Spotlight of The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck

  

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

BY ERIKA ROBUCK

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF STEPHANIE FELTY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE.

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An extraordinary and much needed profile on famed WWII spy, Virginia Hall.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN by Erika Robuck (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; February 9, 2021) is the first historical novel to tackle Hall’s story.

The Limping Lady. Diane. Artemis. These were just some of the names used to identify the seemingly wrinkled, grey-haired woman who defied the odds (including a prosthetic leg she nicknamed Cuthbert) to become the most dangerous Allied spy in France during World War II.

With the release of A Call to Spy film, and Sonia Purnell’s critically acclaimed and New York Times nonfiction bestseller, A Woman of No Importance (2019), Virginia Hall is finally earning her place within American lore.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN picks up Hall’s story during her last mission. A former Baltimore society woman, Hall has long since traded in debutante balls and silk gloves for her gray wig. In March 1944, she is offered the chance to return to Occupied France as part of a new spy network, the OSS. She still has a price on her head from the last mission, and her life expectancy—the time handlers estimate she has before being caught—is a mere six weeks. She goes anyway.

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ADVANCED PRAISE:

"An extraordinary profile of the immense courage and daring of Virginia Hall and an intimate look at the cost of war, The Invisible Woman is a must-read. "--Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author

"[A] captivating, page-turning read. . . . The Invisible Woman shines a light on this courageous historical woman, whose pioneering work as an agent deserves recognition."--Marie Benedict, New York Timesbestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room

"Erika Robuck shows us exactly how biographical fiction should be written: with respect for the historical record, a deep understanding of the subject, and the empathy to allow the character at the heart of the novel to shine through. . . . If you only read one World War II book this year, make it this one."--Natasha Lester,New York Times bestselling author ofThe Paris Orphan

"Virginia Hall . . . is the stuff of inspiration and legend . . . [with] feats of human goodness and bravery amid some of modern history's darkest moments. . . . Breathtakingly beautiful."--Allison Pataki, New York Timesbestselling author of The Queen's Fortune

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Based on the remarkable true story of an American woman who defied the odds to become the most dangerous Allied spy in France during World War II, comes a gripping historical novel about strength, humanity, and bravery from the bestselling author of Hemingway's Girl.

March 1944. Virginia Hall wasn't like the other young society women back home in Baltimore--she never wanted the debutante ball or silk gloves. Instead, she traded a safe life for adventure in Europe, and when her beloved second home is thrust into the dark days of war, she leaps in headfirst.

Once she's recruited as an Allied spy, subverting the Nazis becomes her calling. But even the most cunning agent can be bested, and in wartime trusting the wrong person can prove fatal. Virginia is haunted every day by the betrayal that ravaged her first operation, and will do everything in her power to avenge the brave people she lost.

While her future is anything but certain, this time more than ever Virginia knows that failure is not an option. Especially when she discovers what--and whom--she's truly protecting.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PHOTO CREDIT:  Catsh Photography

Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of Receive Me Falling, Hemingway's Girl, Call Me Zelda, Fallen Beauty, and The House of Hawthorne.

She is a contributor to the anthology Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion and to the Writer's Digest essay collection Author in Progress. Robuck lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband and three sons.

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