Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoutre, and author Sharon Maas for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

3 1/2 stars

I did not realize until I was about halfway through The Last Agent in Paris that it is based on a real person. Noor Inayat Khan was a real agent for the British aiding the French resistance during the Nazi occupation of France. In the afterword, the author, Sharon Maas, does a terrific job outlining what was true and what she improvised based on creating a good story.

Noor was born to an Indian father and an American mother in Russia just prior to the Russian Revolution. Her father was an itinerant musician who traveled the world. As the children came, though, he and his wife settled in Suresnes, on the outskirts of Paris. There, he began championing peace and soon developed a following. Although not wealthy, Noor grew up a bit privileged, able to study music and the arts to her heart’s content. When her father died, Noor assumed the family responsibilities as her mother fell into depression. She made sure the bills were paid and her younger siblings were taken care of, all while continuing her studies.

When the Nazis invade France, Noor and her family flee to England. Her siblings were born there so they are considered British subjects despite being raised in France. Although Noor and her brother consider themselves pacifists, they recognize the evil of the Nazis and that they must be stopped. Noor first joins the WAAF, then becomes involved in F-Section, an unofficial arm of British Intelligence that is aiding the Resistance of France. Soon, she finds herself in France as a “pianist” – that is, a radio transmitter to keep the Resistance network in touch with London.

At first, I struggled with The Last Agent in Paris. It was not an easy read. Writers usually go by the mantra “show don’t tell” and I felt there was a lot of telling in this book. There were pages and pages of descriptive paragraphs on Noor’s life that felt like it could have used a heavier hand by an editor. However, once I realized that we were talking about a real person here, I knew why she did this. When you’re telling a story, the focus is on moving the story along. This is almost a biography, which is read in a different tone. Following the war, Noor’s best friend Jean set out to document what happened to her. This is where most of the material comes from. It’s important to know who this woman was and why she made the choices she did that often seemed contradictory.

Maas filled in a bit here and there when the story wasn’t completely known. The result is a pretty good read that also puts the reader inside the French Resistance in a very real way. Rather than a story that glamorizes the Resistance, Maas shows that it was a hodge-podge of well-meaning people who very often made mistakes. Agents were regularly found out by the Nazis, even with the training and aid given them.

The Last Agent in Paris was a very different book than the usual historical fiction. I believe that’s because it was based on a real person. It’s well-written and interesting, although I found that it dragged a bit giving Noor’s background and childhood. Still, it’s a very interesting read about someone whose story was lost to the ages until now.