The Last Secret Agent

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

When Pippa LaTour walked out of the French countryside after the Americans liberated the country, she had been behind enemy lines for months.  She spent her time in the country sending coded reports back to London as a wireless operator under cover as a young girl selling her grandparents’ soap.  But once she left France, Pippa didn’t speak of her time there again.  Under a British order requiring secrecy of all covert affairs during WWII, Pippa kept her vital work secret from even her husband and children until one discovered her truth online a few years ago.  With the help of journalist Jude Dobson, Pippa chose to finally set the record straight on her service.  This memoir details not only the moments that brought Pippa distinguished awards for her service, but also her challenging childhood that set her up for success in her later life.  This is the story of The Last Secret Agent that operated behind enemy lines and the people who helped her send the messages and bring down the enemy.

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I give The Last Secret Agent 5 out of 5 stars.  So much of this memoir felt like the historical fiction novel – the drama and suspense throughout kept me on the edge of my seat!  There were a few moments though where Pippa’s current day thoughts came through and “broke the third wall” so to speak – that detracted from the overall feel of the book.  I found the inclusion of both good and bad moments a positive for this book – it could not have been easy to carry these secrets or to retell them after all these years, but they lend an air of authenticity to Pippa’s story. 

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I have read a few other biographies and historical fiction novels about the female wireless operators who, like Pippa, were dropped behind enemy lines via parachute, many of whom were mentioned by Pippa in this book.  If you loved Code Name Madeline by Arthur J Magida or The Heroines of SOE by Beryl E. Escott, you will love this book!  With themes of war, gun violence, and Nazi brutality, I would direct this book to more mature audiences over 13.  I would also caution this book to readers who may be sensitive to sexual assault and war crimes as this book could be triggering.

I have had a fascination with World War II since I first interviewed my grandfather about his time with the liberation forces in France as a middle schooler.  I learned about the women of the SOE only a few years ago though and have been even more fascinated with them directly.  When I noticed this book available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read this and hear from an SOE agent directly.  Pippa LaTour had an incredible life and this memoir is fantastic!

The Last Secret Agent will release May 13^th – just in time for Memorial Day here in the States.  You can pre-order your copy today on our Bookshop.org page!

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• Current print book: Greetings from Somewhere Else, Monica McInerney
• Current audio book: The Deathly Grimm, Kathryn Purdie
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Light a Penny Candle, Maeve Binchy