tremble...He gripped the rifle tighter to try and quell the trembling in his hands...His stomach sinking at the thought, he tensed harder...". Without giving too much away, there is no way that the narrator Teresa could have known what that person thought and did. She is not an 'omniscient narrator'. Surely, Teresa's story should only include what she the narrator actually knows ('third person limited')?

After that, I didn't feel compelled to continue reading. DNF.

I was intrigued by this book, as it blends fact with fiction, exploring not just historical events but also the relationships people may have had with Hitler.

The story started well, but as it progressed, I found the main character increasingly tiresome. While she was portrayed as talented, this didn't seem to extend to managing her personal life, which made her less compelling. Additionally, the London subplot felt unnecessary, as though it had been added to bolster the main story.

The historical elements were well integrated, adding depth and personal significance to the characters and their families. The book stood out for not following the familiar WW2 romance story, though it did include a love interest.

Overall, while the story felt a bit dry, it was unique take on WW2 events.

Rating- 3.5 stars
(E-ARC)
I would like to say a huge thank you to the publisher Penguin General Uk, the author and NetGalley for letting me have the opportunity to be able to review this book and to give my honest opinion of this book.

As much as I love historical fiction books, I really struggled with this book which was a huge shame. I struggled with the amount of characters that were present throughout- there were far too many for me in my opinion to be able to keep up. I am aware that this would be based on true events but I did feel there were too many characters for this whole story.

There were times where I did feel sorry for the characters and could really relate to them as they felt real. There were times that I could really relate to the main character. The tension and the way she was scared she was going to be found out- you could really feel it throughout the chapters. However, I did sometimes get confused as I would lose track of the story. The story jumped a lot from the first to third person and has a lot of jumps in time. I do believe that the story could have been set out a lot better to be able to follow as it was all the same events but different point of views.

As the book went on, it did become quite tedious and boring. Towards the end of the novel, I skipped the last chapter and the prologue as I did not really think that it would provide me with any more information. This book was not for me which is a shame as I was really looking forward to this novel.

Hitler had two fortune tellers.

One predicted his rise to power, the other aimed for his demise.
Berlin, 1940: Hitler’s army is on the rise. When he requests Edith Creutzen become his personal fortune teller, she’s left no choice but to accept.

Day by day, their work intensifies, and soon Edith realises the extent of her power. Hitler trusts her implicitly, but what if she were to lead him astray? Joining forces with the resistance, she begins to guide Europe’s most dangerous man right into the hands of British Intelligence.

But there’s one person in the way: Hitler’s enigmatic right-hand man, by whom Edith can’t help but be intrigued. Is he friend or foe, and would he still care for her if he knew where her loyalties lay?

Armed with courage and conviction, Edith sets out to change the course of history. But the price of success is high, and the closer she gets, the more she stands to lose…

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down.

This historical fiction book is inspired by real events and is set during WW2. We meet Edith a clairvoyant who flees Berlin and end up working for the French Resistance. We also meet Teresa who works for the British SOE. Edith then returns to Berlin where she begins to get messages and begins misleading and manipulating Hitler. This was an enjoyable read with some great twists and Edith's character is excellent. I did find the time jumps a little confusing a times but overall, I gave it four stars because I found myself continually turning the pages wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Insoired by real events, JC Maetis writes a fascinating blend of historical fact and fiction, set during WW2. In 1940, a grieving and traumatised Edith Creutzen, with her unusual talent in clairvoyance, flees Berlin for Paris, after her mentor, Erik Jan Hanussen, who predicted the rise of Hitler, is executed, and the death of her boyfriend, Christof, in a motorbike accident. She is supported by her friend, Teresa Delmar, as she struggles to look after her baby daughter, who grows up playing the piano, as she settles, earning a living as a fortune teller. The French Resistence attempt Hitler's assassination, acts Edith admires, but her world is turned upside down when Hitler, missing Hanusson, asks her to move back to Berlin, offering inducements to become his personal fortune teller. Given what had happened to Hanussen, Edith is horrified, but she can hardly refuse.

A woman with secrets, Edith makes the dangerous decision to work with Pierre Meunier and the French Resistance, along with the British SOE, strongly driven by a Teresa who suggests it is an opportunity for her to exact revenge. Edith returns to Berlin, reconnecting with her family, and becomes a frequent visitor to various bookshops, where she gets encrypted messages, to help her guide Hitler's strategic military decisions. This mission of using her influence, misleading and manipulating Hitler, is one that can endanger all those close to her if she is unmasked, as she gets drawn into and glimpses the nightmare world of Hitler's paranoia. In the meantime, intriguingly Edith is becoming attracted to the good looking SS officer, Stefan Hansel, where will it all end?

