Not an easy book to read, but I’m glad I read this biography about Odette Sansom, code named Lise, who served as a spy in WWII. This woman was a hero for freedom from tyranny. We need many more like her today.

Content: expletives, brothels, tobacco, alcohol, replacement expletives (French), profanity (English and French), nudity, war violence (including torture), Catholicism

I am here for badass female heroes in WWII, and Code Name: Lise is no exception. Exceptionally well researched and engaging, Code Name: Lise is a must read for WWII buffs.

Code Name: Lise is a riveting historical fiction novel that portrays the remarkable story of Odette Sansom, a British woman who joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) team in the face of great peril during World War II.

Odette bravely embarks on a mission to help Britain and her beloved France. In occupied France, she meets her commanding officer, Captain Peter Churchill, and the two embark on an extraordinary journey filled with danger, intrigue, and love.

Larry Loftis has created an outstanding piece of historical fiction that depicts Odette Sansom’s bravery and strength in a way that keeps readers intrigued throughout. His rich descriptions bring the characters to life, causing the reader to get emotionally immersed in their journey. The fast-paced action in the novel makes for an exciting read, and the plot is both intriguing and emotionally fascinating. Loftis offers a picture of Odette’s great strength and dedication during her journey in this novel. She demonstrates her strength and bravery despite the fact that the odds were stacked against her.

Overall, Code Name: Lise is a great book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or wants to understand more about WWII. It’s guaranteed to be a favorite for all readers thanks to its compelling tale, vibrant characters, and exhilarating action. Go get your copy today!

Odette Sansom (1912 – 1995), a Frenchwoman married to a British man and living in the English countryside, left her three young daughters and a life of safety to join Great Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. After training, she was inserted into German-controlled France to act as a courier. Code Name Lise is Larry Loftis's fascinating non-fiction account of how Sansom became WWII's most highly-decorated spy by the end of the war.

The book's heroine was undeniably a remarkable woman:

Odette Sansom didn't drink, smoke, or swear, and to the casual observer she was quite ordinary, perhaps even boring. Yet she was a trained killer. She feared neither danger nor dagger, interrogation nor torture. She didn't think twice about confronting German generals or commandants, and often placed principle before prudence. Like her SOE colleagues, she signed up for the war knowing that arrest was a very real possibility – almost one in two. But what her grandfather had told her as a child was set in granite: she was to do her duty when the time came.

Odette SansomSansom's career as a courier was brief (less than six months); most of the accolades awarded her are based on her endurance after her capture. The fact that she survived the ordeal – the only one of the seven captured female couriers she knew that did – is a testament to her fortitude. Anyone even remotely familiar with WWII literature will not be surprised to read about the brutal nature of the treatment she received at the hands of her captors. While Loftis isn't as explicit as he could have been, the tale is still horrific.

Loftis states that his intended narrative style is a "blending of nonfiction and thriller," and while this sounds challenging to accomplish, he completely succeeds. The book is a non-stop roller coaster ride from start to finish; it's entirely riveting, and the author doesn't let up on the tension for a minute. There's also a certain amount of romance; Sansom and her commanding officer, Peter Churchill, fell in love during their few months together and married in 1947. This relationship is likely what saved the lives of both individuals (Churchill was arrested at the same time Sansom was). Sansom convinced her captors that they were married, that Peter was the nephew of the British Prime Minister, and that he wasn't very bright – that she was the only one who controlled operations in the area. As a result, Churchill, who truly was the mastermind, wasn't badly treated for the most part, and both were kept alive as potential bargaining chips.

Near death by the time she was liberated from the Nazis, Sansom's bravery continued well after the war. In spite of continuing ill-health (after-effects of her years of mistreatment) she testified at subsequent war trials against the guards at her last prison, the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp.

While I did find Code Name Lise a fast-paced, absorbing read, my one complaint regards Loftis's use of quotes throughout the book. I never had a good understanding of where these supposedly verbatim accounts came from, and consequently it led me to question how much creative liberty he may have taken with the narrative. There were end notes, but I didn't find them particularly enlightening in this regard. But overall that's a pretty minor quibble to have about this otherwise first-rate account.

The book is so readable that I think even those who generally prefer novels will find it riveting, but history buffs – particularly those who enjoy WWII nonfiction – will want to put it on their lists to be sure. While it doesn't shed new light on the larger conflict, it does highlight the life of a true heroine, and that fact alone makes it a standout.

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!

"Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy" eBook was published in 2019 and was written by Larry Loftis (https://www.larryloftis.com). This is Mr. Loftis' second book. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the UK and France during World War II. The primary character is Brit Odette Sansom. 

Sansom has spent much of her youth in France and is fluent in the language. She joins the SOE in 1942 and is landed in occupied France. She participates in several successful missions before she is captured by German secret police sergeant, Hugo Bleicher. Sansom, along with her commanding officer and future husband Captain Peter Churchill, are tortured by the Gestapo, yet neither reveals anything of importance to the Germans. 

They both would have likely died at the hands of the Germans, but Churchill, though no relation to the British Prime Minister, was able to use his last name to aid in their survival. Bleicher performed his duty in catching Sansom and Churchill but took no joy in how they were subsequently treated. 

I enjoyed the nearly 9 hours I spent reading this 385-page biography. This book gives a different look at the resistance efforts within France and what those captured by the Germans were subject to. It was an easy to read biography that reads more like a novel.  I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Code Name: Lise is a wonderful biography of a woman who spied during WWII. If you enjoy history or learning about amazing women you will love this book. I loved reading a real account of a woman who was a spy during WWII. This is a beautiful book, although at times there seemed to be too much information trying to be put in at once. Overall it was a great book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Ordinarily I would recommend this book to students who are interested in history, especially WWII history and the role of women. And perhaps there are a small amount of people who are interested to this extent and can just skim through the book's voluminous information until something interesting is written.

This is a problem that I find so many times. The author feels compelled to include every teensy bit of information he knows about the subject. This drags the story down as the story itself gets lost in a mire of inconsequential tidbits.

Also his attempt at portraying the growing love between Peter and Lise is nothing short of cheesy, better suited to a teen age romance novel and even then, besides being totally imagined, it is just silly.

Odette Sansom is a name I had never heard before this book. I was curious about the woman who could become such a superlative spy. So, I read this book. Then, I read a bit more about her online.

In the end, I struggle with this narrative and how Loftis has chosen to portray her. From a small child in France to a homemaker with three daughters in England, Odette is initially portrayed as nothing particularly special. But during her training and then in France as a spy, she becomes a woman with a spine of titanium, an unbelievably quick-witted woman, a stubborn woman, and ultimately a survivor. She is incredible, almost impossible, and yet here she is.

But with a handful of sentences at the very end, Loftis cuts her down to nothing more than a cruel Jezebel whose infidelity ultimately kills her war hero husband from a broken heart. And then Loftis points out that she abandoned her three daughters and there was controversy stirred by known malcontents over her medals. It's as if somehow Loftis has to make Sansom less than the woman he portrayed early on because she is too perfect and too amazing.

In reality, this is not a biography in the strict sense of the term. This is an account of how Lise came to be and then, just as suddenly, she is gone. Odette's life after the war is not even on the table. But the account suffers. First, Loftis seems to make a lot of assumptions about what is going on in her and Peter's minds, raising questions about where he got that information. Then, at the end, he speculates wildly about the end of Odette's and Peter's marriage. This only raises troubling questions about unresolved issues in the earlier part of the narrative. I find myself questioning Loftis' choices and therefore questioning how accurate a picture he really painted in this book.

Which leads into my second issue with this book. There are details, such as Lise's first assignment, that are told in incredible depth. But at critical moments, there is an appalling lack of detail. For example, we know that Lise was questioned 14 times by the Gestapo. Of those 14 times, we see glimpses into only a couple of those sessions. We are told in incredible detail of Peter's last entry (2 days before his arrest) into France. But that is followed up by little to no detail about how Lise spent her days in solitary confinement or how she got through those times.

Every time Loftis had the chance, he reinforced Odette's and Peter's love. But he almost seems to take pleasure in telling everyone about their divorce, initiated by Peter, and Odette's subsequent marriage to another SOE operative.

In terms of history, there is no question that I learned a great deal about the war, the Maquis, the spy game as it was played at the time. I also got a bit of a refresher on the meaning of political prisoners at concentration camps. It's easy to forget amid all the other atrocities that political prisoners and those who fell out of favor with Hitler ended up there too. Bishops, generals, princes, familial pawns (Stalin's son spent time in a concentration camp though I do not know if he died in one.) are all mentioned. The fact that there was ever a question of whether Bleicher stepped over some imaginary line in his ways of getting agents to turn is astounding. Loftis also did a great job humanizing people - like Bleicher - and reminding us that not everyone was on board with what was happening. Additionally, Loftis personalized and illuminated the last days of the Reich when prisoners were killed en masse or moved from camp to camp. These are valuable passages and a good reminder of the personal in the greater picture of the war.

