I seem to read a lot of books pertaining to the two World Wars and I almost passed on this one. That would have been not only a mistake but a loss. Pam Jenoff has woven a story about the women who became a part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and were dropped from England into France as radio operators between 1943 and 1944, just ahead of the allied invasion. That story, already told and put to bed, has been left to be discovered by Grace Healy in New York in 1946.

Running late for work and looking for a shortcut which might get her to her office sooner, Grace happens on a traffic accident and has to make a detour through Grand Central Station. She finds an abandoned suitcase, neatly packed containing among other things a pack of carefully wrapped photographs in a piece of lace inside an envelope. The photographs were of young women some dressed in military uniforms, others in smart street clothes. The photographs yield the secrets to be unfolded in this book.

The writing is engrossing and the movement between countries and years is seamless. I was totally involved in the story and regardless of the foregone conclusion dictated by the title I was foolishly hopeful. When the writing is that good that you not only become invested psychologically but emotionally you know the writer has more than achieved her goal.

Lost Girls is based on a real female operative, Vera Atkins, and the women who served under her leadership. Although the story has been fictionalized it is infuriating believable. When I finished this book I was reminded of an old TV commercial. Two older men climb a hill, take off their jackets and get into a slug fest. The import behind the fight is that they are world leaders and are going to do battle instead of sending millions of their citizens to kill one another. If only war was that easy to resolve.

Thanks you NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy.

Seen through the eyes of three women, The Lost Girls of Paris tells of the establishment, training, and deployment of young British women as undercover operatives in France during WWII. Based on factual events, the majority of the narrative takes place in 1944. Then there is a separate story taking place in 1946 as a young American widow serendipitously learns of these women’s activities during WWII. She becomes determined to find out more about what happened to these women and why. This is one part of the story that didn’t quite ring true to me. What made it so urgent that she just had to learn more, even at the expense of missing work?

I also questioned why Marie, so devoted to her young daughter, would take such risks with her life, first by going to France on a dangerous mission and subsequently, by taking chances while in France that could lead to her capture and death.

Additionally, I was frustrated by the author’s use of foreshadowing. It made things a bit too obvious, leaving me rather unsurprised when those events ultimately take place. ”Suddenly she was struck with an uneasy feeling that he should not leave. .. . she could not help but feel that she had lost him forever.”

Sometime reading a story told from multiple POVs allows me to get a better picture of what’s going on. In The Lost Girls of Paris, I found it distracting rather than illuminating, keeping me from emotionally connecting with any of these three women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff follows three women: Eleanor Trigg, the leader of a secret group of female operatives during World War II; Marie, one of Eleanor's agents who left her daughter behind to help the mission; and Grace, an American woman who stumbles across a mysterious suitcase after the war that includes pictures of 12 girls.

As the novel alternates between the three women, we learn more about Eleanor's operation, Marie's work and Grace's question to discover who these women are and what happened. At times, it was difficult to line up the timelines of Eleanor and Marie leading to minor confusion. Overall, I loved the way the story unfolded and it told a beautiful story of the bravery and resilience displayed by all three women in the face of incredible circumstances.

4.5 stars

I wasn’t planning on reading this book. I had previously read two books by Pam Jenoff, and while I thought they were important books on the Holocaust, I just didn’t connect with the characters. I was offered an advanced digital copy by the publisher but didn’t immediately accept it. Then a lovely Goodreads friend sent me a paper version of the advanced copy. Then I saw some rave reviews by some of my trusted Goodreads friends. Those were enough things to convince me to read it and I’m really very glad I did. If I hadn’t read it I would have missed learning about such admirable women, courageous women who played an active and important role during WWII. I found this to be a fast paced, tension filled story that had me hooked enough to read it in two days because I came to care about the characters.