Maetis writes a dark, chilling and tense historical story as the pace and suspense build, with a fearful Edith, her meetings with Hitler have an extraordinary impact in disclosing his state of mind. This is a engaging read that will particularly appeal to readers who love their historical fiction and or have an interest in WW2 and Hitler. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me, I’m a huge fan of historical fiction so this sounded right up my street, I did enjoy the plot but the switching from first to third person, jumps in times/area left me confused.
I did really like Edith’s character and enjoyed the twists at the end.

★★½ ROUNDED UP ⬆️
———————
I want to thank NetGalley and The Publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Based on some true events this was an interesting and suspenseful novel. What I think really brought this book to life was the obvious intense research that the author clearly has done and this for me made the book even more compelling and interesting. The setting was mostly in Berlin and told mainly by the clairvoyant Edith Creutzen who describes how she was recruited to try and influence Hitler on some crucial issues. The feeling of menace is always present in the read and the tension really ramps up halfway through the book making it hard to put down.
Overall I thought the book was a little slow at the beginning but as said from halfway through it was great read and if you like books based on true events this is a must read not to be missed.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK, Fig Tree for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Fortune Teller of Berlin
J. C Maetis
Chapter 44 Page 283

||: “I often wonder whether people asking me to look in the speculum for them is the right thing to do.”.

“In what way?”

“Well, if I give advice on what I see - as I did earlier tonight about Timo Cretzler - that will make you react a certain way. But if I'd said nothing, you might handle it differently.”

“But then I'd be going in blind.”

“As is everyone else.”

“Yes. But I have an advantage from what you have seen and told me.”

“Advantage? Or another curse? Think about it. You suddenly acting differently might change the outcome I see - because my foresight is based on you acting naturally, with no prior knowledge.”

“I hadn't thought of it like that… But now you've got me worried. And you know it's vital I get everything right tomorrow, with Timo Cretzler. Too much depends on it.”

“Do you want me to look again?” :||


Edith's gifts come with a curse. The curse of knowing what could happen, what will probably happen if left to fate to decide.. but as she knows all too well.. Telling the fate of others can change the way things happen. It has happened too often and usually those close to her are automatically barred from her sight as a protective bubble for her own sanity, blocks them certain memories from showing. So how is she going to be able to fool one of the most important men in World War II?

She was happy and settled in Paris, away from the fires of Berlin. The one fire still rages on inside of her protecting the deep dark secret she never wants anyone to find out but is she able to pass up on this offer of taking her sweet revenge at last? One thing is for sure. It's going to be dangerous, her daughter, her family, her friends.. Will all suffer the consequences with her if she's caught.

And now with a possible love interest waiting for her in Berlin's womb, will her sight be affected enough to fool one of the dangerous men in history? She holds a lot of lives in her hands, in a small round looking glass that shows her what will happen but she has already got a script on what she must say. Two different things to juggle with the bad tempered tyrant staring into your soul..

Thank you so much to J. C. Maetis, Penguin General UK Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback.

This was a very interesting historical fiction, one of a kind I've not read anything like this before. and I tend to pick a lot of historical fiction!

I really enjoyed characters, however I felt a little confused at times.
The book jumps between different times, areas and prominent moments that made the book a little difficult to read without thinking which character is now in dialogue. I still did enjoy the story and the fact it was very interesting.

dith a fortune teller in Paris is recruited to be a clairvoyant for Hiter in Berlin. As she was a prodigy of his previous clairvoyant who successfully advised Hitler and was subsequently murdered, she was reluctant to take up the post until coerced to move to Berlin to do the job.. In turn she is recruited by the British via the French resistant to report on Hitler's plans and gently influence his decisions to aid the allies. A most dangerous ploy with help from an unexpected quarter with some suspicion as to its reliability.. She flees just as the SS closes on to her with dramatic consequences, a most exciting read.

I really struggled to get into this and I can’t quite put my finger on why. I only got 12% in before giving up - it says it’s based on a true story but there was something about if which seemed a bit of a stretch too far for me to suspend by disbelief. Perhaps I had doubts over how well organised the French resistance would have been so early after the invasion in order to stage the early scenes of the book.

A great story, ambitious and enthralling. At the start the premise, Hitler using a fortune teller seemed a little unbelievable however this impression did not last and the interactions seemed believable. The pacing was a little strange in places but I enjoyed the story and the way in which it was told. The author has places it well in history and it tells the story of these war years well, adding human details. Edith is a very likeable protagonist and the story has many strands of narrative which make this an enjoyable read.