A review by jules_cr
A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII. by Sarah Helm

3.0

This book is part SOE (English intelligence branch during WW2) mystery, part biography and part travelogue. No doubt Vera Atkins née Rosenberg was a fascinating and talented woman, and the writing of the book was made more difficult by Vera's destruction of her personal records and guarded history. That said, it lacked some coherent narrative and details- I almost feel like I know Noor Inayat Khan better than Vera. it definitely felt like Noor/Nora's story is the one the author really wanted to tell. It is an interesting choice to structure the book through the author's journey of understanding Vera and the SOE but some of the end details and resources seemed like they could've been more interesting and further illuminated the contradictions and secrecy that Vera lived with.