The focus of the story is on three women, spanning from England to France to the US from 1943 to 1946. Grace Healey, finds a suitcase in Grand Central Station that leads her on a search to find out about the women whose pictures she has taken from the suitcase. Eleanor Trigg works for the Special Operations Executive in England and her job is to run the top secret program placing women in France as radio operators, but who actually play a variety of roles to sabotage the Nazis. Marie Roux is one of the women recruited by Eleanor, selected because of her perfect French. There were other women, too, most notably Josie who befriends Marie on her first day of the arduous training. There are lesser characters, one of whom I fell in love with , the little boy Sammy, a Jewish refugee who comes to Grace’s attorney boss because he needs a place to live.

To say more about the plot would be giving the story away, so I’ll just say that it was harrowing and poignant. It was about brave characters who wonderfully represent the real brave women who took on these dangerous missions. It was about friendship and about women realizing their worth and strength in these endeavors, previously reserved for men. There have been a number of books over the last few years about women who played a role in WWII, the unsung heroes who acted as spies, decoders, mathematicians and in the case of this book, their mission was sabotage against Hitler and the Nazis. Pam Jenoff is among the writers deserving of praise for bringing to our attention the bravery and the contributions of the women of the SOE. While Jenoff makes a point of telling us in an ending note, that this story was inspired by some real people and events, this is a work of fiction. She made it feel very realistic, created characters who could easily have been the brave women of the SOE.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Park Row/Harlequin through NetGalley.

If you love historical fiction with a bit of mystery, this is a book you will not want to miss!

This book is told in multiple time periods, but these time periods are only a few years apart. It all takes place between 1943 – 1946 and is told from the perspective of three women – Eleanor, Marie, and Grace.

Eleanor is put in charge of the newly formed all female operatives unit within SOE (Special Operation Executive). Her job is to recruit, train, and deploy these women into the field. Marie was one of the operatives recruited by Eleanor. She was hesitant and questioned whether this was the path she should be headed down, but became determined to see it through. Last, but not least there is Grace. She lives and works in New York following a personal tragedy. On her way to work one day she finds a suitcase that has been left behind in Grand Central Terminal. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she opens it. Once she sets eyes on its contents she becomes obsessed with solving the mystery of who the suitcase belongs to and the mystery that lies within it.

Each of these women showed considerable strength and growth as the story progressed. Their determination, devotion, and sacrifice were admirable. It was a great pleasure to read a story about three strong women working their way through their fears, doubts, and showing remarkable courage!

This is the second book by Pam Jenoff that I have read and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

I love reading books about brave women and Pam Jenoff deftly delivers an exciting historical fiction novel about women working with the SOE as spies during World War II.

Eleanor Trigg, the woman who recruited and ran the ring of female agents, is one of three voices in the story. Eleanor was a woman ahead of her time and very organized and dedicated regarding her work.

Marie, one of the women recruited by Eleanor, was a young mother on her own who was attracted to the job by the money it paid. Marie was not fully aware of the danger involved when she signed on, but soon proved herself worthy of the task required.

Grace, a widow who stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase while on her way to work, becomes involved with the lives of Eleanor and Marie through her attempts to locate the owner of the suitcase.

This is a fascinating story and while it’s not the first WWII female spy novel I have read, it was interesting and new and kept me engaged throughout. Historical fiction readers and those that enjoy stories set in World War II will not want to miss this latest novel by Pam Jenoff.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row/Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read and advance copy and give my honest review.

I have never read this author before but I am now a huge fan. ThIs story is so gripping and starts that way from the very beginning. I could not put the book down. Fascinating story, develops the characters like you know them personally, flows beautifully and has lots of historical fact. I would highly recommend this book.

An amazing book that takes place in wartime France and London in 1944 an in New York, Germany & France in 1946.

Grace who is late for work due to a hit and run auto accident has to go thru Grand Central Station on her way to work., She stumbles over a suitcase that's jutting out from under a bench with no one around to claim it

She looks inside for some inside for some means of identifying the owner and discovers a packet of photographs of 12 women. She takes them with her. The suitcase has the name Trigg written in chalk on it.

A special branch of the Royal Air Force , the Special Operations Executive is comprised of women who ar sent to France to sabotage the Germans.

Marie is recruited because she speaks fluent French,, she becomes a radio operator sending and receiving transmissions from London.

When Grace goes back to the station after work she discovers the suitcase is gone and no one knows what happened to it..

