A rollercoaster ride full of danger and intrigue based on the extraordinary true story of Australia’s most beloved war heroine, Nancy Wake, now optioned for a television series starring Elizabeth Debicki.

In 1936 intrepid young Australian journalist Nancy Wake is living in Paris after witnessing firsthand the terror of Hitler’s rise in Europe, firing her resolve to join the fight to defeat the Nazis. When Nancy falls in love with a handsome French industrialist, no sooner has she become Mrs Henri Fiocca than the Germans invade and Nancy adopts another name, a codename – the first of many.

As the elusive Lucienne Carlier she smuggles people across borders and earns the nickname ‘The White Mouse’, along with a five million franc bounty on her head courtesy of the Gestapo. Forced to flee France for England, Nancy is trained by an elite espionage group under the codename Hélène. Finally, with mission in hand, she is airdropped back into France as the deadly Madame Andrée.

But the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed Nancy – and the people she loves – will become.

Based on the true story of a woman who saved countless lives, Code Name Hélène is a thrilling tale of unfaltering courage, remarkable sacrifice – and love.

‘Magnificent ... Lawhon carries us into the heart of the French resistance [and] into the mind of a badass heroine with uncanny instincts who takes on the Nazis and men’s arrogant sexism with uncommon bravado ... Propulsive ... Emotionally stirring... Even long after the last page is turned, this astonishing story of Wake’s accomplishments will hold readers in its grip.’ Booklist, starred review

‘Underground operative, charmer in red lipstick, loving wife and hard-hitting woman of her times, Nancy Wake will fascinate and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women, alike.’
Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours