Hélène: A Novel

"The thrilling real-life story of socialite spy Nancy Wake is the basis for the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times best-selling author of I Was Anastasia. Code Name Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice, and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name. This fully animated portrait of Nancy Wake will fascinate readers of World War II history and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women alike," says Lisa Wingate, number one New York Times best-selling author of Before We Were Yours.

In 1936, Nancy Wake, an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris, bluffs her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper. There, she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca, and their whirlwind romance leads to Nancy becoming Mrs. Fiocca. However, their newfound happiness is short-lived, as the Germans invade France. Nancy takes on the code name Lucienne Carlier and begins smuggling people and documents across the border, earning her the nickname "The White Mouse" from the Gestapo.

With a five million-franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind. She enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, where her new comrades are instructed to call her Hélène. Finally, with a mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly Madam Andrée, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, armed with her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and the ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces.

However, no one can protect Nancy if the enemy finds out these four women are one and the same. As France moves closer to liberation, Nancy and the people she loves become increasingly exposed. This spellbinding and moving story chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name, a woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII.

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