The Girl in the Photo

Hanni Winter #3

by Catherine Hokin

Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, 1944. ‘I have to go away, my darling. Please, be brave, stay alive, for me.’ Mama’s voice breaks. The little girl tries to stop the forbidden tears from falling, as the train takes her mother, and she is left alone…

Berlin, six years later. Hanni Winter glows with pride as she shows her new husband around her first solo photography exhibition. But then she sees Freddy’s reaction. His face white, he can’t take his eyes off a photo of a young girl around four years old. ‘That’s Renny,’ he whispers, ‘my sister, she was taken by the Nazis…’

Hoping against hope to find his missing sister, Freddy draws Hanni into a dangerous trip across a war-torn wasteland. She wants so much to support the man she loves, but returning to Theresienstadt, the camp that still haunts her nightmares, is asking the impossible.

When she steps through the black and white entrance archway, Hanni’s unbearable memories of the uprooted, trapped prisoners return immediately. And when her arrival brings her face to face with the man she ran from, has every step she made since her escape been in vain? With a precious child to protect, can Hanni find the strength to fight again, or will every hope for her future be lost forever?

A heart-wrenching novel about love and courage in the face of terrible odds. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will need a box of tissues handy.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, World War II, Holocaust

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2023

About the author

Welcome to my author page and my novels, including the Hanni Winter series which is the newest of the pack. I write books set primarily in Berlin, covering the period from 1933 up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and dealing with the long shadows left by war. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and this period really fascinates me. Writing about it also means that I get to spend a lot of time in Berlin, which is my second favourite city - my favourite is Buenos Aires.
I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.
I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website https://www.catherinehokin.com/ or on my Cat Hokin FB page or on twitter @cathokin

Reviews

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Commandant’s Daughter and The Pilot’s Girl are the first two books in Hanni Winter series by Catherine Hokin. In this third book, The Girl in the Photo, more of Hanni’s tragic story is told. The war is over, and Hanni was among countless people who experienced unspeakable horrors while trying to survive. Now married to Freddy, Hanni is excelling in her photography career.

Hanni and Freddy are at her first photo exhibit, and Freddy spies a photo of a young girl that takes him on a path of near obsession. Why? He tells Hanni that the girl, at about four years of age in the photo, is his sister Renny. Freddy is determined to find Renny, and this means returning to the concentration camp that holds terrible memories. Fred strongly believes that by returning to the Theresienstadt camp it could possibly be the successful first step in locating Renny.

As Freddy gets closer to locating Renny, Hanni is forced to deal with her painful past. Hanni has had very good reasons for not sharing the depth of events from her life of years ago with Freddy. In fact, this has led to Hanni having kept a huge secret from him. This is where this stellar read becomes heartbreaking, as Hanni is forced to reconnect with her father. What is worse is that she also crosses paths someone truly despicable from her past, and this could bring her life crashing down.

This amazing book had quite an impact on me as it tells a story that I will not soon forget. I imagine there might be one more book in the series. Lovers of historical fiction will get to know Hanni and feel her pain, all while she strives to hold onto a thread of hope as they read all three of these compelling stories.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/wq_mimIGqRI

[thewildreaderwithacat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying the Hanni Winter Series and The Girl In The Photo is the third book in the series.

While I have absolutely enjoyed the first two books, this one felt short for me.

There is a lot going on in the book - we travel with Hanni and Freddy, and also meet new (important and interesting) people.

The first half was exciting and the build-up was immense, however, the second half did not live up to it.

The hook has been dragging since the first book and I think it is getting a bit boring at this point. The overall storyline of the series is quite slow.

However, things ended at an interesting note and I can't wait to read the next book.

Since it's the last book in the series, I am excited to finally experience the conclusion.

I would recommend giving it a try, but you have to read the first two books to understand the characters and get the entire picture.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it and would give the book 2.75 stars, almost three. This was the best book in the series so far and I liked this one so much more than the first book in the series. I usually love historical fiction books about WWII, but this series has been a bit of a struggle. I think it's the characters. I don't love Freddy or Hanni. I knew from the start that all of Hanni's lies would eventually catch up with her. They would hurt Freddy the most. I'm pretty sure Freddy will eventually forgive her, but she will need to regain his trust. I don't know how Hanni keeps all her lies straight. Not sure how Freddy and Hanni were able to be in Czechoslovakia without drawing any attention. My favorite part of the book was reading about Renny and Freddy's search for his long lost sister.

Recommend giving the book a try. I loved the author's previous book, but this series hasn't been my favorite. I will read the last one in the series, because I need to know how everything ends. Hopefully the evil Reiner will finally be taken down and brought to justice. Freddy and Hanni will reunite their family and he will know all her secrets. 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.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read the rest of the Hanni Winters series, I really enjoyed reading this book, but feel I've missed so much of her past and growing up.

The story is hard hitting and the ending a tear jerker, I needed the tissues to hand for this one.

Beautifully written and well researched, with some credible characters.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Dianne McMahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read,
Hanni, is married now,but still hasn't told her husband that she is the daughter of a Nazi War criminal.
Their marriage has been built on a lie,that her father is committed to crumbling.
This has great plot,even as third book ends.
There is a fourth,so not the trilogy, I first thought.
Book will be available the third week of May.
Am so looking forward to reading the final book.

[Sally Cowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its 1950 Hanni and Freddy are a young married couple, living in Germany. Freddy is Jewish and survived the concentration camps and believes most of his family died at the hands of the Nazis. He met Hanni through work and they fell in love, but he knows little about her past and she reveals little.

Hanni is passionate about photography  and used her talent to help the police, where she met detective Freddy. When she decides to hold an exhibition, showing some pictures she took as a teenager, of children in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, she knows it is risky. However, it is her way of exposing more of the Nazi cruelty to the public through her art.

When her husband Freddy sees the photos he is drawn to the image of a little girl, who he recognises as his little sister Renny! Believing her to have died a couple of years before the picture was taken it gives him hope that she was saved and could still be alive!

As he embarks on a mission to find his sister and travel back to the city where she was last seen Hanni realises that her past is starting to unravel. What will happen if he finds out who she really is?

I was unsure how I felt about Hanni, the main character. In some ways she could also be a victim of the era as she couldn't choose who her parents  were. However the book hints that she was involved in some of the Nazi propaganda, by taking part a film made at the camp, so does that make her a bad person, even if unwittingly?

This is a gripping book, which is a little different to other novels based around this era. A great read!

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review

This is possibly the worst book I have tried to read. So many sentences are hyphenated with rambling thought you lose track of what the actual point is. It has too many story lines. It's hard to follow.

[Polly Krize · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the horror of WWII, Freddy sees a photo of his sister from the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Determined to find her, he and friend Hanni find themselves traveling dark roads that ultimately lead to the camp itself, in search of Renny. A story of survival and the enduring spirit of love. Recommended reading.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Photo is the 3rd book in the Hanni Winter series and I will say, it is important to read them in order. I read the 4th book before this one, so there were aspects in this book that were spoiled for me. In this book, Freddy sees a picture in Hanni's photography show and recognizes the subject. It is his sister Renate aka, Renny. Finding out that she was still alive that late in the war encourages him to start looking for her again. The search takes him to Czechoslovakia, behind the Iron Curtain. He and Hanni are in danger of discovery all the time, but finding Renny is all that he has in mind. Because Hanni is keeping secrets from Freddy, she is at risk to do things she doesn't want to do but does because of the possibility of exposure before she is ready to share them. Will they find Renny and if they do, will they be able to get her home to Germany?

I have enjoyed this series due to the fact that I have learned what it was like to be German and live in Germany after the war ended. It wasn't rosy at all. It was hard, Jewish people were still hated, there was little food, homes were destroyed and so on. This book concentrates on trying to find loved ones that had been sent to the camps and survived. Of course, Reiner, Hanni's terrible father, and ex-Nazi is still around and she is still trying to uncover him and get him to pay for his crimes. My heart broke many times while reading this book. How terrible for Hanni who was only 4 when the war ended to have to relive all she went through and find out that the parents she was living with were not her own. The secrets eventually get revealed and there is terrible fall out that carries over to the next book. I recommend The Girl in the Photo and the series to those who enjoy WW2 stories, historical fiction about survivors and stories of rebuilding your life.

