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From an award-winning journalist comes this real-life cloak-and-dagger tale of Vera Atkins, one of Britain’s premiere secret agents during World War II. 
As the head of the French Section of the British Special Operations Executive, Vera Atkins recruited, trained, and mentored special operatives whose job was to organize and arm the resistance in Nazi-occupied France. After the war, Atkins courageously committed herself to a dangerous search for twelve of her most cherished women spies who had gone missing in action. Drawing on previously unavailable sources, Sarah Helm chronicles Atkins’s extraordinary life and her singular journey through the chaos of post-war Europe. Brimming with intrigue, heroics, honor, and the horrors of war, A Life in Secrets is the story of a grand, elusive woman and a tour de force of investigative journalism.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; First Edition first Printing (December 4, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400031400
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 1.36 x 8 inches
Reviewer: J. Jamakaya
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Rich in Character, Detail and Mystery
Review: Churchill's line about Russia, that it was "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma," is an apt description of this fascinating book about spymaster Vera Atkins and the missing agents of WWII. "A Life in Secrets" tells the riveting story of the heroic agents who parachuted into France to aid the anti-Nazi resistance. It painstakingly documents their movements behind the lines and their fates in the last years of the war. In the process, it slowly reveals the mysterious character of Vera Atkins, a Romanian-born Jew and, technically, an enemy alien, who recruited and trained women agents for the French section of Britain's Strategic Operations Executive."A Life in Secrets" is a great piece of investigative journalism and far more exciting (and heartbreaking) than any fictional spy novel I've read. Each chapter takes you deeper into the layers of personal danger and bureaucratic intrigue. Leads seem to take the story in one direction, only for it to be derailed or redirected elsewhere. Just when you think you know what has happened, more information is discovered that puts a different spin on things. Throughout the book, the heroism and sacrifice of the agents makes you ache for answers about their fates. And you root for Vera Atkins' persistent efforts to account for and honor her missing agents.I agree with everyone here who has praised Sarah Helm's outstanding research and writing. The number of people she interviewed, the extensive war documents she quotes, and the multiple verifications she obtained to confirm information result in an extraordinary achievement. This book is so layered. It's not only an important history of Britain's spy network in France, it's a major biography of the mysterious Vera Atkins. It includes dozens of shorter biographies of secret agents, military officers, concentration camp survivors, SS officers and prison guards. There's perspective on the deteriorating circumstances of the Jewish community in Romania and Hungary in the 1930s and lots of information on the war crimes prosecutions in 1945-47.My only warning to readers is to be patient and really take the time to carefully read this book. The large numbers of people, places and times can be daunting to keep track of but your patience will be rewarded. I've read it twice to fully appreciate it. The Anchor Books edition includes a map and list of characters at the beginning which are helpful references. Highly recommended.

