Book Review for The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines by Pippa Latour, Jude Dobson

 

The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines by Pippa Latour, Jude Dobson

Published:  May 13, 2025 by St. Martin's Press

Genre:  Nonfiction, Memoir, History, WWII

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

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.

 

My Thoughts:  The Last Secret Agent is a real life story told by the person who lived a life that books are written about.   Almost every WWII historical fiction book I have read has a SOE agent in the story.  The Last Secret Agent is a firsthand nonfiction account of Pippa Latour’s life as a SOE agent. 

The book was written as I would expect Pippa to speak her story.  I could hear her voice as I read her story.  I could see the life she was living in the descriptions of her words.  The amazing places she travelled, whether in her everyday life or during her journeys as a spy.  The places she travelled, the people she met, and the way she lived had me in awe of her strength and willingness to put herself on the line to do her part during WWII. 

I love that she kept her life as a SOE agent a secret from everyone until her son’s found her on the internet, only then did she tell her story.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet the authors (taken from Goodreads):  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.

 

Jude Dobson (taken from her website):  Although my first chosen career was as a registered nurse, I soon got sidetracked into television and have stayed in media since 1989. I was the presenter of six different prime-time lifestyle shows through the 1990s and eventually hosted my own, 5:30 with Jude. Here’s the list of TV shows I have presented over the years. Come the 2000s I then created my own broadcast projects which still saw me on camera here and there, but my focus really moved to being behind the camera. I did however get talked into going on Dancing with the Stars in 2019, which was somewhat scary. But hey, life is meant to be a bit scary at times.

In 2002, after 13 years of being a presenter fulltime, I set up my own production company, with the intention of pitching and producing broadcast content I wanted to make. This enabled me to grow a new skill set of producing, directing, writing, and researching. I also find the funders to make those ideas come to life. Essentially, I like taking things that interest me and making them into stories that others will hopefully find interesting too. I am, in short, a storyteller.

I am also the founder of the NZ parenting website, Raising Children. Bringing up little people is a hugely important job. Speaking of which, I’m married to Graeme, and the best productions in my life have been our three children – who are now lovely young adults.