Later as she is watching the news she hears the story about a hit and run accident and the British citizen named Eleanor Trigg who was the victim.


Marie meets Josie while they are undergoing training before being sent to France and later meets up with her in France, she is part of the tam of operatives (agents) she'll be working with.


Grace learns Eleanor was in charge of the SOE's program of female agents..


Marie is forced to flee from the flat she's living in and working in and takes refuge in a safe house where she Scan only stay a few days safely. She returns to the flat to destroy her radio and is arrested. and then made to send transmissions worded by her captors (Germans).


After realizing that Marie's transmissions are missing crucial personal codes and that several agent are missing., Eleanor is fired and is informed there will be no search for the missing female agents who are presumed dead and of whom no trace of them will be found..


In 1946 Eleanor is summoned to SOE headquarters where she learns 7 of the girls were killed immediately upon arriving in concentration camps. The other 5 are missing and presumed dead.

She is asked to go to France and find out how the operation was discovered and how they were caught.

Before leaving she goes back to the SOE training building and retrieves a metal box which contains personal items of each of the female agents which they had to leave behind..


Eleanor.learns that someone at SOE headquarters betrayed the women. Someone knew their radios had been captured but continued to send transmissions containing false information in order to trip them up into revealing their plans.


Marie is taken to a French prison an finds Josie as the prison is being emptied an the women are transported to the camps. Josie has managed to smuggle a hand grenade an pulls the pin on it , flinging Marie out of the rail car.


Eleanor leans that a German officer has information about the fat of the women so she go to Dachau to see him an he tells her that 4 of the girls were supposed to arrive at the camp but only 3 actually did and he has no idea what happened to the missing woman. He hands her the key to a Swiss bank safe deposit box which Eleanor discovers holds documents pertaining to the radio transmissions that were sent form London after they knew the radios had been captured by the Germans..


When she confronts the director of the SOE with this he tells her why they sent the transmissions and that he issued Josie a VISA for travel to the United States.


Eleanor asks Marie to meet her at Grand Central Station however Marie is delayed an Eleanor is killed before they can meet.


Marie comes to grace's apartment to tell her about the missed meeting and shares candid photographs of the agents. She reveals she took Eleanor's suitcase.

She gives a testimonial about what happened with the radios and transmissions and it is given to the British Parliament. She is to be given a George's Cross for her heroics.


After that Grace leaves Marie to leave a life of peace

I read a lot of historical fiction and I had read “The Orphans Tale” by Pam Jenoff and really enjoyed it. I most recently read “The Light Over London” by Julia Kelly which was about the Brtitish “gunner girls” who worked atop London’s rooftops calculating the firing of anti-aircraft guns.

This novel drew me in from the beginning, it was a quick, satisfying read with characters that I could root for. The story starts in 1946 Manhattan when a young woman, Grace, comes across a suitcase in Grand Central Station. She is running late for work but looking inside the suitcase she sees the photographs of 12 young women in uniforms and on a whim takes them with her. When she returns the next day for the suitcase, it is gone. She decides to try and learn who these women are and their fate. She is a recent widow, her husband killed while in training for the Army, the war is still a very real part of her life, even though it is officially over.

Eleanor Tripp was working closely as a secretary for the Secret Operations Unit (SOE) an agency in London which was created to sabotage German efforts in France, all presumably for the invasion of Normandy within a few months. Eleanor convinces the Director that women would be the most useful as they could blend in with French women, particularly if they spoke French fluently. Soon a plan was formulated to train the women that were hand picked for this job, they were dropped into France, expected to find a safe house and transmit information back and forth from London to their locations within France, they were extensively trained in radio transmissions. Ms. Tripp was in charge of the entire women’s corp of volunteers and cared deeply about the girls.

Marie is one of the group of women dropped into French territory, alone, with little to go on besides her instincts and a map. She makes it to a safe house with the help of the leader of the entire operation in France, known as Vesper (his real name is Julian). Marie begins her work of transmitting messages until she starts noticing messages that seem inconsistent and incorrect to her. Within weeks she will find out the reason. Julian and his cousin Will tell her that there is something very wrong about the operation, someone has betrayed them, but who? Is it one of the girls, someone back in London? Marie is told to get out of France, but her pilot, Will, never shows up for the planned extraction.

