The mademoiselle alliance A novel

Marie-Madeleine Fourcade goes from being the innocent bride of a French Army officer in 1928 Morocco to a single mother and journalist in 1936 Paris, where she meets a military-intelligence officer. He invites her to help him launch a newspaper that will encourage the French government to stand up to Hitler. After the Nazis invade France, Marie-Madeleine can't stay on the sidelines, and before long she is running Alliance, a growing network of spies determined to free France from the Vichy government. With razor-sharp instincts and a wide stubborn streak, she engenders trust with all those devoted to the cause. At the same time, her heart breaks as her recruits are arrested, tortured, and killed. She desperately misses her children while trying to build a better future for them. Still, Marie-Madeleine relentlessly pushes forward, expanding her network, working with the British, and escaping from capture multiple times. Lester did extensive research to bring this heroine to life on the page, infusing the story with vivid descriptions and a palpable sense of the fear that pervaded France during WWII.