A bit of a hoot! Reilly has no pretentions to being a literary author but he does write thrilling page turners and this is no exception. The story of Hannah Fisher, childhood neighbour of Albert Einstein and a sort of female, super-intelligent Forrest Gump, is a romp through the horrors of Weimar Germany, prohibition New York and the rise and fall of the NAZI party. Hannah is forced by circumstances to give up studying physics and train as a secretary, a career that gives her access to the most powerful men of the era - from American industrialists, to top NAZIs and on occasion Einstein himself. Whilst the plot is sometimes ridiculous (twins!) and full of wild coincidences it's a cracking read and, I suspect, will act as a primer in early 20th century history to many younger people who may not have studied this at school. Given the current rise of right wing "strong men" around the world I would call this a timely book. ( )