The story is told from the POV of Eleanor, Grace and Marie and they are all equally interesting. The more I read, the more I enjoyed the book. I don’t want to reveal any more of the plot for fear of spoilers but it was definitely a great story. The author’s note doesn’t tell us how much of the book is based on fact, perhaps that will come out when the book is published in January.

I found a lot of interesting information on the following website, if you care to explore more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe_01.shtml

I think most fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book with yet another example of how much women contributed to the war effort.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Will also post to Amazon upon publication. Also posted to Edelweiss and Facebook.

WWII has finally ended but instead of the happiness she always hoped for, Grace Healey finds herself sad and alone. After losing her husband in a horrible accident Grace could not bare to go home to Connecticut and face the pity pouring out from her friends and family. She rents a room, gets a job and decides to virtually reinvent herself in NYC. While walking through Grand Central on her way to work one day, Grace stumbles upon a suitcase left behind by a traveler. In addition to finding the owner’s name she discovers photographs of beautiful women that don’t look much older than herself. In an effort to return the items and evade facing her own personal heartbreak, Grace begins an investigation to find out who Eleanor Trigg really was and why she has carried these photographs across an ocean. As she unravels a complicated female ring of undercover agents, Grace realizes she must get to the bottom of this puzzle to find peace for Eleanor, her mysterious girls and her own future. Filled with love, friendship and incredibly brave women, favorite author Pam Jenoff creates another fabulous novel taking us back in time. Well written, exciting and absolutely unputdownable.

I'm sure the cover art alone will make readers pick up this book! And when they do, they'll find themselves drawn into an engaging, fast-paced story. My one qualm about this was some grammatical errors in the French portions - for example, I've never heard the phrase "Au Francais" (sorry for the lack of accents), rather "En francais" when reminding someone to speak in French. I'd recommend having a French-speaking editor comb over this one before final publication.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for this review.
I loved the Orphan’s Tale and was excited to read Pam Jenoff’s latest. It did not disappoint.
Grace Healy cuts through Grand Central Station one morning on her way to work. She finds an abandoned suitcase. Curious, she opens it up to find pictures of a dozen women. She takes the photos as her curiosity becomes bigger and bigger. She learns that they belonged to Eleanor Trigg, a leader of secret female agents deployed to London during the war. She finds herself drawn to their stories and begins to investigate further.
This story is told through 3 POVs – Grace’s, Eleanor’s and one of the female agents, Marie. Jenoff does an excellent job of building suspense and mystery, while not making it over the top. You really get a feel of who each character is. I’m not sure how accurate any of the historical information is, but it does make for a good story! Jenoff addresses this in her author’s note, however. Overall, a strong, historical read with solid female leads!

This is a good addition to the WWII-era books, which are some of my favorite historical reads. I found this book to be enjoyable overall, though the pace was a bit slower than I would have preferred. Jenoff’s book is a nice tribute to the many women (specifically female British operatives) who served during WWII. There is a nice mix of action, mystery, and romance. The reader gets three different POVs: Grace, Eleanor, and Marie. All the women are from different backgrounds, but they are working for the same cause. The characters, however, aren’t equally developed. I was surprised that info wasn’t provided on the research angle (in an author’s note), as I’m used to that in similar historical books.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

During the WWII, the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) created the F Section networks in France. According to Wikipedia, these networks “were tasked with the assignment of gathering information about the enemy and relaying said information to the SOE headquarters in London.” These networks work deep into enemy-occupied territories and their missions were extremely dangerous.

The Lost Girls of Paris is based on true events and tells the story of some fictitious members of the F Section and their fate. Eleanor Trigg has proved herself with the SOE and has earned the confidence of the Director. Her proposal to create a female secret agent branch to help the F Section in their efforts to bring liberation to occupied France is approved. She personally selects and trains the women and deploys twelve of them in France. The Network is compromised and none of them makes it back to London, so it seems. Eleanor is soon dismissed, but she does not stop searching for the truth about what happened to the women and who betrayed them.

