This chronicle of WWII espionage in France is part thriller, part history, and part romance. Kate Reading does a solid job as narrator. She voices Odette Sansom, the French-born British agent, with French-inflected English and pronounces French and German names, places, and titles with ease and clarity. She is less strong with male English voices, but it is a small weakness. The pacing is good, especially in the later chapters when Odette and her supervisor, who are in love, are pursued by a French policeman in the mold of Inspector Javert of LES MISÉRABLES. The scenes of Odette’s imprisonment and torture are harrowing. Reading rightly offers no false theatrics in these passages, letting the words speak for themselves. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy
Narrated by Kate Reading
Larry LoftisUnabridged — 9 hours, 59 minutes
Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy
Narrated by Kate Reading
Larry LoftisUnabridged — 9 hours, 59 minutes
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Overview
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 for fans of Unbroken, The Nightingale, and Code Girls.
The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father's footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission. It is here that she meets her commanding officer Captain Peter Churchill.
As they successfully complete mission after mission, Peter and Odette fall in love. All the while, they are being hunted by the cunning German secret police sergeant, Hugo Bleicher, who finally succeeds in capturing them. They are sent to Paris's Fresnes prison, and from there to concentration camps in Germany where they are starved, beaten, and tortured. But in the face of despair, they never give up hope, their love for each other, or the whereabouts of their colleagues.
In Code Name: Lise, Larry Loftis paints a portrait of true courage, patriotism, and love-of two incredibly heroic people who endured unimaginable horrors and degradations. He seamlessly weaves together the touching romance between Odette and Peter and the thrilling cat and mouse game between them and Sergeant Bleicher. With this amazing testament to the human spirit, Loftis proves once again that he is adept at writing “nonfiction that reads like a page-turning novel” (Parade).
Editorial Reviews
12/03/2018
With evident sympathy, Loftis (Into the Lion’s Mouth) tells a well-researched, novelistic story of a heroine and patriot whose face recently graced a postage stamp in the U.K. This exciting portrait of Odette Sansom, a French Mata Hari at the forefront of the Resistance, vividly captures her years in occupied France, complete with lively dialogue. Marriage to an Englishman finds Odette raising a family in Somerset when, at age 30, she is recruited by the spy branch of England’s War Office, known as Special Operations Executive, or SOE, to help “set Europe ablaze.” Loftis follows Odette as she undergoes rigorous training, assumes a new identity (“Lise”), and is shipped abroad. Guided by a strong moral imperative in her fight against Nazis, Odette risked her life on multiple occasions yet managed to cheat death each time; at one point she opines that nothing she endured could compare with the pain of being separated from her children. Meanwhile, she became entangled with her supervisor, Capt. Peter Churchill (no relation to Winston), and their love is the stuff of romance novels. Swift and entertaining, Loftis’s work reads less like a biography and more like a thriller. Photos. Agent: Keith Urbahn, Javelin. (Jan.)
