would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

based on a true story you are compelled to read and finish this one... and its so jaw dropping with what you are about to read and learn ... tears will flow whilst you read this book

a true hero of her time and many more people should know about her courage

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors books

Wow. What a story! Although listed as being fiction, this book is meticulously researched, and firmly rooted in truth. Of course I've heard of Noor, I've read a few books that she features in, and she is, of course, one of the women in the fantastic film, 'A Call To Spy'.

There's a very handy 'historical note' at the end of the book, which clearly explains what is fact and what is not in the book.

But this book taught me about her early life. I didn't know, for example, that she was a published writer (her book is now on my to buy list). I was reminded anew of her bravery and dedication. She's a true heroine, and may she never be forgotten.

I thought the 'Noor' of this book was incredibly well written. She certainly felt like a real character, with flaws and emotions. I recognised some of the other names from other books as well, it's always nice to think they are remembered in this way.

The Last Agent in Paris by Sharon Maas has a long timescale starting in Russia in 1914 and taking us all the way to the end of World War Two and beyond. Based on the true story of Noor Inayat Khan who worked with the S.O.E (Special Operations Executive) as a wireless operator in Paris. This was a fascinating and engrossing story of one women’s determination to fulfil her duty and help rid the world of Hitler and the evil he inflicted upon it. The prologue is stark and straight to the point with a woman named Madeline being questioned at Avenue Foch which was the headquarters of the Gestapo in Paris. She is the last woman standing from a network and despite being questioned at length she is determined not to give anything away. Questions arose from even from reading the brief prologue. Who was this woman? How had she ended up in this situation? Is there any hope for her escape/freedom?

The reader is then taken back to Russia 1914 where Inayat and his wife Amina (who was originally from America) have just had their first child, a daughter named Noor. Noor means light or brightness. Her spirit is always shining but she has been born into a world of great turbulence with much upheaval and war. The family are pacifists and are followers of the Sufi movement. Music is the centre of their lives and they travel from place to place eventually settling in Paris having been gifted a house. Two brothers and a sister join Noor and the family is complete. As the chapters progress the reader can see that Noor is a dreamer and has a gullible nature and is fragile and delicate and as the years pass and the Nazi’s rise to power she will have to push these tendencies aside and become more in tune with what is going on around her.

After her father passes away, Noor being the eldest steps up when her mother falls apart. She does her best to ensure her siblings receive a good education and she continues to teach the ways her father preached. But deep within her there is something stirring, a sense of commitment to a grander cause. Some sort of calling, a duty to sacrifice herself for the good of others and this stays with her and only intensifies as the world once again heads towards war. Noor has many values and the strongest of these is loyalty, courage and sacrifice and when war is declared she can’t wait to join in and do her bit. At this point there as an extremely well written paragraph where her brother Vilayat explains to her why she as a woman can’t enlist. This was so well explained and justified and I found myself really agreeing with what he said but it only served to inspire Noor more.

The family are soon forced to flee Paris and the description of their journey to a French port in order to get to England where they had citizenship was harrowing and disturbing. But here is here Noor showed her reckless side. That when she is hell bent on doing something there is no stopping her and sometimes I just wanted someone to curtail her wings a bit and for her to have more caution for herself and those around her. Noor is never one to back down from a challenge even when she is told it can’t be done or it’s too risky. She is persistent and starts to show courage and strength. Soon, she goes against the odds and enrols for training and her intelligence is noted. She would be perfect for the secret work of the S.O.E. I loved reading all the details of her training and it just hit home even further for me that there were so many strands to the war machine and even just to train one woman took many months and so many people working together.

Noor was always at the centre of her family. She offered love and support but when her training is complete and she was literally being dropped into the lions den this was taken away from her family and in a way Noor suffered slightly as well. The plot really took on a life of its own when Noor returns to Paris to carry out her secret work. All the details of the network, who was involved, what they did and how they operated were fascinating. There was a great building up of tension and suspicion and with every turn of the page you feared what awaited you. The title of the book finally starts to come into play and the last few chapters are a race to discover what will happen and not knowing anything about the real-life Noor’s story meant that I was kept on the edge of my seat not knowing what the eventual outcome would be and I love that to be the case when I read books of this nature. My opinion of Noor did a complete 360 from the first few chapters and the last few chapters made me truly comprehend what a remarkable and exceptional woman she was.

