Code Name Lise, by Larry Loftis

Odette Sansom was born and raised in France, but married an Englishman and moved with him to England and had three children together.  When World War 2 was firing up, she was recruited to work as a British spy in occupied France.  Larry Loftis tells her remarkable story in Code Name Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy.

Loftis has done yeoman's work gather source material to present a first-hand account of her experiences.  Odette worked as a courier, transporting supplies and cash to the French Resistance, as well as working with her team to assist other spies entering the country by air or by sea.  Even though she was married, she ended up falling in love with her commanding officer.  After a few years they were captured and held in a Paris prison and later in a concentration camp.

In spite of horrific torture and extreme deprivation, which nearly took Odette's life, she never broke.  She protected the identities and locations of allies who had not been captured and who were able to continue the work of their network.  She was ultimately honored by the Queen, had books and movies made about her, and married her commanding officer.

Despite her protestations that she was just an ordinary woman, Odette was truly a remarkable woman.  Loftis does a nice job of presenting the timeline and events in her life, personalizing it with reconstructed scenes and conversations.  While her story is interesting and inspiring, in a way it lacks a plot and crucial moments that would make this a truly great book.  I was left with only a vague picture of her day-to-day operations before her capture.  The conditions and experiences in prison were more detailed but not as eventful or consequential to the war effort.

I enjoyed the book, and enjoyed this perspective on the war in Europe.  Odette may not have been a battlefield hero, but she was a hero nonetheless.  Thanks to Loftis, her story will be heard by a new generation.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!