Code Name Hélène

February 1, 2020
A historical novel explores the intersection of love and war in the life of Australian-born World War II heroine Nancy Grace Augusta Wake. Lawhon's (I Was Anastasia, 2018, etc.) carefully researched, lively historical novels tend to be founded on a strategic chronological gambit, whether it's the suspenseful countdown to the landing of the Hindenberg or the tale of a Romanov princess told backward and forward at once. In her fourth novel, she splits the story of the amazing Nancy Wake, woman of many aliases, into two interwoven strands, both told in first-person present. One begins on Feb. 29th, 1944, when Wake, code-named Hélène by the British Special Operations Executive, parachutes into Vichy-controlled France to aid the troops of the Resistance, working with comrades "Hubert" and "Denden"--two of many vividly drawn supporting characters. "I wake just before dawn with a full bladder and the uncomfortable realization that I am surrounded on all sides by two hundred sex-starved Frenchmen," she says. The second strand starts eight years earlier in Paris, where Wake is launching a career as a freelance journalist, covering early stories of the Nazi rise and learning to drink with the hardcore journos, her purse-pooch Picon in her lap. Though she claims the dog "will be the great love of [her] life," she is about to meet the hunky Marseille-based industrialist Henri Fiocca, whose dashing courtship involves French 75 cocktails, unexpected appearances, and a drawn-out seduction. As always when going into battle, even the ones with guns and grenades, Nancy says "I wear my favorite armor...red lipstick." Both strands offer plenty of fireworks and heroism as they converge to explain all. The author begs forgiveness in an informative afterword for all the drinking and swearing. Hey! No apologies necessary! A compulsively readable account of a little-known yet extraordinary historical figure--Lawhon's best book to date.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 24, 2020
Lawhon, who masterfully combined fact and fiction in I Was Anastasia, does so again with this gripping thriller based on the life of Nancy Wake, an Australian expat who worked as a reporter for Hearst in Paris just before WWII and later as a spy for the British. Lawhon throws readers into the middle of the action, as Nancy, under the alias Hélène, prepares to parachute from an RAF plane into France to help the Resistance in 1944, carrying in her head memorized lists of vital data, including bridges targeted for destruction and safe house addresses. After she lands, the story flashes back eight years, as Nancy struggles for respect and recognition as a journalist; despite her firsthand observations of Nazi brutality in 1930s Vienna, her editor is reluctant to publish a story about what she’s seen. Frequent jumps in time draw out the arc of Wake’s remarkable life; despite her statement early on that women’s weapons of warfare were limited to “silk stockings and red lipstick,” by the end she’s proven herself skillful at physical combat as well. Lawhon’s vivid, fast-paced narrative will keep readers turning the pages, and a detailed afterword makes plain how much of the account is factual. This entertaining tale does justice to Lawhon’s larger-than-life subject.

Starred review from April 1, 2020

In 1936 Paris, freelance journalist Nancy Wake meets two men. One is destined to be the love of her life; the other, a political refugee, changes the course of her life through his harrowing story. Traveling to Vienna, a city under the spell of Adolf Hitler and his Brownshirts, Nancy witnesses the torture and terror inflicted on Jewish residents and those who resist. In Berlin, she also stumbles upon a rally led by Hitler where she experiences the fanaticism that he inspires. She returns to Paris changed and determined to report what she has seen. As the Germans begin their march toward Europe, Nancy is unable to ignore the desperation of those fleeing or determined to fight. She joins the Resistance and leads dangerous escape routes through France and becomes one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance. VERDICT Based on the real-life exploits of "socialite spy" Nancy Wake, Lawhon's (I Was Anastasia) story presents Wake's heroism, alongside the bravery and sacrifice of all who fought, giving hope that even in the darkest times there are real-life heroes. Readers will be transfixed by this story of a woman who should be a household name.--Susan Santa, Shelter Rock P. L., Albertson, NY

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2020
Lawhon's magnificent fourth novel dramatizes the valor of a gutsy, real-life woman molded by war, sacrifice, and love. In February 1944, sporting her trademark red lipstick, Nancy Wake parachutes into the French countryside on a Special Operations Executive mission to organize, fund, arm, and train the Maquis, bands of local resistance fighters, in preparation for D-Day. Back in 1936, with increasing dangers posed by Hitler, Nancy is a determined Australian expat journalist embarking on a tantalizing romance with handsome industrialist Henri Fiocca. As these separate time lines move forward, they play off one another masterfully, pivoting at just the right moment to augment tension. Lawhon carries us into the heart of the French resistance, with the beautiful Auvergne region covertly transformed into a gritty battleground, and into the mind of a badass heroine with uncanny instincts who takes on the Nazis and men's arrogant sexism with uncommon bravado. With her infectious laugh and occasionally profane dialogue, Nancy's fighting spirit shines through her propulsive narrative, and her comrades-in-arms are well-rendered secondary characters. Her journey to becoming a fierce, powerful leader is as emotionally stirring as her growing bond with Henri. Even long after the last page is turned, this astonishing story of Wake's accomplishments will hold readers in its grip. WOMEN IN FOCUS(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from February 1, 2020
A historical novel explores the intersection of love and war in the life of Australian-born World War II heroine Nancy Grace Augusta Wake. Lawhon's (I Was Anastasia, 2018, etc.) carefully researched, lively historical novels tend to be founded on a strategic chronological gambit, whether it's the suspenseful countdown to the landing of the Hindenberg or the tale of a Romanov princess told backward and forward at once. In her fourth novel, she splits the story of the amazing Nancy Wake, woman of many aliases, into two interwoven strands, both told in first-person present. One begins on Feb. 29th, 1944, when Wake, code-named H�l�ne by the British Special Operations Executive, parachutes into Vichy-controlled France to aid the troops of the Resistance, working with comrades "Hubert" and "Denden"--two of many vividly drawn supporting characters. "I wake just before dawn with a full bladder and the uncomfortable realization that I am surrounded on all sides by two hundred sex-starved Frenchmen," she says. The second strand starts eight years earlier in Paris, where Wake is launching a career as a freelance journalist, covering early stories of the Nazi rise and learning to drink with the hardcore journos, her purse-pooch Picon in her lap. Though she claims the dog "will be the great love of [her] life," she is about to meet the hunky Marseille-based industrialist Henri Fiocca, whose dashing courtship involves French 75 cocktails, unexpected appearances, and a drawn-out seduction. As always when going into battle, even the ones with guns and grenades, Nancy says "I wear my favorite armor...red lipstick." Both strands offer plenty of fireworks and heroism as they converge to explain all. The author begs forgiveness in an informative afterword for all the drinking and swearing. Hey! No apologies necessary! A compulsively readable account of a little-known yet extraordinary historical figure--Lawhon's best book to date.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.