[Larmie Fahrendorff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This road is getting a bit long

This is the third book and there is still no ending. I am becoming impatient with Hanni's protracted drama, as well as Freddie's continued weakness. The story is becoming a soap opera.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Photo is the third book in the Hanni Winter series by Catherine Hokin and what an outstanding series it has been so far. It just seems to go from strength to strength and each new book pushes the story on very well whilst also maintaining the tension and mystery throughout. Hanni is a standout character who has been through so much but still harbours many secrets close to her chest and now some of those are edging ever closer to the surface. If they find the light of day will the relationship that she has worked so hard to build with Freddy come crashing down or is the love they have for one another strong enough to withstand the onslaught of new information that is about to come to light?

I have loved this series since book one The Commandant’s Daughter as it’s really different from the usual World War Two stories I have read. It goes beyond the war and focuses on the effects it had on people and how their actions during that time had such a lasting impact. I loved that within the first two books there was a mystery running alongside the main plot and it added even more excitement and intrigue to the story. Here I felt the story became more personal as what has been haunting Freddy really comes into play. I kept waiting for the mystery element to appear but it didn’t and I must confess to being slightly disappointed as I thought it had added so much to the first two books but then I pushed that minor gripe aside and really it’s my own selfishness wanting this as the storyline here was so strong and didn’t need any extra frills. We really got to the heart of what had been driving/haunting Freddy for so long and in doing so Hanni’s own secrets start to come to light and I knew it would be interesting to see how their two lives would intertwine even further and become affected by everything that was unfolding and developing.

The book has a beguiling opening. It’s 1944 and a young girl is in a room with other children in Theresienstadt, a place where death, horror and illness lingers around every corner. There are no toys or luxuries in the room and the threat of being taken away into the unknown and the worst occurring is ever present. The little girl knows she is called Renny and she spends all her time waiting. She knows her mother is gone but she believes she will be back. We then move forward to 1950 and in Berlin Hanni is celebrating the opening of her photography exhibition which has been a huge success. Hanni’s exhibition gets tongues wagging as it has photos of Theresienstadt. These images are tackling her past but the finer details she has kept secret from Freddy, the love of her life. She has long held secrets and silences and kept a curtain drawn around the life she had before and during the war.

When Freddy sees one of her photos he can’t believe his eyes. He is almost sure it is long lost sister Renny. He never gave up hope after all these years that he would find out exactly what had happened to her. Seeing this photo instils a spark in him that had lain dormant but never fully extinguished. He now knows that she was still alive in 1944.This leads to further questions -is there a chance that she is still out there somewhere? Why did Hanni never say she was at Theresienstadt and what else has she been keeping from him? His job as a detective has led him to have a keen eye for detail and he is determined to try and discover what happened to Renny.He wants the truth and will use any means necessary to get it? But at what cost will it come to his relationship with Hanni?

I found in the previous books and even throughout this story the further things developed that Hanni had numerous chances to tell him the truth and it became frustrating that she seemed to back down when opportunities presented themselves. She doesn’t fight hard enough to make him listen in order to share the truth and specific facts that have needed to be aired for quite some time. She really needed to trust Freddy enough to face up to herself and who she was and trust him enough that he will still love her when she reveals the truth. But I felt she knew that she was in too deep and that Freddy was very hot headed and carried such a lot of hatred and given the history of the whole situation both on their own individual levels, as a duo and just the general background and circumstances to Freddy being left with no members of his family she knew she was threading a very thin line. Was she just too comfortable in her new found happiness? Yet, the guilt and what she witnessed and experienced not to mention the connections between her evil father and the story as a whole she was caught between a rock and a hard place. But still I thought if she loved Freddy enough she would make that sacrifice but whether that occurred it remains to be seen?

