The Woman with No Name - by Audrey Blake (Paperback)

About the Book

"On a warm night in September, Yvonne Rudellat's house is bombed. Almost everything she owns is destroyed. Yvonne has no one left. She and her husband have long been estranged; her daughter, Jackie, is married and occupied with war work. Yvonne is no use to anyone-older, diminutive, always overlooked. As she prepares to take her own life, fate offers her a new path. Almost no one believes she can do it. She is a woman, unaccustomed to this form of danger. She is too old, too frail for such deadly work. But Britain is on the brink of losing the war, and so she is sent, as an experiment more than anything else, to train as a Special Operative Executive. All too soon, she finds herself alone in the country that was once her home. Her mission: set Europe ablaze and clear the way for the women who come after"--

Book Synopsis

"Resilience, courage, and bravery outshine the enemy is this fast-paced, historical read." -- Booklist

Older, diminutive, overlooked...she becomes one of the most ferocious and feared espionage agents in the are against the Nazis.

World War II London, 1942. Though she survived the bomb that destroyed her home, Yvonne Rudellat's life is over. She's estranged from her husband, her daughter is busy with war work, and Yvonne--older, diminutive, overlooked--has lost all purpose. Until she's offered a chance to remake herself entirely...

The war has taken a turn for the worse, and the men in charge are desperate. So, when Yvonne is recruited as Britain's first female sabotage agent, expectations are low. But her tenacity, ability to go unnoticed, and aptitude for explosives set her apart. Soon enough she arrives in occupied France with a new identity, ready to set the Nazi regime ablaze.

But there are adversaries on all sides. As Yvonne becomes infamous as the nameless, unstoppable woman who burns the enemy at every turn, she realizes she may lose herself to the urgent needs of the cause...

Based on a true story, The Woman With No Name is a gripping story of secrets, spies, and the women behind the Resistance, from USA Today bestselling author Audrey Blake.

Review Quotes

"Fast-paced, often heart-pounding... What makes this novel all the more powerful is the fact that [the protagonist] is based on a real person." -- Library Journal

"Resilience, courage, and bravery outshine the enemy is this fast-paced, historical read." -- Booklist

"An enthralling, based-on-truth story about a remarkable woman whose courage and determination to create a new, meaningful life at a time when she feels invisible to everyone, including her estranged husband and grown daughter, which is as heartrending as it is inspiring. Yvonne Rudellat was the first female SOE-trained agent in occupied France in WWII and the kind of independent, strongminded and daring person you'd want at your side. I cycled alongside her as she pedaled through the French countryside, held my breath as she learned to swim, fumed with her as she was compelled to prove her worth time and again, and rooted for her at every explosive turn. Rich in detail, action, and emotion, The Woman with No Name breathes life into the legacy of one of many women whose lives demand celebration. Bravo, Yvonne and Audrey Blake!" -- Penny Haw, author of The Invincible Miss Cust and The Woman at the Wheel

"You will feel like you know Yvonne Rudellat from the start. Rather than a superhero, she's an ordinary woman who makes extraordinary sacrifices for her country. A mother. A spy. A saboteur. Yvonne becomes who she needs to be in order to help her country during WWII. Her story is as fast-paced as it is well-researched. Authenticity shows itself on every page. It was a pleasure to read, as well as an education about the heroics of the French Resistance. I can't imagine a more heroic woman than Yvonne Rudellat, who exemplified the courage of so many men and women whose stories may never be told." -- Diane Hanks, author of The Woman With A Purple Heart