The Last Secret Agent

The Last Secret Agent

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'Vivid, honest, inspiring and sometimes shocking, Pippa Latour's memoir shows how right the SOE were to assess her as having '"tons of guts"' -CLARE MULLEY, author of Agent Zo '***** Extraordinary... enthralling... a darkly moving, marvellously detailed book.' -Telegraph 'A rare glimpse into the life of the last surviving SOE agent to have seen action behind enemy lines in France. 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 'Vivid and vibrant. Pippa's words echo with resonance across the pages, punctuated with historical context and fact.' -KATE VIGURS, author of Mission France *** The memoir of Pippa Latour - the first and last female secret agent to share her experiences undercover during WW2. In June 1940, a covert new force - the Special Operations Executive (SOE) - was set up to wage a secret war of sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. Of the 470 agents sent to France only 26 female agents returned and none have ever told their story before. Phyllis "Pippa" Latour was parachuted into France aged 23; she bravely travelled around the rural French countryside, concealing her codes in a hair tie and her Morse key underneath her bicycle seat, and sending crucial information back to Britain in the lead-up to D-Day. More than once, she came frighteningly close to being discovered. For decades, Pippa told no one - not even her family - of her incredible feats. Now for the first time, her astonishing story can be told in full. *Number one overall in its first week on the New Zealand Nielsen Bookscan charts April 2025. Top 10 New Zealand non-fiction bestseller April-June 2025.

The Last Secret Agent

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.

The Last Secret Agent