I found the development of the story was just perfect. A very balanced opinion of all people involved in the core plot of the book was presented and as a reader I swayed back and forth as to the right thing to do and the further I delved into the story the more tense and dangerous things became which only increased my anxiety over the whole situation. For I desperately wanted a positive outcome that would work for everybody. That Freddy might be one of the lucky ones to find a lost relative from during the war and that Hanni could unburden herself without all the revelations destroying what she had worked so hard to build up.She had tried to put the past behind her but the past always has a way of catching up with you whether you wish it would or not.

Freddy embarks on a dangerous journey to Theresienstadt and beyond and I admired when Hanni finally got the courage to go with him whilst knowing that the information and silences she harbours will have a very detrimental affect on Freddy when they break free at the surface. For surely they must? I thought this quote summed up perfectly the emotions Hanni was wrestling with throughout the book-‘ His happiness matters more to me than mine, mine matters more to him than his’. Hatred, lies, murder, neglect, deprivation, pain and suffering all become apparent the further Freddy delves into the story of what happened to his sister. There were so many twists and turns that began to occur that to go into any specific detail would ruin the book but suffice to say I was glued to every page and swayed between joy and sadness as we raced towards the conclusion. What I will say is that Catherine Hokin is brave in the fact that readers want a certain resolution or outcome and in order to get there she is not giving her characters an easy time of it. She could sew things up all nice and neatly but instead hardship and raw emotion exist side by side right until the very last word. I was heartbroken and in a way bitter at what I was reading in the last quarter but upon reflection things needed to end the way they did to allow time, breathing space and reflection before we move on to the conclusion of Freddy and Hanni’s story in book four.

The Girl in the Photo is another brilliant book from Catherine Hokin. She has really found her voice with these Hanni Winters books. As I said I wanted more mystery/murder but then I realised the first two books provided this as a precursor to the main event which we got in book three. The overall plot right from the very first word of book one to the last of book three has just been so carefully and beautifully executed. Catherine Hokin, has taken her readers on a fabulous journey, one which you will want to go back to the beginning and start all over again for both Freddy and Hanni really get under your skin as they have such incredible and powerful voices.I really felt as if the author took control of everything and I would have gone in whichever direction she was leading.

There are no lulls or boring sections placed in the story as mere filler. Instead every word and action is so relevant in what are compelling, memorable and riveting stories and The Girl in the Photo is no exception. I am delighted there will be a final chapter to conclude Hanni’s story as things were left on such a cliff hanger and really I don’t want things to end the way they appearing to be at the moment. The web of lies and deceit still exist and need to be resolved and there have been many dangerous and unpredictable complications which have set us up nicely for the conclusion which I am very much looking forward too. If it’s anything of the calibre of the series so far myself and many readers will be in for a real treat.

[Sonal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Post WWII Berlin: Hanni is ecstatic to be having her very first photography exhibition, she cannot wait to show it off to her husband, Freddy. When Freddy recognizes his little sister in one of the photographs, Hanni's perfect life begins to unravel.
Desperate to find his sister, Freddy is unaware about Hanni's past and how she was able to take the photograph in the first place. Will the truth tear them apart?

I absolutely love WW2 stories and was excited to read this. I kept going, even when I wasn't gripped by the beginning. I struggled through the rest of the book only to be just as disappointed with the ending. Apparently, this is the third book with Hanni Winter as the protagonist. Maybe if I had read the first two books I would have felt like I knew her better. I wish we had gotten to know the other characters as well. I didn’t really care for Freddy and found him to be contradicting at times. For example,
Freddy has a hard time pretending to be a Nazi to get close to Novotny, and then in the very next paragraph he's mad at Hanni for wanting to behave morally.
Most of the book revolves around finding Renny and about Hanni's father, yet we barely get to know much about them. There were too few chapters with Renny's perspective. They were barely mentioned in the end, which makes me think there will be another book in the series. I personally doubt I will read it, as this one fell short for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book and a great addition to the Hanni Winter series. Hanni and Freddy are married now and Hanni holds her first photography exhibition where Freddy recognises his young sister in one of the photos. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, I found it to be very descriptive and I could picture post war Berlin and Prague in my mind when reading. Hanni travels to Prague with Freddy searching for his sister whilst keeping her own past and secrets from her husband. I liked that the author included Renny’s past memories from her time in camp and how she feels ‘different’ from other children. In Prague Hanni finds events spiralling out of her control, and faces the return of her father and someone from her past who reveal her history to Freddy. If there is one loathsome, hateful, vile character I cannot stand it is Hanni’s father and I really hope that in the next book he is caught, found out, faces justice and finally gets his come uppance. If the author wanted to create a character that her readers would hate, then she’s done very well here in my opinion. Overall this is a very absorbing and engaging book to read, it has a good plot line and held my attention and interest from start to finish. I would recommend this if you like historical fiction, although you really need to read the books in order to know the characters from the beginning. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[K.J. Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an emotional rollercoaster. From the moment that we joined the Hanni Winter series, we knew that her past would catch up with her. While she might have been an unwilling pawn in her father's evil ways and not directly responsible for anything that he has done, she hasn't been able to expose him or admit who she really is. Now, she is left with no choice but to finally face up to everything and admit who she really is. Facing the very real possibility of losing everything in the process.

