Madame Fourcade's secret war

In 1941, a 31-year-old Frenchwoman became the leader of Alliance, a vast Resistance organisation. Brave, independent, and a lifelong rebel against her country's conservative, patriarchal society, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was made for the job. No other French spy network lasted as long or supplied as much crucial intelligence as Alliance - and as a result, the Gestapo pursued its members relentlessly, capturing, torturing, and executing hundreds of its 3000 agents, including Fourcade's own lover and many of her key spies. Fourcade herself lived on the run and was captured twice by the Nazis. Both times she managed to escape. Though so many of her agents died defending their country, Fourcade survived the occupation to become active in post-war French politics. In this book, Lynne Olson tells the fascinating story of a woman who stood up for her nation, her fellow citizens, and herself.