Sonia Purnell

En septiembre de 1941, una joven estadounidense que dice ser periodista sube los escalones de un hotel en Lyon. Su pierna de madera queda disimulada por su paso determinado. Meses más tarde, la Gestapo envia una transmision urgente: De todos los espias aliados, esa mujer es la mas peligrosa. Debemos encontrarla y acabar con ella. El objetivo que tenian en el punto de mira era Virginia Hall, una socialite de Baltimore que se abrio paso en el Servicio de Operaciones Especiales, la organizacion de espias creada por Winston Churchill. Se convirtio en la primera mujer aliada envida tras las lineas enemigas y en una pieza clave para la Resistencia, que revoluciono la guerra secreta tal como se conocia al establecer vastas redes de espias en toda Francia. A pesar de que carteles con su rostro se distribuyeron por todo el pais y se puso precio a su cabeza, Virginia rechazo todas las ordenes de evacuar, aunque finalmente se vio obligada a escapar a España cruzando los Pirineos. Lejos de rendirse, volvio de nuevo a Francia y dirigio una victoriosa campaña que consiguio liberar zonas francesas de manos de los nazis tras el Dia D. Basado en una intensa investigacion, Sonia Purnell ha reconstruido la vida de Virginia Hall, una historia asombrosa e inspiradora de heroismo, espionaje, resistencia...

A vida cinematográfica da maior espiã da Segunda Guerra Mundial Em 1942, a Gestapo, polícia secreta nazista, enviou uma mensagem urgente: "Ela é a mais perigosa de todos os espiões aliados. Devemos e

The New York Times bestseller the incredible untold story of Virginia Hall an American woman with a wooden leg who infiltrated Occupied France for the SOE and became the Gestapo s most wanted Allied spy written by acclaimed biographer Sonia Purnell

An electrifying re-examination of one of the twentieth century''s greatest unsung power players, from the bestselling author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE ''Superb and fascinating. I can''t recommend it more'' LADY ANNE GLENCONNER, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting ''Fascinating and revelatory, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph'' WILLIAM BOYD ''An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read'' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were scathing - and often downright sexist. Written off as a social climber, her glamorous social life and infamous erotic adventures overshadowed her true legacy. Much of what she did behind the scenes to shape the twentieth century, on both sides of the Atlantic, remained invisible. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how Harriman left an indelible mark on the world today. There is practically no-one in twentieth-century politics, culture and fashion whose lives she did not touch. Her influence began at age twenty, when her father-in-law, Winston Churchill, engaged her as a "secret weapon" during World War II, wining, dining and seducing Americans over to the British cause against Hitler. It continued later in the US, where she hand-picked Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulted him to the presidency. It extended further, over five decades and two continents, influencing figures like the Kennedys, Nelson Mandela, Truman Capote, Gianni Agnelli, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem and Frank Sinatra.