I don't really want to give too much away here, the book was a great read and I wouldn't want to spoil anything. It left me on the edge of my seat and I really wanted everything to work out for Hanni and Freddie. I will say though, that we don't end this book with everything wrapped up in a neat bow. There's at least one more book to come and Hanni and mostly likely Freddie have much more to face.

These books are great reads. Set after the second world war they deal with the long shadow that the evil that occurred in that period cast. It's easy to think that Nazi Germany fell and everything was sunshine and flowers from that point on, but of course, that was far from the case, the scars were deep.

I can't wait to see what happens next for Hanni and I hope that things are finally going to be alright for her.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Catherine Hokin returns with a stunning historical novel set during the Second World War that readers will never forget: The Girl in the Photo.

Hanni Winter is showing her new husband Freddy the heart-breaking pictures she had captured during the war. The photos are full of sorrow and anguish, yet the reaction she gets from Freddy is completely unexpected. Ashen-faced Freddy is barely able to speak due to a photo Hanni had taken of a four year old child – his sister Renny, who had been taken by the Nazis.

Hanni has never managed to forget Renny, who despite of all the misery, sadness and cruelty around her had never once cried. Learning that she is her husband’s sister, Hanni will move mountains to find her – even if it means returning to the one place she swore never to set foot in and coming face to face with a man she fears more than any other. Will Hanni find the courage to fight again? Or will all of her hopes for the future be shattered forever by a past she can never escape?

Catherine Hokin is the queen of the heart-wrenching historical novel and she has outdone herself yet again with The Girl in The Photo. Wonderfully evocative and immensely poignant, The Girl in the Photo is an unputdownable tale of courage, survival, love and war from an outstanding storyteller historical fiction readers will be dazzled by.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I understand that not all books have happy endings especially post World War II. However, I could see a much better ending in my head than what was written down on paper. Hanni had many time many chances to talk to Freddy about her past, and it seemed unrealistic that she kept up the secret. She definitely should’ve done it before she got married and then again before they left for Terezín. It was wrong of her to not mention anything and then heartbreaking that her dad was the one who announced everything. I did not like the character of Renni, because Renni had to pretend to be the Novotny‘s daughter, knowing that she wasn’t just to survive. Hanni also had to pretend to laugh in that film in Theresienstadt; she had to pretend to be a good enough commandants daughter to survive, and her whole plan had been to use those photos to denounce her father, and get her father arrested, which never happened so they both had to pretend to survive, yet when Renni stormed off Freddy immediately chose Renni over Hanni and I feel they should’ve worked it out together, especially for the sake of their growing family. Their family would have been the perfect example of winning out over the Nazis. Not excited to see the conclusion but I am reading Her Last Promise hopeful for something good to happen or some growth in Renni. Yes she had a horrible childhood but it was up to Freddy to help rehabilitate her, and he didn’t even try.

