The Lost Girls of Paris Published by Park Row Books on December 22, 2025 Genres: Fiction / City Life, Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II & Holocaust, Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Jewish, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical, Fiction / Thrillers / Espionage, Fiction / Women
Pages: 377
Find the Author: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Goodreads
The New York Times bestseller--for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz!
Three women. One daring mission.
1946. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Inside is a dozen photographs--each of a different woman. Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home.
Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal. In this riveting story inspired by true events, Pam Jenoff weaves a tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.
Don't miss Pam Jenoff's new novel, Last Twilight in Paris, a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about love and survival.
Read these other sweeping epics from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff:
- Code Name Sapphire
- The Woman with the Blue Star
- The Orphan's Tale
- The Ambassador's Daughter
- The Diplomat's Wife
- The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach
- The Kommandant's Girl
- The Winter Guest
Review:
Historical fiction has a way of pulling forgotten stories out of the shadows, and The Lost Girls of Paris does precisely that. Inspired by the real women who served as spies during World War II, Pam Jenoff’s novel is a quiet but emotionally resonant tribute to courage, sacrifice, and the lives history almost erased.
A Suitcase Full of Secrets
The story begins in 1946 New York, where Grace Healey, still reeling from the loss of her husband in the war, stumbles across an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Station. Inside are photographs of women she doesn’t recognize—women who feel important, lost, and unresolved. Grace’s curiosity quickly turns into an obsession, pulling her into a mystery that stretches across the Atlantic and back into the darkest days of the war.
Running alongside Grace’s postwar investigation is the wartime narrative of Eleanor Trigg, a British intelligence officer tasked with recruiting and managing female agents sent into Nazi-occupied France. Through Eleanor’s perspective—and that of one of her agents—we see the immense risks these women took and the impossible choices they were forced to make.
Women at the Heart of the War
What The Lost Girls of Paris does best is center women in a genre that often sidelines them. These are not women waiting at home for the war to end; they are active participants, risking their lives with little expectation of recognition or survival. Jenoff highlights the bravery required not just to spy, but to live daily life under constant threat.
The novel also explores how war reshapes identity. Grace’s journey shows how loss lingers long after peace is declared, while the wartime sections remind us that heroism is often quiet, complicated, and deeply personal.
A Gentle Mystery with Emotional Weight
This is not a fast-paced spy thriller. Instead, it unfolds slowly, allowing the emotional consequences of the characters’ decisions to take center stage. The mystery of what happened to the women in the photographs provides tension, but the true power of the story lies in its atmosphere and sense of mourning—for lives lost, stories untold, and futures stolen by war.
Some readers may find the pacing measured or wish for a deeper exploration of certain characters. Still, for many, the reflective tone enhances the novel’s sense of reverence for its real-life inspirations.
Final Thoughts
The Lost Girls of Paris is a thoughtful, heartfelt piece of historical fiction that shines a light on women whose bravery deserves remembrance. It’s a novel about courage in impossible circumstances and the responsibility to remember those who were never meant to disappear.
If you enjoy WWII fiction that focuses on women’s stories, emotional depth, and lesser-known history rather than nonstop action, this is a book well worth picking up.
Perfect for readers who love: dual timelines, women-centered historical fiction, and stories inspired by real events.
About Pam Jenoff
Pam Jenoff is the author of several novels, including LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS (to be released Feb 2025), NYT bestsellers CODE NAME SAPPHIRE, THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR, THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS, THE ORPHAN’S TALE and THE DIPLOMAT’S WIFE, as well as THE KOMMANDANT’S GIRL, which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for the Quill Awards and became an international bestseller. She previously served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney at a large firm and in-house. She received her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her masters degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelors degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. Pam Jenoff lives with her husband, three children and five pets near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school at Rutgers.