In terms of pacing, Loftis is somewhat uneven. It's a pretty dry recitation of Odette's childhood and events leading up to her decision to join the SOE. Once she gets underway, the tension picks up and the narrative becomes infused with tension which helps to keep the pages turning. Finally, it all ends abruptly with a handful of sentences that effectively condemn Odette. The narrative itself is about 2/3 of the book with the remaining third spent on the attempt to strip Odette and Peter of their accolades and the copious notes section. The notes were helpful in illuminating some confusions so it is a good idea to at least look through them.

On a personal note, I struggled mightily with both Loftis' return to the question of Odette abandoning her daughters and how he treats Peter and Odette's divorce. On the issue of abandoning her daughters, I find myself thinking that many a Maquis agent or French courier would have loved to have been able to help and know their children were safe. Odette had the luxury of leaving her children in a convent in the English countryside, knowing they were safe and cared for. How many French female agents had children they were always fearful for? How many French male agents had the same problem? For the Maquis and French agents the SOE was assisting, that was never an option.

Loftis speculates that Peter divorced Odette because she was already unfaithful to him with the man who would become her third husband. He then moves to the south of France and dies in 1972, too young for so robust and athletic a man in Loftis' view. I can think of several quite plausible reasons why this might happen without any infidelity or broken hearts leading to death. This portrayal of Odette is unfair and speculative and certainly, given how it is handled here, makes it look like Loftis is intentionally undermining her legacy of bravery and service. It is not a fitting end to Odette at all.

As a result, the 4 star rating is more for the amount I learned and for how I am now interested in learning more, including reading Peter's three part memoir of his time with SOE. Certainly Loftis kept my attention and I feel coming out of this book that I am more informed and aware now.

Code Name: Lise by Larry Loftis is a fascinating look at an unsung hero from World War II. Though Loftis writes about the movies that have been made about Odette, I'd never heard of her or her amazing achievements before. She served as a spy in very dangerous times and endured some awful treatment resiliently. I found her fascinating. Loftis' writing was very readable and led us through Odette's journey in an interesting way.
4/5 stars.

This book was amazing. I, like so many others, love reading f stories about the Holocaust. I'm not sure why; it was an ugly, ugly time. I think it's because in the end the good guys won, and we need to understand that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Like it did to Odette and Peter in Code Name: Lise.

This book was hard to read, because so much of it was ugly. So many cruelties were inflicted in these pages. But it was beautiful too, because they kept going. They didn't flinch. They may have wanted to give up, but they didn't. And they helped see that so many war criminals were put away, which was awesome.

After reading it, I have to give the book 4.5 stars, rounded up to five. I'm taking away half a point because there were just so many people, and it was hard for me to keep track - but that was my fault, not the books. Read it and enjoy!

Code Name: Lise by Larry Loftis. Odette Sansom Hallowes is also known as Odette Churchill and was recruited by the SOE in 1942.

My problem with this biography are the "conversations." While some of these can be documented in general, using this as dialogue feels too much like fiction. I prefer a third person account unless conversations can be documented verbatim with appropriate footnotes.

Odette Sansom was a French woman married to an Englishman and joined the SOE in 1942. I did like the references to the SOE, Leo Marks, Colonel Buckmaster, and a few others because I was familiar with them from other books about the SOE. It was a bit disconcerting to get to the end and read the criticism of some historians in regard to Odette's service. While I admire the author for including the controversy, it left me a little unsettled about the roles of Odette and Peter Churchill. It was a bit disconcerting to get to the end and read the criticism of historians in regard to Odette's service. While I admire the author for including the controversy, it left me unsettled about the roles of Odette and Peter Churchill.

An intriguing look at the lives of some of the agents in occupied France, Code Name: Lise
examines the service of one of the most famous of the SOE agents and one who survived Ravensbruck concentration camp.

If you are interested in the SOE and the intelligence operations in Europe I can recommend Leo Marks' Between Silk and Cyanide.

The purpose of the SOE was "to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements."

Leo Marks, a cryptographer, headed the code department " supporting resistance agents in occupied Europe for the secret Special Operations Executive organisation" while Maurice Buckmaster was the head of "F" section.

Also another book about an SOE agent in France is Nancy Wake by Russel Braddon.

Read in October.

NetGalley/Gallery Books
History/WWII/Espionage. Jan. 15, 2019. Print length: 384 pages.

An engaging, in-depth biography of SOE agent Odette Sansom, later Hallowes. A Frenchwoman living in England with her British children, Sansom was recruited to join the SPINDLE network and infiltrate Nazi-occupied France. Deeply patriotic, Sansom was an active part of the sabotage network until her capture and imprisonment in 1943.