[Caroline|Page~Turners · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Hanni Winter trilogy, the first book is The Commandant’s Daughter and the second book was The Pilot’s Girl. In this installment more of Hanni’s story comes to light. Hanni continues to pursue her love of photography and while showing some of her photos to her husband Freddy, he recognizes one of the faces in the photo. Freddy tells Hanni that the girl is Renny, his sister. It’s been six years since he saw his sister so the thought of never finding her isn’t something he is willing to live with. When Hanni and Freddy arrive back at the same concentration camp that uprooted their lives, the very place they never thought they could possibly survive. It is the place to start their search for Renny, because it was the last place they saw her.

This story had me completely engrossed from the first page to the very last. I absolutely loved Hanni and Freddy’s story of survival, of losing everything and rebuilding their lives together. This emotional read will have you reaching for the tissues. This story was the perfectly written conclusion of this phenomenal series. Thank you Catherine Hokin, I loved everything about this series, and I highly recommend it.

[loopyloulaura · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRIGGER WARNING: anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
1950, Hanni displays her wartime photos and her Jewish husband Freddy recognises a girl in one of the photos as his sister. This gives him hope that she survived the camps so the couple travel to Prague to try to find her. Hanni has been keeping her own past a secret but now she may need to call upon her Nazi ather for help...
The Girl in the Photo is the third book to feature Hannelore Foss who has reinvented herself as Hanni Winters. It works as a stand alone novel but I think it would help to create a deeper understanding of the characters if you read the books in order.
Hanni and Freddy have now married but she still hasn't revealed to him that she is the daughter of a high ranking Nazi. Freddy finally has hope that one of his own family survived the death camps and is desperate to find his little sister. They embark on a dangerous journey across national and political borders. The anti Jewish sentiments, as well as the brutality described, make this book uncomfortable to read at times but the author and Hanni's revulsion at these opinions is clear.
The majority of the book is written in 1950 to show Hanni and Freddy's journey. However we also see Renny's perspective as her mother leaves her and she is rescued by a Nazi wife going on the run. There is a huge emotional aspect to the book as we share Freddy's hope to be reunited, Renny's childish understanding of events, and the fear that grips Hanni. The pair have a personal mission in this book unlike the previous books where there was a killer to catch.
The Girl in the Photo has plenty of emotion and drama, and has been thoroughly researched.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in the Hanni Winter series and oh soo many emotions! Thank you to Bookouture for having me on the tour and for this review copy. I have enjoyed every book in this series and this one was no different.

In this installment, Freddy and Hanni are married and Hanni has a gallery opening for some of her pictures. Everything is going beautifully until Freddy comes face to face with a picture of his king lost sister. That’s when everything becomes real and Freddy becomes encouraged that she actually is alive. The search is on and Hanni’s horrible father makes an entry into the story. Can they find Renny alive or will Reiner mess things up as he always does?

So many thoughts on this novel. I loved it and I hope there will be another story. It was perfectly written, the details allowed me to envision the characters and setting exquisitely and the story kept me interested and wanting to read. Catherine knows how to tug at your heartstrings and keep you wanting more. Highly recommend this series, love, murder, mystery and remembering the most horrific times in our history, it’s a must read! Five stars!

[Sams_Fireside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the cover of this book! I’m not particularly maternal, but it makes me want to scoop the child up in my arms and protect her forever. The Girl in the Photo is my first Catherine Hokin novel and although it’s the third in a series, it absolutely doesn’t matter if you haven’t read any of the others. However, I guarantee that once you’ve read one, you’ll want to read more.

It’s 1950, and five years after the end of the Second World War. Hanni and Freddy are happily married until something happens at Hanni’s first photographic exhibition that will change both of their lives and something that will force the truth to come out.

There are many characters in The Girl in the Photo that you will despise and only a few you will grow fond of. Catherine Hokin makes this decision easy for you as she throws herself into her characters and brings them to life on the page. I travelled along with Hanni and Freddy and it was so easy to feel what they were feeling. I wanted to be with them every step of the way to help them in their quest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Girl in the Photo by Catherine Hokin.

