About the Author

Sonia Purnell is a prize-winning and bestselling biographer, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, whose books have sold over 1 million copies in English worldwide. Her latest work, Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman's astonishing life of seduction, power & intrigue, was published to huge media acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Purnell is interested in setting the record straight on twentieth-century women whose lives have been overlooked, misrepresented or misunderstood by history, works that led to her recently being described as 'one of the most accomplished biographers of our time' (Liza Mundy). A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII's Most Dangerous Spy, won the 2020 Plutarch Award for Best Biography and was a New York Times bestseller. Her book First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill was a book of the year in the Daily Telegraph and Independent and was shortlisted for the Plutarch Award for Best Biography. Her first book, Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.

Reviews

Purnell's account of Hall's hectic, amphetamine-fuelled exploits never falters. It recalls Caroline Moorehead's wonderful book, Village of Secrets, but has an added touch of Ben Macintyre's brio ... A rousing tale of derring-do' - The Times, Book of the WeekSoon to be a film starring Daisy Ridley, Purnell's life of the SOE agent Virginia Hall is a cracking story about an extraordinarily brave woman - Telegraph Best Holiday Beach ReadsThe extraordinary facts of [Hall's] life are brought onto the page here with a well-judged balance of empathy and fine detail. This book is as riveting as any thriller, and as hard to put down - New York TimesRiveting ... one of the most breath-taking stories yet told of female courage behind enemy lines ... An intimate and moving portrayal - Sarah Helm, author of If This Is A Woman and A Life In SecretsBrimming with moving tales of courage in the face of tyranny, this is a worthy tribute to an incredible figure - Sunday MirrorPurnell mixes telling detail with narrative verve to convey both the excitements of Hall's precarious existence and the force of her indomitable spirit - Mail on SundayWith her thriller-writer's style and copious new research, Purnell has written a fitting and moving tribute to an amazing woman - The Economist