The Lost Girls of Paris

December 1, 2018
Fictional account of the unsung women operatives who helped pave the way for D-Day.Jenoff's (The Orphan's Tale, 2017, etc.) latest alternates between postwar America and war-torn Europe. The novel opens in 1946 as Grace, whose soldier husband died in an accident, is trying to reinvent herself in New York City. In Grand Central terminal she stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase, wherein she discovers several photos of young women. Soon, she learns that the suitcase's owner, Eleanor, recently arrived from London, has been killed by a car. Flashback to 1943: Eleanor, assistant to the Director of Britain's Special Operations Executive, suggests sending women agents to France to transmit radio intelligence on Nazi movements in aid of the Resistance and the coming Allied invasion. Women, she points out, are less conspicuous masquerading as civilians than men. A native speaker of French, Marie is an ideal candidate. After rigorous training, she is dropped into an area north of Paris, with scant instructions other than to send wireless transmissions as directed by her handler, Julian, code-named Vesper. For reasons not adequately fleshed out, Grace feels compelled to learn more about the women pictured and their connection with Eleanor. With the help of her late husband's best friend, Mark, a burgeoning love interest, Grace accesses SOE records in Washington, D.C., only to find puzzling evidence that Eleanor may have betrayed her own agents. We hardly see Marie in action as a radio operator; we know of her transmissions from France mainly through Eleanor, the recipient, who immediately suspects something is off--but her superiors ignore her warnings. In any spy thriller clear timelines are essential: Jenoff's wartime chronology is blurred by overly general date headings (e.g., London, 1944) and confusing continuity. Sparsely punctuated by shocking brutality and defiant bravery, the narrative is, for the most part, flabby and devoid of tension. Overall, this effort seems rushed, and the sloppy language does nothing to dispel that impression.A sadly slapdash World War II adventure.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2018
Inspired by actual historical events, internationally best-selling Jenoff (The Orphan's Tale?, 2017) reaches back in time to craft another gripping WWII-era tale. In 1946, still grieving from the tragic loss of her husband, Grace Healey stumbles across an abandoned suitcase in Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal. Overwhelmed by curiosity, she opens the suitcase, discovering a cache of photographic portraits of 12 women. Intrigued and inspired by these photographs, she sets out on a quest to uncover not only the identity of the suitcase owner but also the links that irrevocably bind these women to one another. As the novel unfolds, Grace discovers that the women were members of an Allied spy ring based in London. Sent to occupied Europe to aid and abet Resistance movements, they never returned. Grace becomes more and more attached to their individual and collective stories as details of their activities and eventual fates begin to emerge. Jenoff breathes life into the tale of a committed "Band of Sisters" who displayed boundless courage in the face of historically dire circumstances, creating a compelling and exciting read. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Book-club favorite Jenoff's new WWII tale of a dozen brave women spies is so captivating, it's being launched with an enormous print run and similarly big promotional campaign.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2019

In 1946 New York, newly widowed legal secretary Grace Healy stumbles upon a suitcase labeled with the name Trigg containing a dozen photos of women with only first names and no other identifiers. She learns it belongs to Eleanor Trigg, an outsider with a painful past and the leader of a group of secret female agents sent from London into occupied Europe during the war. These young women, who posed as radio operators, were charged with sabotaging the Germans and arming the citizens. Grace feels a connection to Eleanor and the girls, yearning to discover why they never made it home, and creating an element of mystery to the story. She's especially drawn to single-mother Marie, who was sent to Paris and served in Trigg's Vesper circuit under the direction of roguishly handsome Julian. In the City of Light, passion and heartache greet the brave patriot. VERDICT Jenoff (The Orphan's Tale) seamlessly weaves the stories of three remarkable women in this fast-paced title that boasts an intriguing plot and strong female characters. Recommended for fans of Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls and Kate Quinn's The Alice Network. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]--Laura Jones, Argos Community Schs., IN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2019

Once again, Jenoff crafts fiction inspired by World War II, this time introducing us to war widow Grace Healy, who in 1946 finds a suitcase at New York's Grand Central terminal filled with photographs of women. Learning that the women were spies deployed out of London during the war and that 12 never returned home, Grace determines to uncover their stories. Jenoff's signature piece, The Orphan's Tale, has sold over 350,000 copies.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.