Code Name Helene

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia for fans of The Alice Network and The Nightingale, comes a thrilling story based on the real life of Nancy Wake, a bold young journalist turned spy for the Allied Forces, who went on to become the Gestapo''s most wanted person and the most decorated woman of WWII.

Told in interweaving timelines based on the four codenames Nancy used over the span of the war, Code Name: Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the real exploits of an astonishing woman who deserves to be a household name.

It is 1936 and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper. Determined to investigate the disturbing reports of violence coming out of Europe, Nancy travels to Vienna and Berlin, where she witnesses the burgeoning evil of the Nazis firsthand. Surrounded by the roars of an adoring crowd waiting on Hitler''s appearance, she vows that she will find a way to fight, no matter the cost.

Enter: Henri Fiocca, a wealthy French industrialist, ten years her senior, impossible to resist and destined to become both her greatest love and her greatest weakness. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca, than the Germans invade France and she is forced to take yet another name. A code name, hastily forged on travel documents that will allow her to cross borders, smuggle people, and thwart the enemy.

Soon enough the Gestapo catches on to rumors of a female spy with a remarkable ability to evade capture and Nancy earns a new nickname: "The White Mouse." But this one carries with it a five million franc bounty on her head. Forced to escape the country and leave Henri behind for both of their safety, Nancy will spend the remainder of the war traveling from battlefields to secret training facilities to maquis hideouts.

Armed with a ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick and the full support of the British government, Nancy becomes one of the most respected and powerful figures within the French resistance, all the while doggedly working towards liberation, and back to her beloved Henri.