Why am I passionate about this?

WW2 was part of my family history; my RAF father and three of his seven brothers had been volunteers; one was killed. Plunging into the rabbit warren of SOE, I discovered a secret world of agents and dangerous missions, heroism, and horrors experienced deep beneath the official historical narrative. Ordinary men and women threw themselves into selfless service, putting their need to stop the Nazis even above personal survival. These books are a tribute to all such unsung heroes. Their lives should not be in vain; they inspire me and might inspire YOU. These recommended books bring them back to life, if only through our admiration and respect. 


I wrote...

The Last Agent in Paris

By Sharon Maas,

Book cover of The Last Agent in Paris

What is my book about?

The daughter of a well-known Sufi master, an introverted, sensitive young woman who grew up soaked in music and spirituality,…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of She Landed By Moonlight: The Story of Secret Agent Pearl Witherington: the 'real Charlotte Gray'

Sharon Maas Why did I love this book?

I first read and loved this book six years ago while researching the work of undercover agents working in Europe during WW2. Back then, I wanted to know what such an agent did, how she trained, what her work consisted of, and what this book delivered. 

Plucked from obscurity, Pearl Witherington rose to be the leader of a 6000-man-strong group of Resisters in France. I was completely inspired by her confidence and courage and her ability to win the trust and respect of the men she led–men who initially doubted they could be led by a woman.

At the time of first reading, I was somewhat confused and even overwhelmed as the book goes into some detail concerning the betrayal and breakdown of the SOE networks in France. 

However, on a second reading recently, it was exactly these more informative chapters that most interested me, as they show the intrigue and the connections between individual agents, and now, several years down the line, the once-meaningless names are all familiar to me, and I enjoyed joining all the dots. In one case, my jaw dropped to the floor at the new information!

By Carole Seymour-Jones,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked She Landed By Moonlight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On the night of the 22 September 1943 Pearl Witherington, a twenty-nine-year-old British secretary and agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), was parachuted from a Halifax bomber into Occupied France. Like Sebastian Faulks' heroine, Charlotte Gray, Pearl had a dual mission: to fight for her beloved, broken France and to find her lost love. Pearl's lover was a Parisian parfumier turned soldier, Henri Cornioley, who had been taken prisoner while serving in the French Logistics Corps and subsequently escaped from his German POW camp.

Agent Pearl Witherington's wartime record is unique and heroic. As the only woman agent in…


Book cover of Madame Fiocca

Sharon Maas Why did I love this book?

Nancy Wake’s story is that of a true heroine. I was captivated by it when I first read about it years ago while researching the SOE for my own novels. Already in the opening chapters, I was riveted.

I could fully identify with Nancy’s urge for adventure and world travel: she left her home country, Australia, for England and France at a very young age, just as I had left Guyana, South America, for India and Europe in my early twenties.

Like Pearl Witherington, Nancy was recruited as an SOE agent and dropped into France to work clandestinely as an agent. Reading stories of such tremendous bravery inspires me to find my own strength in times of hardship, and basically to always count my blessings and be a better human being. I realize how fortunate I am in my own safe and comparatively privileged life, and it helps me not only to be grateful but to be humble.

By Suzy Henderson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Madame Fiocca as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

She risked everything for her country, but now she's fighting for her life.

A gripping tale of love and espionage in Occupied France, based on true events.

February 1933: When her aunt gifts her two hundred pounds, twenty-year-old Nancy Wake embarks on a world cruise. Afterwards, she becomes a journalist and finds work in Paris. The city is glamorous, brimming with journalists, artists, and refugees. While travelling across Europe on assignments, she catches the eye of wealthy industrialist Henri Fiocca, but romance is the last thing on her mind. Later, when they meet again, destiny intervenes. But as the clouds…


Book cover of Carve Her Name with Pride: The Story of Violette Szabo

Sharon Maas Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it made me cry: twice! Such a moving and inspiring story. The heroine in this case is Violette Szabo, who was only twenty-two years old when her husband, Etienne, a captain in the French Foreign Legion, lost his life in the battle at El Alamein.

The tragedy of his death was what catapulted her into her mission with the SOE as an underground agent working with the French maquisards to sabotage and subvert everything German. Her bravery, her indomitable character, and her calmness under pressure are what kept me turning the pages; I just couldn’t wait to see whether or not she’d survive, whether she’d ever see the baby daughter she’d left behind in England ever again.