Loftis writes in clear and accessible prose (though some passages lean too heavily on dramatization for my taste). This is an excellent volume for those interested in how women participated in WWII, as well as for readers of spy nonfiction.

Odette, code name Lise, would not be anyone’s obvious choice to become the most highly decorated woman of WWII. Born in France, Odette overcomes childhood illness and later marries a Brit. As the war progresses, Odette’s call to patriotism, love of her first country France and the debt she owes her new country, Britain, beckons her to eventually become a member of the Special Operations Executive. This is an intelligence, spy and sabotage organization aiding the French resistance. It is extremely dangerous, yet Odette (now Lise) leaves three young daughters and her overseas husband to engage in missions as a courier. Not only does Lise successfully aid the war effort, she eventually finds romance with her fellow officer. But their operation could be compromised at any moment from spies within and without the environment where they ply their spycraft.

Loftis relates the perils of her predicament as she forges her new identity, tries to keep her temper and romantic inclinations in check and recalls her young daughters safe in England. Her heroism, courage, intelligence and foresight strengthen her resolve and endurance when captured and tortured. This book reads like a fast-paced thriller as Odette transforms herself into Lise and maintains hope no matter how grave or inevitable the threat and fear. Highly recommended and an excellent choice for many readers who have enjoyed the recent bounty of fiction about women who lived in these times.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis is a non-fiction book about a British spy operating in occupied France. Mr. Lofits was a corporate attorney, but is now a full time writer.

The one thing which I immediately realized by reading this book is that the author has much sympathy for his subject. Odette Sansom, Lise, was not just the most decorated woman, but the most decorated woman of the whole war.

Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis tells an amazing story, and it’s one of those book which I love, the author taking a real story and writing it as if it were a novel. Mr. Loftis creates a nerve wrecking narrative, filled with excitement and heroism. I found the writing to be a bit cliché at times, which was odd since the story is anything but.

When people call about “having a calling” they should read this book, Mrs. Sansom left her daughters in a convent to go to what essentially was “spy school”, because she simply had to do something to help during the war. She learned to be proficient with many weapons, the difference in uniforms of the Axis armies, as well as master her new identity.

The author describes in detail Mrs. Sansom / Lise’s mission and ordeal while being captured. She spent many months being tortured and thinking she will be executed, all being told to the reader in somewhat grisly detail. In a game of lies, two big ones saved her, she pretended to be the wife of her commander, Peter Churchill, who pretended to be related to the famous prime minister.
Peter wasn’t related, but he and Odette got married after the war.

This book is a fast read and the narrative is thrilling and intense. This is an amazing story, I understand that Odette Sansom is famous in England, and I’m glad her story is being told across the pond.

Not too often, but once in a while, a true story is so intense, thrilling, and adventurous that reading it you just might think you're reading fiction. Filled with espionage, war, romance, torture, imprisonment, and desperation, Odette's story is inspiring and fascinating. Leaving three young children behind while her husband is on the front lines, Odette volunteered to go behind enemy lines in Occupied France and work on behalf of the resistance. At first, reluctant to become a spy and thinking she'd never make it out of training school, she became the most decorated woman in WW2 Britain. Steadfast, determined, sure of herself, even after capture by the Germans and sent to the infamous prison camp, Ravensbruck, a world beyond the walls of hell. Tortured to confess her compatriots' names. Condemned to death for her role. Starved, denied medical treatment, locked in a cage, and yet still
Tenacious, still steadfast. What an amazing story that could well have been fiction if it weren't true.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

This is an incredible story of war, intrigue, love and a whole lot of courage! It is the story of Odette Sansom whose moral code would not allow her to sit back and do nothing as the Nazi made their march on Europe. At great personal expense, she left her family and her life to act as a courier for the British SOE (Special Organization Executive), whose function was to cause as much difficulty as they could for the Nazi through acts of sabotage. The strength and courage this woman had in the face of the Nazis was astounding and inspiring. Throughout her work and capture what was most striking was her absolute fearlessness and absolute refusal to compromise the people she worked with no matter how the Nazi’s tried to break her. “Code Name: Lise” shows us the strength of the human spirit when motivated by love and an uncompromising moral code that calls for action. At the end of the story, the author addresses some of the historical controversies surrounding Odette Sansome and the role she played with the SOE. For me, this added a depth to the book which I really appreciate. It is not an easy story or an uncomplicated one! It is one, however, I absolutely recommend! I was privileged to receive a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books in exchange for an honest review.