Reviewer: docohen
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Spymistress of SOE
Review: This was a very engaging read. I enjoyed this book although I thought it did go on a bit longer than I wanted it to. It revealed much about the intricacies of the SOE, in World War II. I was interested in following up after reading Leo Mark's book "Between Cyanide and Silk". This was a new perspective on some of the players mentioned by Marks , taken from a different vantage point. The book was very well researched, paralleling the book's subject, Vera Atkins' own perfectionistic style. Ms. Atkins was a deeply complex, inscrutable individual who contributed significantly to the War effort in England. As with many historical figures involved with espionage and intrigue, they can be seen in retrospect as many faceted, complicated characters, motivated by sometimes opposing forces. The more I read the more complicated she became. That's more true to life; things aren't as neatly wrapped as we'd prefer.She was a complex figure who played a major role in the operations of SOE.Ms. Atkins' personality is explored in depth in this book with many questions raised as well as some answers provided. Espionage is a complex field with many twists and turns and many questions left unanswered. The book is also disturbing in recounting the horrors the SOE agents were subjected to by the monstrous, criminal elements of Gestapo/SS. It is horrific hearing about the abuses and torture they were subjected to, which raises their level of heroism to a higher degree. The book was fascinating to me, holding my interest and again educating me beyond what I thought I had already learned, as painful as it is.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fascinating story, superbly told. Once started I could not put it down
Review: I have read a few books about SOE and it's agents in the second world war and I thought I knew a lot. But I must admit that after reading this book I realize that there was so much I did not know. The book is essentially made up of three components: a history of SOE operations in France and in particular the collapse of the PROSPER network; Vera Atkins search to find out what happened to the missing agents, in particular the women agents; and a biography of Vera Atkins herself. The three threads wind together seamlessly to make an eminently readable book (un-putdownable in fact). The story of SOE in France is a mix of great heroism combined with bungling and errors at London HQ (some of the errors were so basic and so costly in agents' lives they were criminal). Add to this treason, even quite likely at London HQ (I am thinking in particular of Nicolas Boddington), and the story is tragic - 27 agents delivered directly into the hands of the Gestapo. The search for what happened to the agents is a fascinating detective story and Vera Atkins perseverance in this is very creditable indeed. She carried on the search despite almost everyone else taking the view that the war was over, time to move on, heal wounds and close the books (and perhaps bury the evidence of incompetence and betrayal). What happened to the agents is distressing to read - tortured, incarcerated, mistreated and finally executed in the most brutish way. The last part of the book is a biography of Vera Atkins herself - and what an unexpected story it is. An unconventional, odd and, at times, quite mysterious past. Who was she really? what was her motivation? Mysterious indeed.The book is superbly researched and written - I recommend it without reservation.

Reviewer: Carol G.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I inherited a love of history from my parents who had their part in WWII. My maternal grandfather was part of the Polish underground in WWI. Back then Ukraine had been divvied up between Poland (East Poland/Western Ukraine) and the Soviet-controlled central and eastern Ukraine. Anyone reading this who has Central European heritage knows how our combined history is complicated!)Although Grandpa never spoke about his military history (like so many others who served in the military), I gleaned some history from Mum...and my parents also were pretty much silent about their service. I've learned so much reading about the various wars - in this case WWII and some of the exploits and training of agents overseas and here in Canada.The one aspect of Vera's service I'll never understand is why Vera thought it a good idea to send Noor Inayat Khan even though it was well known by Vera that Noor wasn't at all psychologically suited as an agent...and the catastrophic results of Noor's capture - with Noor's open and unreluctantly telling her captors everything thus imperiling countless agents and networks who were in turn captured, tortured and executed.I can't begin to imagine the level of stress that Vera or anyone else who fought the good fight against tyranny here and around the Allied world. From everything I've heard (audio books) or read (books) Vera was meticulous, so losing agents and networks had to have been shattering and ulcer-inducing.This book is an excellent Epilogue to her life and a worthy read.

Reviewer: Tim H
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have read quite a bit about the SOE in WW2 and I was familiar with many of the accounts in this book but the painstaking research and detail in this biography make it stand out head and shoulders above many SOE accounts. The author has produced a very honest and non judgemental account with many questions left hanging for the reader to consider as lack of evidence has resulted in uncertainty regarding Vera Atkins life, matters on which that we will probably never know the truth. The book reinforces my view that as long as there are books of fact like this, I am unlikely to be attracted by fiction. Highly recommended.

Reviewer: mwray
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This woman was amazing. To do what she did to find her girls truly showed courage. Vera Atkins was a strong person and resilent in her processes.

Reviewer: hgschultz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Couldn't getaway from that book. read it on my "kindle "on "the busses" and trains, trips unfortunately were too short to continue reading.6.11.2019watched the movie : carve her name with pride" yesterday on the "FORCES TV" channel. It was about one of the english/french resistance fighters called "Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo" (SOE agent). who was also mentioned in that book. I will read it a second time to find out more about a "mole", who betrayed quite a few resistance fighters. (MI5 and/or MI6 sopposingly involved).

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Historia del fracaso del espionaje britanico en FRancia y responsabilidades__Lastima que V ATkins se llevara a la tumba tantos secretos