Skip to main content
Displaying 1 of 1
The lost girls of Paris
2019
Please select and request a specific volume by clicking one of the icons in the 'Availability' section below.
Availability
Annotations

After discovering an abandoned, photograph-filled suitcase in Grand Central Station in 1946 a young widow sets out to discover who the people in the pictures are. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Orphan's Tale. 10,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

After finding an abandoned suitcase filled with photographs, Grace Healey soon learns the case belonged to the leader of a network of female secret agents deployed during World War II. - (Baker & Taylor)

Look for Pam Jenoff's new novel, The Woman with the Blue Star, an unforgettable story of courage and friendship during wartime.

A New York Times Bestseller

'Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war.' 'Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan's Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs'each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

A Cosmopolitan Best Book Club Book, PopSugar Must-Read, and Glamour Best of 2019

'An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!' 'Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

Read these other sweeping epics from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

The Orphan's Tale

The Ambassador's Daughter

The Diplomat's Wife

The Kommandant's Girl

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach

The Winter Guest - (Harlequin)

Three women. One daring mission.

1946. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Inside is a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home.

Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal. In this riveting story inspired by true events, Pam Jenoff weaves a tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Don’t miss Pam Jenoff’s new novel, Code Name Sapphire, a riveting tale of bravery and resistance during World War II.


Read these other sweeping epics from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff:

The Woman with the Blue Star
The Orphan’s Tale
The Ambassador’s Daughter
The Diplomat’s Wife
The Kommandant's Girl

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach
The Winter Guest
- (Harlequin)

Large Cover Image
Trade Reviews

Booklist Reviews

Inspired by actual historical events, internationally best-selling Jenoff (The Orphan's Tale?, 2017) reaches back in time to craft another gripping WWII-era tale. In 1946, still grieving from the tragic loss of her husband, Grace Healey stumbles across an abandoned suitcase in Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal. Overwhelmed by curiosity, she opens the suitcase, discovering a cache of photographic portraits of 12 women. Intrigued and inspired by these photographs, she sets out on a quest to uncover not only the identity of the suitcase owner but also the links that irrevocably bind these women to one another. As the novel unfolds, Grace discovers that the women were members of an Allied spy ring based in London. Sent to occupied Europe to aid and abet Resistance movements, they never returned. Grace becomes more and more attached to their individual and collective stories as details of their activities and eventual fates begin to emerge. Jenoff breathes life into the tale of a committed Band of Sisters who displayed boundless courage in the face of historically dire circumstances, creating a compelling and exciting read. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Book-club favorite Jenoff's new WWII tale of a dozen brave women spies is so captivating, it's being launched with an enormous print run and similarly big promotional campaign. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Fictional account of the unsung women operatives who helped pave the way for D-Day. Jenoff's (The Orphan's Tale, 2017, etc.) latest alternates between postwar America and war-torn Europe. The novel opens in 1946 as Grace, whose soldier husband died in an accident, is trying to reinvent herself in New York City. In Grand Central terminal she stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase, wherein she discovers several photos of young women. Soon, she learns that the suitcase's owner, Eleanor, recently arrived from London, has been killed by a car. Flashback to 1943: Eleanor, assistant to the Director of Britain's Special Operations Executive, suggests sending women agents to France to transmit radio intelligence on Nazi movements in aid of the Resistance and the coming Allied invasion. Women, she points out, are less conspicuous masquerading as civilians than men. A native speaker of French, Marie is an ideal candidate. After rigorous training, she is dropped into an area north of Paris, with scant instructions other than to send wireless transmissions as directed by her handler, Julian, code-named Vesper. For reasons not adequately fleshed out, Grace feels compelled to learn more about the women pictured and their connection with Eleanor. With the help of her late husband's best friend, Mark, a burgeoning love interest, Grace accesses SOE records in Washington, D.C., only to find puzzling evidence that Eleanor may have betrayed her own agents. We hardly see Marie in action as a radio operator; we know of her transmissions from France mainly through Eleanor, the recipient, who immediately suspects something is off—but her superiors ignore her warnings. In any spy thriller clear timelines are essential: Jenoff's wartime chronology is blurred by overly general date headings (e.g., London, 1944) and confusing continuity. Sparsely punctuated by shocking brutality and defiant bravery, the narrative is, for the most part, flabby and devoid of tension. Overa l l, this effort seems rushed, and the sloppy language does nothing to dispel that impression. A sadly slapdash World War II adventure. Copyright Kirkus 2018 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Jenoff's terrific, fast-paced novel follows a network of female WWII operatives in a smartly constructed narrative. In 1946 New York, young war widow Grace Healy stumbles upon a suitcase at Grand Central with photographs of 12 women inside. She follows a cold but irresistible trail through New York and Washington, D.C., determined to learn about the women and, in the novel's second story line, uncovers information about the girls' leader, the indomitable Eleanor Trigg: "Her style was brusque, unfeminine and unquestionably stern." Eleanor had recruited Marie Roux in 1943 for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to work with the French Resistance as an undercover radio operator. Marie's deployed to work in France with an intense, handsome circuit leader. As much as Marie often shows courage and pluck, some of her behaviors are misguided, including putting lives at risk for her budding romance when she pursues her own ideas rather than SOE orders regarding dangerous field operations. Despite Marie's sometimes dubious decisions, her colleagues in the field do show more guile as they fight in the Resistance, and Jenoff (The Kommandant's Girl) allows their distinct personalities to shine. This is a mesmerizing tale full of appealing characters, intrigue, suspense, and romance. (Feb.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly.

Librarian's View
Displaying 1 of 1