Churchill's Secret Messenger: A WW2 Novel of Spies & the French Resistance

Written by Alan Hlad

Narrated by Simon Vance

A riveting story of World War II and the courage of one young woman as she is drafted into Churchill's overseas spy network, aiding the French Resistance behind enemy lines and working to liberate Nazi-occupied Paris.

London, 1941: In a cramped bunker in Winston Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, underneath Westminster's Treasury building, civilian women huddle at desks, typing up confidential documents and reports. Since her parents were killed in a bombing raid, Rose Teasdale has spent more hours than usual in Room 60, working double shifts, growing accustomed to the burnt scent of the Prime Minister's cigars permeating the stale air. Winning the war is the only thing that matters, and she will gladly do her part. And when Rose's fluency in French comes to the attention of Churchill himself, it brings a rare yet dangerous opportunity.

Rose is recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret British organization that conducts espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe. After weeks of grueling training, Rose parachutes into France with a new codename: Dragonfly. Posing as a cosmetics saleswoman in Paris, she ferries messages to and from the Resistance, knowing that the slightest misstep means capture or death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666147001

Alan Hlad

Alan Hlad is the internationally bestselling author of historical fiction novels inspired by real people and events of WWI and WWII, including The Book Spy, Churchill’s Secret Messenger, A Light Beyond the Trenches, and the USA Today and IndieBound bestseller The Long Flight Home. A member of the Historical Novel Society, Literary Cleveland, Novelitics, and the Akron Writers' Group, he is a frequent speaker at conferences, literary events, and book club gatherings. He currently divides his time between Ohio and Portugal and can be found online at AlanHlad.com.  

Reviews for Churchill's Secret Messenger

[Gerald Riley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is a story of espionage but also a subplot involving a love story. It is well written and also protrays many things that occurred in France during WW2. It points out what life was like for women at Ravenbruck Concentration Camp. There are parts that bring you to tears. However, the book keeps you interested and is worth reading, especially to understand what it was like to be French or British working in France in WW2.

[Jon Levin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Engaging fictional account of a committed woman who joins the British SOE and fights the Nazis in occupied France. Good narration.