Overall, the story is very well written and researched and it’s evident that that the author is very passionate about the subject matter. Initially, I did think that it took some time to get going, to get the actual crux of the story-that being Noor’s arrival in Paris to carry out the work that she had been trained for. This only happens well after the midway point of the book. I found myself thinking up to that point that things were quite long winded and over explained with too much unnecessary detail. I was trying to decipher what could potentially be relevant to the plot and what I could cast aside.

But it was only as I reached that point where Noor finally landed in Paris that I realised all the information and background story had been essential and in fact a brilliant picture of Noor as a person had been built up and of her family and their customs and beliefs. All her experiences growing up and all the knowledge and wisdom imparted from both her father and mother had moulded and shaped the woman she was when her calling finally came to fruition. Yes, I found her to be reckless at times and as danger was lurking at every turn she was a bit too blasé about keeping herself safe. But deep down beneath it all she was a woman fuelled by a very strong fire that would not be quashed until she had achieved her objectives and she fought and fought until the bitter end.

The Last Agent in Paris is a brilliant homage to an incredible woman and Sharon Maas should be proud of her achievements in writing this book which in her end notes she has stated that she has wanted to write about Noor for quite some time. The historical notes at the end were a fantastic addition and further enhanced my understanding and appreciation for the story that I had just finished reading. Quite often readers can skip over these bits of a book but I urge you not to. I found myself rooting for Noor the further I delved into the book and yes she at times she was frustrating for her stubbornness and obstinance but her other strong qualities far out way these slight niggles I had about her. It’s wonderful to see another unsung hero being brought to light as I had never heard anything about Noor prior to reading this book. So many people’s daring work went unnoticed during the war and bringing the courage and audacity of Noor to the page made for a powerful, riveting and compelling read which I would certainly recommend to all fans of this genre.

My thanks to Sarah Hardy at Bookouture for a review copy of the book via NetGalley.

I have known of Noor Inayat Khan for a fair while now but only that she was of Indian origin, served as a radio operator for the allies in Paris amidst German occupation, and that she was eventually betrayed to the Nazis and lost her life. So, when the opportunity came to read this book and learn more about her, I naturally jumped at it.

And indeed, Noor Inayat Khan’s life was a remarkable one. Her life and character were in many ways a study in contrasts, on the one side was a young woman deeply immersed in music and spirituality, a poet and writer, a dreamer who her own mother feared for in terms of how she would cope with the realities of the world, on the other, a fearless radio-operator, adept at her work, committed to saving her beloved France to such an extent that she was willing to forego even opportunities to get back to safety offered by her superiors, standing steadfast as the ‘last agent in Paris’. But while these two facets of her personality seem so different to each other, it was from her spirituality and roots that she drew the strength to face the challenges she faced in that other part of her life, her ability to love deeply that also fuelled her commitment to her mission, and a combination of obstinacy and naiveite which added many shades to her character.

In The Last Agent in Paris, author Sharon Maas traces her story. Beginning with her capture and interrogation, we move between her time in German capture and her story, from a little after her birth in 1914. Her father Inayat Khan was a musician and Sufi preacher, learned in the sacred texts of many faiths and her mother, an American who married Inayat in the face of family opposition. The eldest of four siblings, Noor, born in Moscow where her parents were at the time, was responsible for a little ‘miracle’ even as an infant. Her father, able to see beyond narrow ideas of ‘normal’, understood her dreamy nature and it was from him that she gained the strength and deeply spiritual inclination which empowered her to face the world in all its ugliness. But even at a time when defined by her dreaminess and immersion in music, after her father’s early death (when she was only 14), she took on the responsibilities of looking after her family (cooking, cleaning, getting the younger ones ready for school) and also continued her own education while her mother had fallen into depression for a time. All her and her family’s dreams and aspirations were brought to a standstill when war broke out and the Nazis entered France, the place they had been living and the children had grown. Having to leave their home and flee to England, she and her siblings all wished to play their part in the war effort. But for Noor, as we see, this contribution could never be ordinary—she became the first woman radio operator to be dropped into German-occupied Paris!

In writing The Last Agent in Paris, Sharon Maas relies on the definitive bio of Noor by her friend Jean Overton Fuller, Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan: Madeline, as well as follow up books by Fuller based on her interviews with those involved including Ernst Vogt, the German officer who interrogated Noor. While these and Shrabani Basu’s Spy Princess provide the base of the story, the historical is supplemented with the fictional in the form of characters about whom not too much was known (including true identities) as well as incidents woven in which were real but probably didn’t involve Noor. A historical note at the end clarifies what is based on fact and what on fiction.

Noor’s is a story one can’t read but with a sombre mind, yet the author gives us an interestingly written, well-pieced together, and absorbing book which doesn’t feel incomplete or lacking at any point—in fact, it continues on beyond Noor’s death to how her family and Jean found out what happened and much of what had been kept hidden from them. I enjoyed learning about her early life and her family and the atmosphere she was brought up in. What I was most anxious about were the sections where Noor was in captivity and what she would have gone through. But even among the ‘enemy’ she had her admirers who recognised her courage and work. I was glad the author didn’t go into graphic detail about what might have happened (other than one harrowing scene at the end) such that one can bear these parts better.

Noor was a complex character, strong-minded and resourceful, skilled at her work and deeply committed to her duty but also gentle, dreamy, spiritual and even naïve. The book brings out well the various shades of her personality which make her difficult to classify and even perhaps truly comprehend. Despite her dreamy nature and love of peace, she never chose the easy way out in any situation even where it was an option she could legitimately take. And yet, at times, she also seemed to do things (like keeping a written record of all transmissions sent with her at all times) which defied even basic logic on a misunderstanding of her instructions. One aspect that puzzled me in the book though, was her seeming unfamiliarity with Parisian life and ways considering she’d been brought up there. But overall, the fictional and the historical woven together create an intriguing and convincing portrait.

The Last Agent in Paris is a wonderful but poignant piece of historical fiction about an extraordinary young woman whom more people should be aware of.

It’s 1940 and World War II is in full swing. Nazi soldiers have invaded the streets of Paris. Noor and her family are forced from their home, the safest place for them to be is England. Noor is determined to save her country from being over taken by the Germans. She becomes a wireless operative in England and is quickly assigned to a spy network in her beloved Paris, her homeland. As a member of the spy network she spends her time walking through the destroyed streets of Paris. She risks her life everyday sending broadcast messages back to London. But as members of her network are captured, her mission becomes even more dangerous. There is a mole in the network and Noor doesn’t know who she can trust, but she does know she must carry out her mission to save her country, her family and survive.

The Last Agent In Paris, written by author Sharon Maas, is a phenomenal story of loss, survival and loyalty. I immediately felt attached to Noor and her family. I wept for them many times for what they went through. This was such an amazing story that broke my heart an put it back together piece by piece. I was amazed that this story was inspired by a true story, that in itself made me cry over and over again. Once again I am astounded by the writings of Maas. She had me overwhelmed with emotion, page after page as I read through this book. This is a book that definitely landed on my list of one of the best books I have read this year. I will remember this book for a very long time. I highly recommend this phenomenal read.

I’ve been addicted to WWII books about the SOE. I find the whole premise absolutely fascinating, especially when women were involved. The British and Americans through these groups of people together, with barely any training, and then drop them in occupied zones basically with their fingers crossed. The pianists (wireless operators) were given a 6 week life span. How did people go out there with such little hope of survival?

Noor took the ultimate risk, heading into France again (even after she and her family had escaped to England) as a pianist, the earliest woman to do so. She struggled to be away from her mother the most, and not being able to tell her family what she was truly doing. Knowing how unlikely it was for her to return to them made it all the more difficult, but didn’t keep her from going. She survived far longer than anyone expected.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

The Last Agent in Paris by Sharon Maas is a story taking place in the setting of two countries England and France torn by a war raged by the Nazi Germans. The majority of the novel takes place in Paris, which is under Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944.This is an emotional World War II historical novel inspired by the true story of Noor Inayat Khan, the first female radio operator sent by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) into Nazi-occupied France. Set in 1940, the novel follows Noor, a young woman whose life is upended as Nazi forces invade France. here, Noor is recruited by the SOE due to her proficiency in French, which makes her an ideal candidate for covert work in Nazi-occupied France. After her family is forced to flee Paris, Noor vows to return and fight for the country she loves - France.

Training as a wireless operator in England, Noor becomes an ideal candidate for a perilous undercover mission in Paris. Assigned to a secretive spy network led by the enigmatic Prosper, she takes on the dangerous task of transmitting crucial intelligence to London. As Noor navigates the treacherous streets of Paris, dodging Nazi patrols and risking capture with every broadcast, the stakes become higher. Her fellow agents are being picked off one by one, and Noor begins to suspect there is a traitor in their midst. In England, Noor undergoes rigorous training in radio communication, cryptography, and other espionage techniques, preparing her for the dangerous work of transmitting messages from behind enemy lines.

As the last remaining agent in her network, Noor must find a way to keep the mission alive, even as the walls close in around her. The novel is a testament to Noor's courage, resilience, and determination in the face of overwhelming danger, offering a powerful exploration of sacrifice and loyalty during one of the darkest chapters of history. Fans of historical fiction, particularly those interested in stories of women spies and wartime resistance, will find The Last Agent in Paris utterly unforgettable.

One of the novel’s most powerful aspects is the slow-building tension that Maas creates. As Noor becomes the last agent standing in her network, the suspense intensifies with each passing chapter. Who is the traitor? Can Noor keep the operation alive? Maas brilliantly captures the psychological weight of these questions, making it impossible to put the book down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Publishers for an advance copy for my honest review

Novel Nerd Blog: https://smithareading.blogspot.com/

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Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “The Last Agent in Paris” by Sharon Maas. I am so happy that I read this story!!! It is inspired by the TRUE story of Noor Inayat Khan. How have I never heard her story before? She was a true hero who put her life on the line in Paris during World War II.
This is a heartwarming story full of resilience and hope. I went down a rabbit hole of research after reading this. Highly recommend! Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheLastAgentInParis #SharonMaas #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BooksSetInParis # BooksSetDuringWWII

The Last Agent in Paris is about a brave and courageous woman named Noor Khan who is working as an undercover for British in France. The whole story is a historical account of this young brave woman who sacrificed her own life to serve her country.

The story is well researched and well written. And it is also quiet engaging as well. Noor is half-Indian half American and her heritage makes it an advantage to work as an undercover. The middle part of the story is gripping and interesting, nearly putting you on the edge when Noor was finally caught by the Nazis and Gestapo and questioned by a man named Voigt. France is Noor's home and the thought of her own country being ruined by the Nazis was too much for Noor. One rare thing about this is in most WWII historical fiction, the story starts two years prior to WWII but in this case, the story starts somewhere in 1914 when Noor was born, detailing her childhood in France, her courtships, her father's untimely death and how she managed to help her mother and sister escape to England.

Overall, this book is an emotional roller coaster ride--heartbreaking moments and the ending of the book was actually sad. Noor Khan is an inspiration to many women out there and a brave and courageous one in fact. Worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour.

The Last Agent in Paris sounds like a title for a very intiguing, dramatic novel. While this book by Sharon Maas does provide intrigue and plenty of drama, it is a novel only in that it is a fictional presentation of a real female Special Operations Executive agent of Great Britain during World War II. I expected the book to feature actions taken by the lead character, Noor Inayat Khan, during her time as an agent in Paris as well as a bit of background about ther that led to her signing up to serve her country in such a dangerous assignment. I got more than I expected. The book not only covers Noor Inayat Khan's background back to the very beginning of her life but also gives us a great deal of information about her father, Hazrat Inayat-Khan, and great-grandfather, Sangit Ratna Maulabakish Sholay Khan, who were well-known and well-revered in their own time and country for their musicianship and teachings. It was the first time I read about the teachings and practices of Sufism and learned how it traveled from India to America, England, and France. It was also interesting to learn a little bit about the Indian musical style and instruments. The entire book reads like a novel with romance, family trials and tribulations, and the nerve-racking business of undercover agents support to the French Resistance, but it was also nice to learn more about other cultures.

This fictional story is based on a real-life hero, Noor Inayat Khan, code-named Madeline, one of France's first female radio operators. It delves into her life history before the war and her capture. I’ve heard her story before, and I’ve been to her memorial at the RAF Museum in England. Her story is a fascinating one, as well as her bravery. Her relationship with her father was a significant one and helped build her into the brave woman she became. She was a pacifist but felt forced to participate when the Nazis invaded Germany. It was a fascinating, well-researched story and I look forward to reading more by the author.


Thanks to @netgalley, @bookouture, and the author of this ARC.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Bookouture.

This WWII novel was inspired by the true story of Noor Inayat Khan. When I first started reading, I took an interest in all of the characters, but I felt a connection with Noor in particular. I found that as I carried on reading, that connection deepened. The author wrote in a way that made me feel as though I had come to know this character; as though she was my friend.

Noor was a wonderful character, and I admired her strength and resilience. I wasn't sure if I would be able to read all of this in one sitting, but I did, as once I became invested, it was difficult to lay it aside. Noor’s story was moving, inspiring and heartwarming.

Thank you to Bookouture, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

I found this to be a very emotional tale of resilience in a time when a nations people is being hunted and persecuted. I also found that the atmosphere conveyed in the story help with the narration of what the characters we going through. This story follow our main character as she and her family have had to flee for their lives. Once she has left she realised that she has to do more and risks her life to go back and do something for the war effort and for her people. I suggest that tissues are needed when reading this book.

This historical novel, based on a true story, follows Noor, the daughter of an Indian Sufi leader, as she grows up across Europe. Noor's early life is surrounded by music, community, and fairy tales, but as World War II looms and Paris falls to Nazi invasion, Noor and her family escape to England. Driven by a need to support the war effort despite her pacifist beliefs, Noor joins the SOE, the secret British spy organisation. She soon becomes the first female wireless operator in occupied France, only to find herself in an increasingly dangerous situation as her network starts to collapse under the Nazi threat.

I have read a number of books about SOE operators this year, but was happily suprised that this was a unique story. Noor’s life is fascinating and it’s clear that the author has done extensive research. The dual timeline in the first half keeps the reader engaged. However, I found several aspects disappointing. The characters, including Noor, felt one-dimensional, with Noor herself portrayed as frustratingly inconsistent, annoying and self-centred. Her actions often seemed unnecessary, and I did not appreciate the repeated trope of every man falling in love with her. The plot included several underdeveloped and unnecessary aspects, and the dialogue was often unnatural. While I kept reading to find out Noor’s fate, my interest lay more in the true historical events than in the author’s storytelling choices.

📕📕BOOK REVIEW 📕📕
📚📚Bookouture Books-on-Tour📚📚
The Last Agent in Paris by Sharon Maas

This is the fictionalised story of Noor Inayat Khan the first British female wireless operator working with the French resistance during WWII. Born in Russia in 1914 Noor led quite an unconventional life. She was ostensibly a pacifist, she believed in fairies, she was quiet and shy and she fell in love easily and unconditionally. But now living in Paris with her family, when the Nazis stormed the city in 1940, the family fled to England. The author has clearly done some detailed research and it shows. I did know a bit about the real life Noor but there were a lot of interesting details that I now know were factual of which I hadn’t previously been aware.

Briefly, now living in London and determined to do something to support the war effort Noor fought to be accepted into the services. Once she was her dedication was noticed and she was approached to train as a wireless operator. Her training was intensified and in June 1943, codenamed Madeline, she flew to France taking up position with a resistance cell run by Prosper. No more about her life as I don’t want to give spoilers for anyone who doesn’t know her story.

I did find this quite a slow starter but the pace seemed to ramp up when the family were escaping France. Noor was an incredible woman. She might have been small in stature but she was tall in bravery. Completely dedicated to what she believed was right and loyal to her country, her friends and her family. It’s a gripping, tense and emotional story and one that deserves to be shared again. Lest we forget.

It Just did not hold my attention. So I am sad to say I dnfed the book at 65%. The concept was good though. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I have never heard of Noor and that’s one of the many reasons I like reading historical fiction because each book usually turns up something new I’d never heard before.
Noor’s upbringing was unique and her unwavering support to do whatever she could to defeat the armies of darkness during WWII were nothing short of heroic.
I cringed when I read about her end but she was stalwart to the end.
I wonder how many people would be willing to sacrifice all that Noor did if the same service was asked of them today?

This book was based on a true story of the heroine Noor Khan! If you love WW2 historical fiction novels this one takes great care with the finer details! I really enjoyed this story. It follows the story of a woman Noor who decided she will help her country, France as the Nazis draw close. It was so evident that Maas wasn’t just telling the story of one woman but MANY women. Well worth a read and recommendation.

The Last Agent in Paris is a historical fiction WWII novel that will have you fully engaged all the way through. WWII historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and a tenacious female protagonist is my reading vibe.
Loved the storytelling and intriguing historical facts. Highly recommend for anyone who loves historical fiction. Well done Sharon Maas! I'm a fan!

A thoughtful and respectful novel about Noor Khan, a true hero and incredibly brave woman. Noor didn't have to go to Paris as a radio operator and she certainly didn't have to stay as the Nazis closed in on her and her network. But she did. And she resisted until her tragic end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Maas has written an excellent WWII novel.