The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines, Pippa LaTour

The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines

Pippa LaTour

After decades of silence, the last surviving World War II spy operating in the deadly world of Nazi France, reveals the real, untold story of her time as a secret agent.

From a unique and singular voice comes the incredible true story of the last surviving undercover British female operative in WW2. Pippa Latour parachuted into occupied France in 1944 to conduct sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. Selling soap to German soldiers and hiding codes on a piece of ribbon, she sent back crucial information about troop positions in the lead up to D-Day, and continued her work until Paris was liberated. From her childhood as an orphan in South Africa to her years as an undercover agent, Pippa's story is that of a woman determined to honor her principles and risk her life to fight against the greatest evil of the 20th century.

The Last Secret Agent is a posthumously published memoir, co-written with journalist Jude Dobson. Pippa was decorated highly for her actions, including being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and receiving the Légion d'Honneur in France. For years, Pippa kept her involvement in the war effort secret from everyone, including her family, but for the first time, her story can now be told in full.

Book Details

  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Publish Date: May 13rd, 2025
  • Pages: 304
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.25in - 6.12in - 1.00in - 1.00lb
  • EAN: 9781250384348
  • Categories: WomenWars & Conflicts - World War II - European TheaterMilitary - Intelligence & Espionage

About the Author

LaTour, Pippa: - PIPPA LATOUR was the last surviving SEO agent, serving in France until its liberation. For seventy years, Pippa's contributions to the war effort were largely unheralded, but she was finally given her due in 2014 when she was awarded France's highest military decoration, the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour). She died in 2023 at age 102.
Dobson, Jude: - JUDE DOBSON has been researching/writing, producing and directing WWI and WWII content for the past six years. She won the New York Radio Awards Bronze Award in 2023 in the historical documentary category, for an Anzac Day audio documentary about WWII aviators telling their stories.

Praise for this book

"A gripping narrative that will keep you turning the pages until late into the night, The Last Secret Agent delivers a real-life heroine with an unshakable moral code and preternatural poise." --Heath Hardage Lee, author of The League of Wives and The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon

"Vivid, honest, inspiring and sometimes shocking, Pippa Latour's memoir shows how right the SOE were to assess her as having 'tons of guts'. The Last Secret Agent provides an important and compelling contribution to the record of women's active service behind enemy lines in the Second World War." ―Clare Mulley, author of Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter

"This memoir of the last SOE F section agent Pippa Latour is vivid and vibrant. Her own words echo with resonance across the pages, punctuated with historical context and fact. Pippa's story will remain in the hearts and minds of readers for a long time, keeping her memory very much alive." ―Kate Vigurs, author of Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE

"Pippa's story is one of immense courage and personal sacrifice... a truly gripping and remarkable wartime service." ―Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence