Amazing story of the life of the last surviving SOE agent. Extremely well written and well paced. I have read many books about agents working behind enemy lines during WWII, and each contributes to my understanding and appreciation of this period because each one had unique experiences. However, many are hard to read because they bog down in deep background, or go into long tangents, or sometimes they have long passages of untranslated French dialogue.. this book tells the story with just the right balance of detail to be interesting and informative, and still keekeeps the narrative moving. Sometimes people’s back story is important, and necessary , but not incredibly entertaining, but I was totally absorbed in Pipa’s story long before she became an agent.

Someone needs to make an action movie about this strong, courageous, and yet humble hero who definitely deserves the title of “survivor.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read The Last Secret Agent. The story of Pippa LaTour is incredible. She was strong, smart and incredibly brave. Reading about her life in her own words is just awesome. This is a must read for everyone with any interest in incredible women.

This book, a memoir of the last surviving SOE female agent operating in occupied France during World War II, stands apart from many other titles on the subject. Her story is remarkable: she was only 22 when she was sent to France, her tenure doing radio transmissions from occupied territory was much longer than typically, she never told anybody what she did during the war, not even to her family. Her children accidentally found her name on the Internet when she was in her 80s! Now, that she shared the hard unvarnished truth about her war-time experiences, it adds to our understanding of the cruelty of war and the constant stress and fear these women, girls really, had to bear doing their heroic work. In some other books about women in Resistance, they show that there was some semblance of normal life for them. In Pippa's case, there was little of that: she had operated mostly alone, slept in the woods, scavenged for food, endured rape, interrogations, and a two-month long walk through France when her mission ended. Her measured, no-nonsense delivery amplifies the impact of her story. Pippa didn't live to see the publication of her book, but as her co-author said, it was her "last public service, her last contribution to freedom". This book could not be timelier. It should be read now.

Told in first-person narrative by Pippa herself, the last surviving agent from Britain for SOE F Section. She recounts all of her long life from her nomadic/peripatetic childhood and onward for most of her work in France. She says that she just never talked about it with husband or children, and not even with colleagues until the last twenty years. In spite of everything she endured back then, she made it out and ended up in New Zealand. Before she died in 2023 at age 102, she told her story to Jude Dobson, the co-author, to give voice to history and her part in it. It is fascinating and eye opening. I recommend it and the perspective it brings to everyone.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
#TheLastSecretAgent by Pippa Latour with @jude_dobson #SpyBehindNaziLines @stmartinspress
#memoir #biography #undergroundagent #WW2 #intelligenceservice

Including a fascinating backdrop of growing up in early twentieth century Africa, this is an incredible story of a woman SOE Special Operations Executive (SOE) wireless operator deployed to France. Her adventures behind the lines gathering and relaying intel continued up to and after D-Day.

There is a very present danger that results in the deaths of multiple of her peers which she accepted with an alacrity that I do not know if we can relate to today:

We all knew that the remaining life expectancy of a male wireless operator who entered occupied France was just six weeks, and on more than one occasion had it explained to us that the chances of us coming back were 50/ 50. It is a wonder that any of us actually agreed to the job—I am not sure people would do so today, but you have to understand that wartime is very different. We were all doing our bit, fighting for what we believed in, pushing back against a cruel and expansionist enemy.


This is also a tale of a woman's journey into and out of a largely male preserve:

The instruction to use women came from Churchill himself, with Selwyn Jepson, the recruiting officer for the French section of SOE, agreeing with him. After the war Jepson was quoted as saying: “In my view, women were very much better than men for the work . Women . . . have a greater capacity for cool and lonely courage than men.”

I had to read this one quickly, as I had it only for 48 hours but it was intriguing and so I read and read. This was a very interesting look at WWII and the women spies who helped the Allies. Pippa Latour lived an amazing life and this book gives insight to some of that. I felt it started a bit slow but then all that background information really helped me to see where she was coming from and how she got to where she went.