[Sue Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

hanni winters has come a long way since the war ended.... but her one love of photography has never ended and this is her first exhibition with some startling results

her husband freddy is excited for her and has abstained from seeing any of her photos until the exhibition

but as the night goes on... startled shouts as someone claims to know the identity of one of the children in the photo from one of the worst places hanni had ever been Theresienstadt Concentration Camp...and as she makes her way through the crowds its to find her husband in front of a photo crying.... he has recognised his sister in the photo

and what follows is an extraordinary hunt for his sister with no known whereabouts their only hope is to go back to Theresienstadt and try and find the trail of his missing sister and all the time hanni's world is about to come crashing down before her

gut wrenching to read but so gripping

[Su Thor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely tale of how one man and his wife set out to find his sister. On another level it is a tale with many facets. In takes place in the post world war 2 era when those living hid their past. Either because of there experiences in the war which they wanted to forget or because they were on the wrong side and wanted to hide that for as long as possible.

In this story Catherine explores the legacy of a Jewish man who experienced the full horrors of the camps married to the daughter of a camp commandant. Not easy bed fellows - except the girl has kept her past hidden. Add to this the complexity of living in West Berlin, a divided city.

And so their journey begins in West Berlin and takes them through into East Berlin and on deep into iron curtain country, where life is tough, even if you have nothing to hide. This is an amazing tale which if you are unfamiliar with the politics of this time, this well written story will introduce you to it. Expect the expected and the unexpected. A gripping believable tale. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

[Sarahlovesbooks76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series. I hadn't read the previous two, and it did definitely hinder my understanding of this story. It would certainly help to read the series in order.

Hanni is a photographer, and has put on a exhibition. Husband Freddy has a massive shock when he recognises a child in one of her photos - it is his sister Renny, who was taken off to a concentration camp years before, and whom he thought was deceased. Can Hanni and Freddy discover is Renny is still alive, and bring her back to their family? Can Hanni explain exactly how she took the photo, and will she reveal her huge family secret to Freddy?

I struggled with this book, sadly. It's a period of history I am very interested in but I found this book to be quite unnecessarily wordy. I also didn't feel any kind of emotional link to any of the characters which made it harder to read. Perhaps if I had read the books in order it might have made a difference.

[Rachel Bustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure where to start, The Girl in the Photo was a brilliant read! Totally engaging, full of courage and grit and of course forbidden love. The setting in post-war Prague is beautiful, the way it’s written you will be right there in the picture with them.

The main character Hanni Winter is very strong and courageous. She knows right from wrong even if it means going against your own father. In this third book, we see Hanni and Freddy married, with Hanni presenting an exhibition of her photography work from bygone years. At the event Freddy recognised the little girl in one of the photos – it was his lost little sister.

Now we see Freddy and Hanni by his side travelling to Prague to find his missing sister. The journey is fraught with danger, whilst Hanni desperately tries to keep her secrets from him.

You will be totally absorbed in this one the plot is fab, and the ending, well, I can’t give away too much but you will be crying your eyes out!

[Lisa H · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️
Eye rolling. Predictable Unrealistic. Inconceivable. Unbelievable. The Girl in the Photo is book three in a series but can be a standalone. Find something better to read. The setting is mid 1940’s. Hanni is daughter of a German officer that oversaw many concentration camps. As an adult she is photographer. She marries a Jewish man (Freddie) and she lies of her heritage. IN THE 1940’s Yes, the marriage is started on lies, deception, and propaganda.
Hanni displays her photos at a gallery. Freddy recognizes his long lost baby sister from a camp in one of the photos. They travel from across Europe past all the gates and guards in search of his toddler sister, with minimum issues. IN THE 1940’s! I’ll be honest I continued and finished this book bc I read some positive reviews. Wish I quit when I wanted and not read reviews. Time waster.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for ARC read in exchange for my honest review

[Sarah Festa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hard-hitting instalment to this heartbreaking Post WW2 series.

What I love most about Hanni is that though she is good at heart, she quite often doesn't do the best thing when confronted with a bad situation. Which I think is realistic, not all hero's at heart know how to be the hero.

Freddie was a little frustrating in this book, but understandably so when on the hunt for his sister whom he had presumed dead for so long. So when the final showdown came, though I found myself saying you didn't help though did you Freddie?

