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.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

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.

✨ Book Review: The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson ✨

📖 Thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for the opportunity to read this ARC! My thoughts are entirely my own.

⭐ 5 STARS ⭐

I don’t usually read memoirs, but The Last Secret Agent had me hooked! 📚 I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just two days. Pippa Latour’s story is absolutely inspiring—her bravery as a spy behind Nazi lines during WWII is something to be admired. 💥

While the first 25% could have been a bit shorter, I understand why the backstory was included. It added depth to her incredible journey. I also learned so much about WWII—events I wasn’t even taught in school! 🏛️📜

This book really hit home for me, as my grandfather served in the war as an American in an administrative role because he could type. He spent some time in Paris after the liberation army came through. Reading The Last Secret Agent felt like sitting with him and listening to his stories. ❤️

Highly recommend this to anyone who loves history, memoirs, and stories of unsung heroes! 🕵️‍♀️

📚 #BookReview #TheLastSecretAgent #WWIIMemoir #MustRead #PippaLatour #WomenInHistory #ARCReview #NetGalley #HistoricalNonfiction #BooksOfInstagram #SpyThriller #TrueStory

This honestly is a book needed right now with the erasing of DEI and the history of non whites and females etc in the military and significant history this IS NEEDED …this is also needed to remind us of WWII how it started what it looked like and hopefully open America’s eyes … we are playing with fire and are certainly going to get burned if not incinerated
There was some repetition but when I see how the information was gathered and the telling occurring when Pippa/paulette was over 100 it makes it seem more authentic and genuinely from her and her memories - it is crazy to me how talented she was and how brave many were ! Her story is fascinating! I’ve always said I can’t imagine but I would hope I would so so such and such but also hope I never have to find out and I truly didn’t think we would be tested but given the direction we are going who knows
This story is about resiliency, bravery, agency and so much more - truly this story and those like it are what we need right now

Every so often, a memoir comes along that leaves you in complete awe—not just because of the remarkable events it recounts, but because of the sheer resilience and courage of the person who lived it. The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour, co-written with Jude Dobson, is one of those books. It’s an unforgettable, jaw-dropping story that reads like a thriller, but what makes it truly incredible is that Pippa Latour lived an unbelievable life, even in her younger years before becoming part of the SOE.

If you’re drawn to stories of resilience, bravery, and untold histories, this book will undoubtedly captivate you. The Last Secret Agent is an unmissable read—a moving, heart-pounding tale of heroism that sheds light on one of the most remarkable women of WWII. It left me both humbled and inspired, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

I loved this read, she was such a brave young women, and I felt like I was walking in her shoes.
We begin this book at the very beginning of her life, and yes, we see what made her what she was.
Her life was not easy, and there is a lot of tragedy, but their were people who stepped up and she had an amazing upbringing.
This woman and others like her are owed so much, they saved so many lives and helped win the war, and often went unrecognized!
I loved that this amazing woman Pippa Latour is being recognized, she was so smart and gave so much to the world! Many thanks to Jude Dobson for this wonderful book!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Pppa Latour was an agent working for SOE(Special Operations Executive) in France during WWII. Growing up
in the Belgian Congo, the skills she learned during her childhood were an asset as an agent, as was her ability
to learn languages.. Life expectancy for agents was between 2-6 weeks. When sending information gathered,
she had to keep it as short as possible so the Germans would not be able to pinpoint her location.
Pippa was a truly courageous and fascinating woman. Fortunate that she was willing to share her story .
Highly recommend.
#TheLastSecretAgent #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

What an incredible story it's mind-boggling how young Pippa Latour was when she parachuted into France during WWII as a SOE agent for Britain as a wireless operator. The fact that she never told anyone about her role during the war, not even her family due to signing the official Secrets Act, shows how faithful and loyal Pippa was. This memoir tells about the life of Pippa from her childhood in Africa, her teen years in France, her war training in Britain and her time as a SOE agent in France and her later years in New Zealand. To say Pippa was brave and courageous is an understatement. Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book it was an honour to read such an amazing woman's story.

If you enjoy history, you will love this memoir of the last surviving SOE agent during WWII. This the memoir of Pippa Latour who won many awards for her service but did not want to discuss it until near the end of her life when one of her grandsons discovered her service and wanted to know more about it. This story is a very inspiring read of a young woman's bravery during a time of incredible danger and turmoil. Her unique childhood and her hatred for the Nazi regime provided her the strength to excel at this exceedingly dangerous pursuit. She also pays tribute to her many fellow female SOE agents who did not survive the Nazi terror of this time. I finished the book feeling very grateful and inspired that such brave young women were willing to fight against the evil of their time. I highly recommend this excellent book.

Heartfelt Thank You of appreciation to both St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the sheer pleasure of reading an ARC of this masterpiece. Just WOW! I will carry this true story with me for a very long time.
Pippa Latour began her life as an orphan and then became an undercover operative during World War II. She parachuted into France with the project to secretly sabotage the enemy. She then began sending secretly coded messages to London. Her intelligence and outstanding bravery especially during a time in our history when the rights of women were all but non existent.
Pippa’s story means everything to me since my late Father in law was an 82nd Airborne parachuter and jumped into Normandy. I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book in May for my shelves to share with the generations who come after myself in life. It IS that important.

Where do I start? This is a most interesting Memoir that kept me reading. Pippa starts with her difficult birth and her childhood in Africa. Details on to how she ended up in Paris and then England and how she eventually ended up training SOE F are well established. We get an account of her training, parachuting into Normandy and the workings of the resistance and her roll in that resistance. The entire story was a secret she never shared, but got cleared to tell this story. Pick up this book, you won't regret it.

Wow! What an amazing book! This book details the life of Pippa Latour from the beginning of her life in South Africa, and then her life as a secret operative agent. The bravery of her and her fellow SOE agents is commendable. It still confounds me that the terrible events of WWII happened. I'm proud of those who stood for freedom and against tyranny. Jude Dobson did an excellent job researching and writing this book!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pippa's memoir is the best description of the SOE that I've seen. And it all happened in just a few months. I'm so glad Jude Dobson managed to get her story before she died.

The Last Secret Agent” by Pippa Latour is an exceptional memoir that stands out for its honesty and restraint. Unlike many historical accounts that lean on hyperbole, this book is written with a clear, precise style that lets the raw truth speak for itself. There’s no unnecessary dramatization—just the facts, and that makes it all the more powerful.

Reading about Latour’s life was both humbling and enriching. She was orphaned, raised in Africa, and thrown into the unimaginable horrors of war at a young age. Her strength, independence, and quiet endurance were extraordinary. The brutality she faced—especially the darkest realities of war, including sexual violence—was deeply unsettling, but the way she carried on, refusing to let those moments define her, was awe-inspiring.

I’ve seen war depicted in movies, but hearing it from someone who lived through it, in her own words, made it feel more real than ever. This book didn’t just tell her story; it made me reflect on my own life, my privileges, and the resilience of the human spirit. What a woman. What a life. I feel grateful to have read her story. I am so grateful to have “met” her through this book

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. It is a memoir, but reads more like a story than a textbook. We hear about Pippa's early life which was hit repeatedly with tragedy and adventure. This prepared her for the skills needed in becoming a spy for England's SOE office. I thought it was very compelling how she wanted to help England and the Allies win the war. Her bravery and intelligence helped the Resistance in France. A fascinating book about a hero.

The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines
by Pippa Latour; Jude Dobson

Even during the first nineteen years of Pippa Latour, her life was amazing. She endured great losses during that time but she also had people who cared for her safety, education, and future and as she lived in a wide variety to situations, she was always learning. She wasn't just learning academics, she was learning life skills that would serve her well and save her life and the lives of others once she became a spy in French occupied territory.

A math wiz with a photographic memory and adept at many languages, Pippa didn't want to just be doing office work for her side in the war. She wanted to be in the action, doing things out there, making a real difference and challenging herself. She'd never been one to watch the world go by, she was a woman of action from a very young age. She was also resourceful, used to living with hardship as a way of life, when necessary, and very accustomed to the dangers of war and sacrifice.

After going through SOE training, Pippa parachuted into occupied France alone. Now twenty three, Pippa had the skills she needed to be a roving wireless operator. Sadly, her lifespan from this point on had a end date. Six weeks was the average lifespan of a wireless operator in this area but there were hopes that Pippa's youth, slight build, ability to blend in, and many talents, could allow Pippa to get the job done while surviving the perils she would face.

I'm amazed at Pippa's accomplishments with almost no resources. She presented herself as a fourteen year old granddaughter of farmers, selling soap all along the area of her seventeen wireless radios. She was selling soap to German soldiers, having to pass checkpoints regularly using her counterfeit papers, acting the part of a naive fourteen year old while sleeping in the woods each night. She had to scrounge for the little food she could find and although she parachuted into France weighing about one hundred pounds, several months later she weighed about seventy five pounds. Pippa was biking about eighteen miles a day, playing her part and being responsible for the death of enemy soldiers, not by her own hand but because of the intel she was able to transmit.

Pippa never spoke of any of this to anyone other than those who knew of her back when she was working as a spy. Finally, in her last years she was ready to tell her story because she wanted the truth to be known. She also insisted that all the women of the SOE be recognized for all they did. I'm in awe of Pippa Latour and although I have studied so much about the work of these agents, men, women, and the resistance fighters they worked with, I continue to learn so much more thanks to people like Pippa telling their stories. I'm so glad she told her story before she died and that I got to know about this amazing woman.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

When Pippa LaTour walked out of the French countryside after the Americans liberated the country, she had been behind enemy lines for months. She spent her time in the country sending coded reports back to London as a wireless operator under cover as a young girl selling her grandparents’ soap. But once she left France, Pippa didn’t speak of her time there again. Under a British order requiring secrecy of all covert affairs during WWII, Pippa kept her vital work secret from even her husband and children until one discovered her truth online a few years ago. With the help of journalist Jude Dobson, Pippa chose to finally set the record straight on her service. This memoir details not only the moments that brought Pippa distinguished awards for her service, but also her challenging childhood that set her up for success in her later life. This is the story of The Last Secret Agent that operated behind enemy lines and the people who helped her send the messages and bring down the enemy.

I give The Last Secret Agent 5 out of 5 stars. So much of this memoir felt like the historical fiction novel – the drama and suspense throughout kept me on the edge of my seat! There were a few moments though where Pippa’s current day thoughts came through and “broke the third wall” so to speak – that detracted from the overall feel of the book. I found the inclusion of both good and bad moments a positive for this book – it could not have been easy to carry these secrets or to retell them after all these years, but they lend an air of authenticity to Pippa’s story.

I have read a few other biographies and historical fiction novels about the female wireless operators who, like Pippa, were dropped behind enemy lines via parachute, many of whom were mentioned by Pippa in this book. If you loved Code Name Madeline by Arthur J Magida or The Heroines of SOE by Beryl E. Escott, you will love this book! With themes of war, gun violence, and Nazi brutality, I would direct this book to more mature audiences over 13. I would also caution this book to readers who may be sensitive to sexual assault and war crimes as this book could be triggering.

I have had a fascination with World War II since I first interviewed my grandfather about his time with the liberation forces in France as a middle schooler. I learned about the women of the SOE only a few years ago though and have been even more fascinated with them directly. When I noticed this book available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read this and hear from an SOE agent directly. Pippa LaTour had an incredible life and this memoir is fantastic!