Book Summary and Reviews of The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

The Librarian Spy

A Novel of World War II

by Madeline Martin

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  • Published:
  • Jul 2022, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America's library spies of World War II.

Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It's a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The Librarian Spy is a truly captivating read." —BookPage (starred review)

"The wartime ambience in both Lisbon and Paris and the thoroughly fascinating story of the IDC will please all lovers of WWII espionage." —Booklist

"Resistance and activism... vividly reimagined." —The Washington Post

"This story blew me away. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they are transported to 1940s Portugal and France with Madeline Martin's vivid and inspiring characters. The Librarian Spy is a brilliant tale of resistance, courage and ultimately hope." —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan

"Madeline Martin is a fantastic author, and this beautiful, heartbreaking tale of two young women who risk everything as they use the power of words to fight back against the Nazis will have you glued to your chair. The Librarian Spy is a stunning tour de force of historical fiction." —Karen Robards, author of The Black Swan of Paris

This information about The Librarian Spy was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Madeline Martin

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages.

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