By R.J. Minney,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Carve Her Name with Pride as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Carve Her Name With Pride is the inspiring story of the half-French Violette Szabo who was born in Paris Iin 1921 to an English motor-car dealer, and a French Mother. She met and married Etienne Szabo, a Captain in the French Foreign Legion in 1940. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Tania, her husband died at El Alamein. She became a FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) and was recruited into the SOE and underwent secret agent training. Her first trip to France was completed successfully even though she was arrested and then released by the French Police. On June…


Book cover of Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became World War II's Most Highly Decorated Spy

Sharon Maas Why did I love this book?

I’d never heard of Odette Samson before starting this book, even though I’d been researching SOE agents for years. But only a few pages in, I knew that Odette was truly one of the greats and that this read would be in my Great WW2 Heroine category.

I HAD, of course, heard of Peter Churchill (no relation to Winston!), who crops up again and again in books about SEO, and who also plays a major role in this book. I loved how Odette, even in the worst circumstances, never lost faith and never gave up; she had an inner strength that kept her going even in the most horrific circumstances, and even in the greatest suffering, she was able to give strength and hope to others.

World War 2 produced many men and women of enormous resilience and character strength; Odette was one of them. 

By Larry Loftis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Code Name as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist
Florida Book Awards Silver Medalist
Featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, New York Newsday, and on Today!
Best Nonfiction Books to Read in 2019-Woman's Day
The Best Nonfiction Books Coming Out This Year-BookBub
"A nonfiction thriller."-The Wall Street Journal

From New York Times and international bestselling author of the "gripping" (Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Into the Lion's Mouth comes the extraordinary true story of Odette Sansom, the British spy who operated in occupied France and fell in love with her commanding officer during World War II-perfect…


Book cover of The Paris Agent

Sharon Maas Why did I love this book?

I knew I’d love this book even before I read it, as I’ve read almost everything by this author and loved all her work. What a treat to find that she had written a WW2 novel with heroic characters inspired by the SOE agents Diana Rowden and Violette Szabo!

But I particularly loved this book because it brings to life a disturbing event that has haunted me since I visited the French concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof in 2018.

This camp was primarily for male political prisoners, but in 1944, four women were brought there and put to death by lethal injection and then cremated in the camp’s oven. Diana Rowden was one of those four agents.

It’s a stretch to say I “loved” the fact that this book brought this horrific scene to life through the Diana Rowden character. No, I didn’t “love” it–but it chilled me to the bone and made what had been a vague moment in history into sharp relief, and that was another reason to list this book as one of the Greats.

By Kelly Rimmer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Paris Agent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say and The Warsaw Orphan, Kelly Rimmer—for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz!

A “MOST ANTICIPATED TITLE” by Harper's Bazaar B&N Reads BookBub Goodreads Fresh Fiction"The author’s research has captured the tension that those who lived through that time experienced at deep levels. Kelly Rimmer’s scenes in both eras are fraught with anxiety, urging the reader to keep turning the page, anxious to learn about each character’s experiences, right up to the very end." — New York Journal of Books

For fans of fast-paced…


Explore my book 😀

The Last Agent in Paris

By Sharon Maas,

Book cover of The Last Agent in Paris

What is my book about?

The daughter of a well-known Sufi master, an introverted, sensitive young woman who grew up soaked in music and spirituality, Noor Inayat Khan seemed completely unsuited for the dangerous and violent work of Britain’s secret WW2 agency, the SOE. The mission: destroy the Nazi stranglehold of France through sabotage and subterfuge.

Noor answered the call. Her mission as a wireless operator hunted by the Gestapo was the most perilous of all. Life expectancy: six weeks. But within days, the Gestapo captured her co-agents one by one. Her Paris network fell like a house of cards. As the last one standing, it was up to Noor to pick up the pieces, rebuild the shattered network, and continue the task. Then she, too, was betrayed and captured…

Book cover of She Landed By Moonlight: The Story of Secret Agent Pearl Witherington: the 'real Charlotte Gray'
Book cover of Madame Fiocca
Book cover of Carve Her Name with Pride: The Story of Violette Szabo

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My Year of Casual Acquaintances

By Ruth F. Stevens,

Book cover of My Year of Casual Acquaintances

Ruth F. Stevens Author Of My Year of Casual Acquaintances

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list. 

Ruth's book list on smart, quirky women facing personal struggles

What is my book about?

When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?

Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…

My Year of Casual Acquaintances

By Ruth F. Stevens,

What is this book about?

"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author

When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.

With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in France, the Special Operations Executive, and women spies?

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