This book is the extraordinary untold story of a heroine who parachuted into occupied France in 1944, spied for Britain, defied the Nazis and never told a soul till the day her sons surfing the internet found out about their mother's exceptional achievements and asked her to write her story.

Pipa Latour was one of the last female special operations agents in France to get out alive after its liberation in WW11

Pipa was only 23 years when she was trained by the British and sent to France posing as a 14-year-old selling soap to help her grandparents survive. Her cover story enabled her to travel freely on her bicycle selling soap to German soldiers and sending information back to England via code.

This book tells how her life was: rough, foraging for food and sleeping in the woods….and being in constant danger. What an astonishing life of bravery, if she been discovered, she would have been shot instantly.

She made it out and ended up in New Zealand and before she died last year at age 102, she told her story to Jude Dobson, the co-author.

Being told in the first-person narrative makes the reading personal. The tempo is very active and visual. It is easy to stay tune and in step with Pipa. What a brave young woman she was. Following her was quite a trip and a scary one many times over.

Pipa’s memoir is well-said, interesting and captivating.

Bravo for bringing this extraordinary person to life and giving us her amazing story.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me an opportunity to read the prepublication ebook.

This is the second memoir of a World War II survivor who was involved with the French underground that I have read in as many months. In this case the individual was the last surviving female SOE agent—serving in Normandy in 1944. While it is a first person narrative, it was compiled from author interviews and historical records.

Pippa told her story reluctantly, for reasons that are explained in the book. The first half of the narrative provides her background: birth, family, schooling, early war service and her SOE training. The second half is her 1944 service under the German occupation.

The story is linear, selective, and avoids sensationalism. For me, the most informative portions were the descriptions of the courier and wireless operator relationship, the perils of traveling and sleeping in the countryside, and the sacrifices of everyday people made to free their country.

I found the story fascinating.

I struggled with the number of stars to assign to the book, the story of which stands on its own without much writing "craft." And that shows how remarkable the story is. Still, with greater attention to editing, story arc, etc. this could have been a truly gripping memoir. It's almost as if the written account detracted from the astounding heroism Pippa showed and the hardships she endured. How she kept it all a secret for so long is beyond my comprehension. Story= five stars (Go, Pippa!) Writing = three stars.

The fascinating memoir of Pippa Latour, the last surviving member of the SOE who served as a British secret agent in occupied France. Pippa parachuted into France and assisted the resistance. She traveled around Normandy on a bicycle pretending to be a 14 year old girl selling soap. When asked if she ever killed any Germans, she said not personally, but thousands were killed as a result of her wireless communications advising the Allies of their positions.
Her life was fascinating from her childhood in Africa, to wartime service and back to Africa after the war.
Pippa kept her secret from everyone, including her family, until late in life. She then agreed to tell her story which has been published posthumously after her death at age 103.
A great read. Highly recommended.

The average lifespan of a wireless operator dropped into France during WWII was six weeks… Into this dangerous setting, 23 year old Pippa Latour was dropped alone, with little more than falsified papers, a few weapons, and a cyanide capsule. Her gripping story is told in the first person narrative, and it is told well.

Pippa was uniquely qualified to blend into the French countryside, posing as a local. Her mother was French, her father British, and she was born in South Africa. Orphaned at a young age, her eclectic upbringing by a succession of godmothers provided her with a unique skill set which included multiple languages and remarkable adaptability. She said, “….my education at age eighteen… would be diverse--bush baby in the Belgian Congo, free spirit in the outdoors of the Serengeti, classroom-contained in Kenya and finished off in Paris. It was an eclectic mix.”

This fascinating memoir takes us from her childhood in Africa to finishing school in Paris and on to SOE training before giving us an inside look into life constantly on the move and in danger as a wireless operator behind enemy lines.

“The Last Secret Agent’ by Pippa LaTour with Jude Dobson is a story I feel honored to have read, and one I already want to read again. History from one of the people who made it. Well done!

