A Woman of No Importance

Why I'd hand it to you

Virginia Hall should be far better known. She lost part of her leg in a hunting accident, was turned away from the Foreign Service, and then became one of the most effective Allied agents in occupied France, first for Britain's secret Special Operations Executive and later the American OSS. The Gestapo hunted her hard. Purnell tells it with real tension and plenty of detail about how resistance networks worked and how often they were betrayed. Be prepared for a crowded cast of code names and agents that can be hard to keep straight, and a slower stretch in the middle. For anyone who likes WWII told through one person, it delivers.

— Matt Jordan