Code Name Lise by Larry Loftis - 4 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis - 4* - My Review

Biography of Odette Samson, mother of three, who became a spy for the British working in Vichy France during World War II. The reader learns about how she initially got involved, her rigorous training regimen, work with the network of British spies in France, and involvement with fellow spy Peter Churchill. One of the quick decisions she made upon capture helped Peter survive his imprisonment. It contains a wealth of historic details and is written in an accessible manner. All of the dialogue is traceable to sourced documentation. The first three quarters of the book flows well and is an amazing true story of dedication and bravery. The last quarter is necessary to follow through on life after the war but is not quite as gripping. It is, of course, a story of war and contains some extremely difficult subject matter (e.g., torture and life in the concentration camps). I found it fascinating. If you enjoy books like this, you may also want to check out D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose, which features five female spies, including Odette Samson.

PBT Comments: I found this one on JoAnne's Clerk Board for the Subdue the Shelf game.

[Joanne]

Glad you found it Joy, and enjoyed it. I have it here in hard cover and have put it off for a while (which is why it is on that board!). Your review tells me it still deserves a place on my TBR, so thanks for that!

[Joy D]

I am glad too. I think you will enjoy it, JoAnne.