I received this book for free from NetGalley to provide my unbiased review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: May 13, 2025
“The Last Secret Agent: My Untold Story of Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Enemy Lines” is a work of non-fiction by former SEO agent Pippa Latour and biographer Jude Dobson.
Pippa Latour was the last remaining British female operative in WW2. Until her death a few years ago, Pippa had told no one of her past in the war, not even her own children. In 1944, she parachuted into occupied France, posing as a schoolgirl selling handmade soaps, in order to collect and communicate information on the German forces. She was barely an adult herself, surrounded daily by death and gruesome injuries, risking her very life for the war effort. Pippa co-wrote this novel, with the help of Dobson, when she was 101 and, when she died in 2023, she was the last remaining female operative, which, Dobson hints, is likely the reason she was able to tell her story so openly.
Pippa’s life reads better than a work of fiction, even before she joined the service. Right from birth, she had an exciting story to tell, from her arrival on the deck of a ship, to her young life living in Africa with a cheetah for a pet, to being a barely legal adult in a foreign country. Everything about Pippa is admirable and extraordinary and if anyone is a real-life war hero, it is Ms. Latour.
Considering her age, and the clandestine military work she performed, Pippa’s memory of events is impressive and, where there are gaps, Dobson fills them with thorough research. Both women pay respectful tribute to the fallen and the wounded who played such an important role in shaping the future of, not just Britain, but all of its allies.
“Secret Agent” is a very personal story, and it reads like Pippa is speaking right to me, which helped connect me to this brave and resolute woman. It is unfourtunate that the majority of our veterans, domestic and ally, are no longer around to tell their remarkable stories of a time that we can only imagine. “Agent” is a non-fiction story, which is incredible in itself, but it also provides an in-depth look of World War 2 France, and all of the dramatic and terrifying events that took place there (and throughout the world, of course).
Much respect to Ms. Latour for bringing this story to the world at a relevant and pertinent time. “Secret Agent” should be read by anyone who wants to be inspired, has an interest in World War 2, and believes that female voices should be heard.

What a life! What a mission! What a woman! Can you even imagine, the bravery, the cunning, the determination, and the grit that it took to parachute and work behind enemy lines, to send back codes, and to risk your life for the greater good? Born and raised in South Africa, Pippa Latour, learned to be brave in the face of danger. She learned to be tough as she experienced loss, grief, and upheaval in various living situations. She was strong, brave, resilient, and intelligent. This served her well when she joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE), where he parachuted into occupied France, sending back codes, and using her quick wits and thinking to avoid many close calls and to evade trouble.

She lived quite the life, and I was blown away at the beginning of the book where it is mentioned the no one in her family knew of her brave deeds or involvement with the SOE. It was only after her children questioned her about what they learned about her on the internet in 2000, that she decided to tell her story - her way. It was her story after all and if it was going to be told, she was going to be the one to do it! I so admired her for not needing or wanting public praise and kept her heroic deeds to herself. I also loved that she decided to tell her story on her own terms once her involvement with the SOE became known. This memoir was published after her death and was co-written with journalist Jude Dobson.

It is no wonder that Pippa was the last surviving member of the undercover British female operative in WW2. From her childhood she was strong, brave, and able to adapt to new situations. I love reading books based on real people and events. I also love reading books that teach me new things, evoke emotion, and are thought provoking. This book did all of those and then some. While reading I couldn't help but wonder if I could have been as brave as Pippa and the other women who parachuted into Nazi France during the war. You never know what you have inside of you until you are put to the test. To be a person in extraordinary situations. This is another example of how brave women throughout time have stepped up and answered the call for service displaying great bravery, skill, confidence, and intelligence.

Gripping, informative, and evoking emotion.

A Fascinating Portrait of a Forgotten Heroine

This book delivers a gripping and moving account of Pippa Latour's extraordinary life as a British spy in Nazi-occupied France. Her bravery, intelligence, and resilience shine through every page, and it's refreshing to see her story finally given the spotlight it deserves. From her resourceful use of everyday items to conceal codes, to the high-stakes operations leading up to D-Day, the narrative is rich with tension and humanity.

Pippa does a great job painting the historical backdrop and offering a personal lens into the covert world of wartime espionage. Pippa's journey—from orphaned childhood in South Africa to the front lines of resistance—is as compelling as it is inspiring.

