Three Women. Two Sides. One War to End all Wars. When a war like no one has even seen rages through Europe in 1914, three women are set on a collision course with history.As one of the first female pilots, Alouette is determined to join the war effort. She gets her chance when she is recruited by Captain Ladoux, head of France’s Secret Service. But is she willing to sacrifice everything for her … willing to sacrifice everything for her country?
Marthe’s day job as a nurse requires her to help anyone in need, including the enemy. But at night she wanders the darkened streets of Belgium as a courier for Allied Intelligence. Can she keep up her dual roles without anyone finding out her secret?
The famed Mata Hari cares nothing for the war effort. If maintaining her lavish lifestyle means spying for whatever side pays her the most, then so be it. But the naive dancer is being set up for the most dangerous performance of her life.
The three women must navigate through a double agent’s world of deception and betrayal, and one of them will pay the ultimate price.
Told from the viewpoints of these real-life women, L’Agent Double: Spies and Martyrs in the Great War is meticulously researched and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Pick up this courageous tale of love, honor, and deception today! more
One chapter in and I could not put this book down.
Espionage was a ruthless and pitiless game, even more so, for women in the time of the great war.
Accusations of suspicion and mistrust were rampant, surrounded by spys and double agents everywhere.
These women had to stay in hiding, or disguise themselves when need be,subjected to danger at any time.
M’greet also known as Madam Mata-Hari, she is a dancer. M’greet survived and made her living dancing for audiences in Paris. The war only made it more difficult .M’greet decides to join the game of espionage.
Marthe Cnockaert, a nurse working at the hospital helping the wounded. Marthe becomes a spy. Her family was abusively mistreated when the Germans invaded her town.
Alouette Richer,an aviator or airwoman as the Germans refer to it. Her plane was confiscated by them, stranded trying to survive and get to safety. Alouette volunteered to help the French Government, and she became a spy .
All three of these courageous women had to follow the utmost discretion.They felt strongly for the cause and their country, but knew the consequences. They were prepared to die for it.
This authors books are incredibly and thoughly researched. Informative and well written, with strong engaging characters that will captivate the reader. Highly recommend.
One chapter in and I could not put this book down.
Espionage was a ruthless and pitiless game, even more so,for women in the time of the Great War.
Accusations of suspicion and mistrust were rampant,surrounded by spys and double agents everywhere.
These women had to stay in hiding,or disguise themselves. It made a person become very lonesome, cutoff from the rest of the world. Subjected to danger at any time.
M’greet also known as Madam Mata-Hari, a dancer.M’greet survived and made her living dancing for audiences in Paris.When the war broke out it became more difficult. M’greet decides to join the game of espionage.
Marthe Cnockaert a nurse working at the hospital helping the wounded. Marthe also becomes a spy. Her family was abusively mistreated when the Germans invaded her town.
Alouette Richer,an aviator or airwoman as the Germans refer to it. Her plane was confiscated by them. Stranded trying to get to safety. Alouette volunteered to help the French Government, and she became a spy.
All three of these women had to follow the utmost discretion. They felt strongly for the cause,and their country, but they knew the consequences.
All of them were prepared to die for it.
The only positive benefit about the spy business. They were paid handsomely by the Germans.
This author’s books are incredibly researched. An informative well written story, with strong engaging characters that will captivate the reader to the end. A definite must read .
Breathtaking Book of Real WWI Female Spies
Oh, my gosh! What an utterly fantastic book, a genuinely gripping read! I had read the previous book in the series about the Civil War female spies, but I believe that this book even surpasses that one. This book tells the tales of three female spies during World War I, one who may be perhaps the most notorious female spy ever, Mata Hari. The book follows the chronological order of the conflict, so we experience the war as it unfolds through time through these women’s eyes and experiences. While, of course, the conversations and some scenes are wholly fictionalized, the author has done a tremendous depth and breadth of research into these real female spies of WWI. She made these women come alive on the page; their experiences are no less real. I found it easy to empathize with the two women who were on the right side of history. I particularly resonated with Marthe, as I could completely relate to her struggles through the war as I am a nurse myself. In modern times, the nursing ethical code is drummed into us from the first days of nursing school. Back in the day, women who were drawn to nursing might not have been taught ethics directly, but they would have had a moral code that included a depth of compassion and genuine care for humanity to do such a job as it was back then. I could completely understand her struggle with the different parts of herself, the nurse and the spy. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to feel that pull, wanting to do the best for your country and allies but feeling the pain caused by the horrors you had to necessarily inflict on others. Doing what is right is sometimes a choice between the lesser of evils, and that certainly doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
The author pulls you right into the story, starting with a prologue that describes Mata Hari’s death by firing squad. Each of these women is richly drawn, with some similarities between them but also some striking differences (as you might imagine). Interestingly, their paths crossed at times during the war. The descriptions of all that went on during this massive, war-to-end-all wars conflict (if only!) are completely captivating, keeping your interest (even if you know how it ends!). I absolutely adore that this author has chosen to honor the unsung female heroes (and a few bad girls) who helped shape history. It is fantastic that their stories are being shared in such a way. I find myself wondering what war and heroines this author will pick next. World War II, I imagine?
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
A wonderful World War 1 book. If you’re looking to get your history in an unusual manner, Kit’s books are where it’s at. Espionage and wartime with strong female mains. Another amazing book in this series! The characters are wonderful and I love seeing the little ways that their lives cross paths. I can’t wait to read the next one!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this story of three very different women who engaged in espionage during the First World War.
Marthe was probably my favorite due to her compassionate nature. The moral dilemma she faced because of ‘destroying lives as a spy while saving lives as a nurse’ further endeared her to me.
I also like Alouette, and I could feel her growing frustration as she remained virtually trapped in Madrid, risking her life to provide intelligence that was seemingly just ignored.
I can’t say I liked M’greet (Mata Hari). Her actions were never completely selfless but were often completely selfish. At times I did feel sympathetically towards her, though, as it seems throughout her life she was betrayed by men she should have been able to trust.
Though this novel told the story of three women, I found it easy to follow as it was presented chronologically. Also, two of the women crossed paths more than once, and several secondary characters interacted with more than one of the women, so there was a nice sense of cohesion.
I’ve read and enjoyed all three of this author’s spy novels, and I look forward to the next book in this series.