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist
Florida Book Awards Silver Medalist
Best Nonfiction Books to Read in 2019—Woman's Day
The Best Nonfiction Books Coming Out This Year—BookBub
The 10 Best Nonfiction Books Coming Out In January 2019—Bustle
Best Books of January 2019—Amazon
7 Essential True Crime Books for January—CrimeReads
Book of the Month (Jan.)—Palm Beach Book Festival
January 2019 Book Recommendations —Book Riot
"A nonfiction thriller."—Wall Street Journal
"This is a great book! ... A remarkable story. I hope someone's bought the movie rights." —The TODAY Show
“Reading like a thrilling spy novel and the most exciting sort of non-fiction—well researched, well written, and fast paced enough to keep the pages turning—this will interest fans of the history of espionage, World War II history, military history, women’s history, and biography.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“With evident sympathy, Loftis tells a well-researched, novelistic story of a heroine and patriot...Swift and entertaining, Loftis’s work reads less like a biography and more like a thriller.”—Publishers Weekly
"A true-life thriller...page-turner...Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger...A vivid history of wartime heroism."—Kirkus Reviews
"Larry Loftis, who seems to specialize in World War II espionage, relates [Odette Sansom's story] in thriller style." —New York Times Book Review
"Extraordinary bravery ... made this woman one of World War II's most remarkable spies. That she survived the war was almost miraculous."—TIME
"The stuff of classic World War II thrillers."—Newsday
"A story of sheer bravery and survival that should astound even an avid reader of military history. A splendid read about a splendid woman." —Washington Times
"At last the unsung upstarts are getting their due. Sansom ... survived being burned and having her toenails pulled out. She never divulged the information the Germans wanted." —The Atlantic
"How an 'ordinary' mom of three became Britain's most decorated WWII spy."—New York Post
“Continues the scholarly thriller style of Into the Lion’s Mouth.”—Orlando Sentinel
"Written in the style of a thriller, this is a thrilling account of the exploits of World War II’s most highly decorated spy, Odette Sansom."—Daily Mail (UK)
"Loftis brings history to life, shining a light on a truly remarkable woman, reminding us of her spirit, determination and courage... Bravo!"—Woman’s Weekly (UK)
"Incredibly brave, Odette showed super-human courage, intelligence and perseverance after she and the man she loved were captured. Peter and Odette's love story is central to Code Name: Lise, [and] Loftis describes the depth of affection that unfolded between them as they risked their lives for their country." —Daily Mirror (UK)
"Near the end of this wartime tale about a clandestine couple, you hope somebody will make a movie out of the thriller-like plot." —Military Times
"Loftis gives Sansom the epic story her experience warrants, full of spycraft, complex and important missions, incredible feats of bravery, and love."—CrimeReads
"Fascinating ... A page-turner, especially the final third of the book which provides a riveting account of the mayhem of the final days of WWII ... Loftis’ meticulous research is evident throughout." —The Cipher Brief
"Readers will not want to put this book down...A spy thriller instead of a dry biography."—MilitaryPress.com
"[A] fascinating story of resistance and romance." —Daily Beast
"Nonfiction that is written like a novel ... If you like spy novels/biographies don’t miss this one." —Book Riot
"This is a well-written book, almost a romance novel, almost a horror story, almost a war story, that can leave the reader somewhat breathless. The author has that knack of shifting the emphasis onto another detail just when the narrative gets exciting. This enhances the book greatly .... A cracking book from one end to the other." —NB Magazine (UK)
"Reads like a thriller and a romance, yet is solid history.” —Galveston County Daily News
"Captivating. Odette was one helluva fighter. Loftis is one helluva writer, who tells her story like a novel. ... I'm calling it now: This will be a movie." —Lauren Daley, South Coast Today
"Code Name: Lise is impossible to put down. Suffused with romance, told with a novelist’s eye for page-turning thrills and the historian’s acumen for facts, Loftis brings to colorful life a hero for our time, Odette Sansom. Like Unbroken and Code Girls, Odette Sansom’s story is epic, intensely personal, emotionally rich, and hard to forget.”—Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 12 Strong and In Harm’s Way
"An exciting, suspenseful, inspirational tale. You will love this book." —Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Backlash
"An astonishing story of love, survival, and almost unimaginable courage. Code Name: Lise is non-fiction that reads like a thriller and will keep readers riveted."—Tilar Mazzeo, New York Times bestselling author of Irena’s Children
“Code Name: Lise is a grand adventure, part thriller, part love story, and full of wonderful details about the tradecraft of wartime espionage and the bravery of unsung heroes. A remarkable achievement that does honor to its subject. I hope someone takes it to the big screen as it has everything.”—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Switch and Judgment
"Larry has a knack for finding untold stories that read more like fiction than fact, and he's done it again with Code Name: Lise. Having grown up reading about the Jedburgh teams - the forerunners of US Special Forces - I found the story riveting, not the least because it's true, and Larry's relentless research makes Odette Sansom's heroics leap off the page, putting her in the pantheon of our own Special Forces heroes."—Brad Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of War
“Loftis delivers a tale of courage, daring, valor—and love—for the ages. Code Name: Lise is the closest history comes to a romance novel.”—Elizabeth Cobbs, New York Times bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair
“Larry Loftis brings the past to life with a brilliantly researched and executed tale of one woman's unparalleled heroism in occupied France during World War II. A riveting true story of love, betrayal and sacrifice, as engaging as any thriller, and not to be missed.”—Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mission Critical
“Larry Loftis has crafted a true thriller, a highly entertaining account of the most highly decorated spy of WW2. A great read.”
–Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The First Wave and Avenue of Spies
"Another masterpiece from Larry Loftis, the king of nonfiction thrillers. If you try just one nonfiction book this year, there's no question ... it should be this one."—The Real Book Spy
"Loftis's detail of Sansom's life reads like a spy thriller, but with the research of a nonfiction narrative, covering one of the best stories of clandestine heroism during the Second World War." —WeAreTheMighty.com
"Loftis keeps the action going at the pace of a novel—escapes, torturous Gestapo interrogations, even a little romance—all based on documents and recorded interviews. The result is a complex, grey-area world, with loyalties shifting and turning on a dime." —Beachcomber
PRAISE FOR INTO THE LION'S MOUTH
"Gripping ... This one will keep you planted in your reading chair from start to finish."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A work of non-fiction that's more thriller than biography."—USA Today
"A sensational book, telling a remarkable true story that few know, even those in the intelligence business. Written in the style of the best spy thrillers, the book is impossible to put down."—Michael Morell, CIA Director (acting 2011, 2012-13)
Larry Loftis brings the past to life with a brilliantly researched and executed tale of one woman's unparalleled heroism in occupied France during World War II. A riveting true story of love, betrayal and sacrifice, as engaging as any thriller, and not to be missed.
Loftis delivers a tale of courage, daring, valor—and love—for the ages. Code Name: Lise is the closest history comes to a romance novel.
This chronicle of WWII espionage in France is part thriller, part history, and part romance. Kate Reading does a solid job as narrator. She voices Odette Sansom, the French-born British agent, with French-inflected English and pronounces French and German names, places, and titles with ease and clarity. She is less strong with male English voices, but it is a small weakness. The pacing is good, especially in the later chapters when Odette and her supervisor, who are in love, are pursued by a French policeman in the mold of Inspector Javert of LES MISÉRABLES. The scenes of Odette’s imprisonment and torture are harrowing. Reading rightly offers no false theatrics in these passages, letting the words speak for themselves. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2018-10-18
A true-life thriller centers around a defiant woman who spied for Britain.
Loftis (Into the Lion's Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real Life Inspiration for James Bond, 2016) recounts the story of Odette Sansom (1912-1995), a Frenchwoman living in England, wife of an Englishman and mother of 3 daughters, who was recruited into Britain's Special Operations Executive program to conduct espionage in France during World War II. Drawing on interviews, oral histories, and memoirs of key players (including Odette's commander, lover, and eventually second husband, Peter Churchill), Loftis creates a tense narrative filled with verbatim conversations among more than 30 main characters. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, and though the prose is peppered with clichés—Peter and Odette were drawn to each other "like magnets"; they were "at the bridge of the river of love"; when the Gestapo added Peter's name to their blacklist, "it seemed only a matter of time that lady luck would succumb to the odds"—the author creates a readable page-turner about Odette's dangerous missions. Although at first reluctant to join the SOE, Odette desperately wanted to help the war effort. Leaving her daughters in a convent school and with relatives, she joined the rigorous training program, becoming proficient with a wide range of weapons, learning the fine points of spycraft—such as distinguishing the uniforms and ranks of Vichy, Axis, Gestapo, SS, and Luftwaffe soldiers—and perfecting her new identity with the code name Lise. Once under Peter's command in France, she proved herself fearless. Hunted by the Germans, in 1943, Odette and Peter were captured, imprisoned, and tortured. Loftis describes Odette's ordeal in grisly detail, and she spent months certain that she was about to be executed. But two lies saved her: She pretended that she and Peter were married (they would be after the war) and that Peter was related to Winston Churchill. After their defeat, the Gestapo hoped to use her as a bargaining chip.
A vivid history of wartime heroism.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940171149444 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | 01/15/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 1,210,760 |
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