The only reason for holding back a fifth star is that some sections felt a bit rushed or lacked the depth I was hoping for, particularly in exploring her emotional world during those harrowing missions. Still, it's an important and captivating read that sheds light on an unsung hero of WWII.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in history, espionage, or stories of remarkable women who defied the odds.

This was an amazing and breathtaking account of being on the right side during the Nazi disaster and theHolocaust. Pippa was an incredible woman that I’m happy that I got to read about. This book absolutely blew my mind, and I loved reading all of her amazing story.

Phyllis "Pippa" Latour was born in South Africa and became an orphan at an early age. She was then raised by different family members and servants in several different countries thus affording Pippa the opportunity to learn to speak many different languages, adapt to different cultures, different customs and learn what I would call street smarts as she grew up. She was taught Morse code early on loved it. After school, she joined the resistance as a Secretive Operative Agent. Pippa learned how to parachute into unknown territory and then to travel in strange places through the dark to find her contacts who she did not know. She and her contacts learned how to survive in the forests and forage for food among other things.

This book was so exciting and so different from any WWII secret agent book that I have ever read. Pippa was very intelligent, very brave and very resourceful during her career as a secret agent. She faced many challenges and handled them with her multiple skills and high intelligence.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this very exciting page turner.

The Last Secret Agent is, without fail, one of the most incredible and intriguing memoirs I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

Pippa Latour grew up in the Belgian Congo (speaking some dozen different languages) before landing herself in Paris just as WWII was brewing in Europe. Instructed to flee to England for safety, the horrible reports she files along with the news leaves her desperate to do something— anything— to aid in the allied efforts to put a stop to Hitler’s tyranny across the continent. Without fully understanding what she’s signed up for, she enlists in a secret agency known as the SOE— a boots on the ground spy circuit. Stationed in France, this memoir documents her time living as a secret agent in France and the impact of the war on her life.

If you enjoy history, this memoir is not one to miss. I wish I could have known Pippa personally— what a fierce and feisty woman!

I would like to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Living to 102, Pippa Latour definitely led a most interesting and unusual life. As a spy behind enemy lines, Pippa operated as a wireless operator. Once the war was over, she never looked back, burying the stories she never wanted to revisit. Pippa believed “It wasn’t anybody’s business what I did in the war. It was my business. Mine alone.” Then along came the internet, and she felt the truth needed to be told. My review is vague, and I leave it up to you to read Pippa’s own words.

While this is Pippa’s memoir, the tone is more of a fact-based biography than a memoir of personal memories and accompanying emotions. For instance, as a teen-ager she is walking alone over the Pyrenees with no extra clothes or belongings, and no knowledge of Spanish. Rather than fear and apprehension, she copes by focusing and moving forward. Partway through the book I realized that she tells us these stories dispassionately as that is how she approached everything, because being emotional would get you killed.

Pippa was one courageous, resilient and resourceful woman who knew her own mind.

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Amazing book about SOE Pippa Latour.
Beautifully written by author Jude Dobson,I couldn’t put down until I finished reading…
Thanks for giving me a chance to read about resistance in France during WW2…

This is narrative nonfiction and reads more like an intriguing WW2 espionage historical fiction novel. I expected it to be a bit dry since it’s written by a 100 year old, but it was fun and engaging! I really liked the narrator and her different voices for different characters.

It took a while for Pippa’s job in France to be fully explained. It would’ve been nice if this paragraph came way earlier in the book instead of almost two-thirds through: “It was my job to find information while moving from place to place, especially troop movements, and pass that back to home base. Of course, I would also send and receive messages about parachutages and any other information the circuit needed to communicate about. This information would come via the couriers. Katia and Lise would meet on their own “sked” every two days, to exchange intelligence. Then Maurice or I, as wireless operators, would pass it along as needed, keeping the all-important link to London alive for Scientist.”

Overall a really enjoyable and informative read! I liked that it wasn’t overly dark or sad. Pippa was so real and honest.