This nail-biting novel will not spare your emotions. You will travel with the spies and feel their fears and root for them in times of danger. Well-written and exciting, this novel brings vivid images of the war and how in this time of despair, courageous men and women did all they could to defeat the enemy. A must-read.

Thank you Harlequin and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this thrilling book. The Lost Girls of Paris will be available at your favourite bookstore on January 29, 2019.

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A young woman finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Terminal. As she learns more about the owner of the suitcase and the story behind the photos contained within it, she embarks on a tale of courage and the great strength of women during World War II. Inspired by true events, I was amazed by the determination of the women and men sent to Europe to aid the partisans in their fight against the Germans. A well written tribute to the unsung heroes of WWII who bravely and gallantly risked their own lives to save the lives of thousands. I highly recommend this book!

Pam Jenoff, the author, is very emphatic that this is a work of fiction, but one wonders if there is an element of truth in it. A 1940's story of 12 English girls lost in France, their London leader, Eleanor, and the American woman, Grace who finds their 12 photos in an apparently abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Station. Grace is curious who these women are even as she is at the same time trying to deal with her own life problems. This was a difficult book to put down.

In 1946 in Manhattan, a woman on her way to work discovers a suitcase left beneath a bench in Grand Central Station. She opens the suitcase to look for identification and takes out a packet of pictures. When she goes back to put the pictures back in the suitcase, it is gone. She then goes on a mission to find the women in the photographs and deliver them to their rightful owners. The story alternates between Grace in 1946, and WWII, where a group of young women is trained by Eleanor Trigg to go to France and try to pass as locals where they will serve as radio operators and couriers for the allies. Those were the women in the photographs.

This book was both fascinating and horrifying. The author set the scene and developed the characters so well that it all felt real. I could not put it down. Definitely a must-read for all of the historical fiction fans!

Wow! What an amazing journey Pam Jenoff has taken us on!

Eleanor Trigg recruited a group of women that would become an important part in the war against Germany. They were trained rigorously to infiltrate occupied France without detection and transmit messages back to London.

These women were beyond brave -they faced certain death if caught and they all knew it. Yet they still went, still believed in the cause. From teenagers to mothers, these women sacificed everything.

The adventure had me sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the novel. The detail the author put into describing the surroundings and feelings of the characters made me feel as if I was part of their team. I can't imagine the terror these women felt! In an age where technology is so readily available to us (I don't go to Walmart without my phone), it's unimaginable how these women went blind into enemy territory and got the job done! From sleeping in sheds to hiding in safehouses to being arrested. And with no contact with their loved ones! Absolutely mind-boggling. It certainly puts things into perspective.

As the first book I've read this year, it's going to be a very tough act to follow! Well done Pam Jenoff!

The Lost Girls of Paris is a beautiful story you don't want to end, you want to know more and let the story continue. You want to follow those who are left and cheer for them. This story of brave young and sometimes desparate woman who at the same time are confident and compassionate winds together wonderfully towards the end like a fine spool of thread. It's a story of woman who are recruited and quickly taught to go to Paris from New York in 1944 to send secret and secure radio transmissions to save the lives of military men fighting German soldiers. The bond and friendships these few women make is unbreakable as they become heros for each other. I loved this book and will recommend it like crazy! Thank you #ParkRow #TheLostGirlsOfParis # NetGalley.com #PamJenoff

Just when I say I'm done reading WWII books one like this comes my way. When I saw it was Pam Jenoff I knew I had to try it and I'm so glad I did. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-galley to review.

This is the story of women spies during WWII. I told myself if I want immediately grabbed I wouldn't keep reading. Thankfully, I couldn't stop reading. Pam Jenoff had a way of making historical fiction quick reads. She doesn't get bogged down in details and the story is alive with suspense and thrill. I was kept on the edge of my seat.

I will be recommending this to adult patrons and book clubs, even if they say, not another WWII book, I'll say trust me this is worth your time.