I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but Erika Robuck's THE INVISIBLE WOMAN fit into my particular interests of war and the military. It tells the story of American Virginia Hall, one of the most respected espionage agents of WWII, who worked closely with the French Resistance in effecting the withdrawal of Nazi troops from France. She engaged in acts of sabotage and taught young French resistors how to do the same, all while secretly sending important data back to UK Headquarters and arranging air drops of supplies and weapons via her portable wireless set. And yes, Hall worked for both the US and UK at various times during the war, at one time escaping on foot from Nazi forces over the frozen Pyrenees, a difficult and treacherous journey, and all this with a prosthetic wooden leg she called 'Cuthbert' (the result of a hunting accident before the war). Robuck manages to weave in much of Hall's backstory and earlier missions as she follows her day to day efforts in the final year of the war, before and after the D-Day landing of Allied forces at Normandy. Erika Robuck has done her homework, seamlessly combining the factual with fiction, giving us a compelling and believable picture of Virginia Hall's exploits behind enemy lines, and even a bit about her post-war career with the OSS and the CIA, where she was the victim of gender discrimination despite her distinguished war record. A terrific read for history buffs, both men and women. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )

Amazing story of guts, determination, and fearless perseverance! I'd have thought the story a stretch if it wasn't based on a real woman's life! I'm so impressed with everything Virginia accomplished and often googled more information about this fascinating woman.
The story was well told, and I cared about the many characters introduced throughout the story.
It's another WWII book that shines light on heroes behind the front line.
Impressive research, impressive characters, and a very interesting book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this great historical fiction story. ( )

For the most part, this book was seriously depressing. ( )

Every history class should include a lesson on Virginia Hall. I got this book merely because it was about Virginia Hall; what I didn’t anticipate was falling in love with the additional characters in the book, especially Estrella. Virginia Hall is a remarkable American woman who was an intricate part of the French Resistance during WWII. What’s even more remarkable, with everything she was able to accomplish, she had a wooden leg, that she affectionately named Cuthbert. During her time as a pianist, aka coder, the life expectancy of one was six weeks. The entire book she’s focusing on those six weeks, until it comes and goes and she’s still alive. Erika Robuck’s work is brilliantly written with an all star cast that will make you fall in love. This is one of the best historical fictions I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it. If you read one book this year, it has to be this one! ( )

This book is history about real people, not dates and events. This is the people in the events. It has been a long time since I cried reading a book, but this story and the people in it brought tears to my eyes. Knowing it is history the end is up in the air, triumph or tragedy, the outcome is not the author's desire, but what fate determined. A realistic, visceral story. An important lesson in the good and evil we humans are capable of. ( )