Renny, I think was perfectly written as a child that had had to adapt to survive, I only wish we could have had more chapters with her perspective, but perhaps we will learn more about her in the final book.

The ending actually ripped my heart out but it teased some hope of a happy ending.

I can't wait for the last book in this series!

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an emotionally charged, suspense filled novel of a post-war search for family. Freddy is married to Hanna, an award winning photographer in Berlin. While both have connections to Theresienstadt prison and transfer center located in Czechoslovakia, neither has revealed their entire story.

Suddenly, a single photograph taken by Hanni, sets them off on an extremely dangerous search for Freddie’s sister.

Catherine Hokin has crafted a complex story with plenty of twists and turns. The main characters are so well developed the reader can feel their pulses. The setting is alive with great sensory imagery.

I have only read this book by Hokin, (Hanni Winter Book 3) and the abrupt ending suggests there will be Book 4. I certainly hope so because this was a highly intriguing story with so much potential for more.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book so far of the author's Hanni Winter series. The girl in the photo taken at Theresienstadt Concentration Camp turns out to be the lost sister of Hanni's husband and the search to find her is encompassed with complications, lies, deceit and manipulation--mostly because of Hanni's secret past. She's been married to Freddy five years and has managed to control everything in order to keep him unaware that her father was a Nazi Commandant. Hanni is so controlling and manipulative to shield her husband from the truth that you just know it's going to come back to hurt her. It's amazing how Hanni manages to deal with three bad men and not get herself exposed or killed.
The writing, dialog and deep thoughts of the characters are truly believable and heart wrenching at times. After a breather from this book I will be reading #4.

[Annmarie Kuyath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post WWll Berlin, Hanni is having her very first photography exhibition. She is excited to show her work to her husband Freddy, he recognizes his little sister in one of the photographs.  Freddy starts to try to find his sister, but is not aware of Hanni's past and how she was able to take the photo.  The truth may tear them apart.  
While the premise of this story is great, I did have a hard time with it.  It could be because it is the third book with Hanni, and I did not read the other two. Maybe if I had read them I would have gotten a better idea of the characters.  I thought it was hard to follow at times, that there were some important things missing and that it jumped from one thing to another at times.

Thank you to Netgallery for the ARC of this book.

[Mandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Photo is the third book in the Hanni Winter series, and she is now married to Freddy and about to embark on her first photography exhibition. Little does she know that this momentous event will have such a drastic impact on her life and will see all her hard kept secrets come to light.
The opening chapter sees a young girl left in Theresienstadt Concentration Camp by her mother when she is forced on to a train never to return. The wife of one of the officers takes a shine to her and when the war ends and they are forced to flee she takes the girl as her own. When Freddy sees the picture of this girl in Hanni’s exhibition he immediately recognises her as his little sister Renny and he is determined to find her. In a hope to contain her past Hanni has no choice to accompany Freddy on this dangerous quest
Freddy has always felt guilty that he somehow survived the war when his family didn’t so to find out that his sister may still be alive is something he has to investigate. He is so blinkered in his quest that you can see that he has no real thought to his safety or that of Hanni. He even ignores the advice of close friends who think crossing into Russian territory is a dangerous game that could result in disaster with nothing to show for it. Although we know the reason for her reluctance to look for Renny, she is determined to support him no matter what it may cost her or how the trip back to places she had hoped to have put behind her may make her feel.
You always know in the back of your mind that Hanni’s secrets will come back to haunt her and put her new life in jeopardy and that her father will be the cause of this. She is not the only one who wants to see her father brought to justice and it is these unknown forces that really put her in danger. Despite all her lies I still feel sorry for Hanni as her life implodes just when she and Freddy should be celebrating and moving forward. That being said I can also understand Freddy’s reaction as the wife he thought he knew turns out to be the daughter of the enemy. Only time will tell if they can ever come back from what he sees as the ultimate betrayal.
With two headstrong and stubborn characters this is a series that is really starting to grab my attention as I now have more unanswered questions and I cant wait to see if Freddy and Hanni will reconcile and build a future and if Hanni’s father will ever answer for his past crimes.