The True Story Of America's Greatest Female Spy - Wolves at the Door

I'll always opt for fiction over nonfiction, but this book held my interest because of an original perspective , the French. I'd never heard of the Milice before and they were a scary group, maybe worse than the SS because they knew everyone in the smaller villages.
She was an extremely brave, almost ruthless spy, but exceptionally good at her craft. She is sort of the female Lindbergh, modest, fairly unemotional about her accomplishments. She made an e

This is a real-life page turner. How this woman had the guts to do what she did is hard to understand. Her love of country overcomes all fear! No hyperbole here, just the story of an incredible woman.

I purchased this book for my wife who is an avid reader. She thoroughly enjoyed the book -- especially since it was true history and the twist of the FBI and CIA not accepting her due to her leg problems.

The book is actually quite good and warrants between 3 and 4 stars. My one star rating is based on the audio book. I have been a customer at Audible since 2001 and this is the first audio book that I have ever returned. I then bought the Kindle edition.This decision was based solely on the narration which is the worst I have ever heard. It might be appropriate for a 3rd grade Dick and Jane reader (although I doubt if they still use those).

I rarely read anything having to do with war and refuse to watch movies or TV shows based on war. However, because this book was about a strong woman, I capitulated and promised myself I wouldn’t finish it if it was distasteful ( in my option). To my delightful surprise I stole moments to read this on various devices and never grew bored of it. Virginia was a heroine of gigantic proportions; humble, courageous, loyal, compassionate and hard working...a REAL super hero for the ages.

The author obviously did meticulous research to unveil the humanity that was Virginia Hall. Wonderful read, and proves that a woman, even with a disability, and stalwart determination cannot be held down.

Virginia’s biographical story is inspiring from so many angles. Her defiance of socially accept standards, her positive attitude, her indomitable will and determination are relevant even today. She was determined to reach her dreams, despite being a woman and having a physical disability in the mid 1900’s is truly inspiring. She very well may have been the front runner and pioneer for female government and intelligence employees. Her bravery in the face of so much danger from the Nazi regime is so amazing that it could easily fit the plot of an action movie.

Interesting story about an incredible American woman! But, I will never understand why the author must quote so much French and half the time not translate it for the reader. It's very frustrating. I suspect they want to sound intellectual themselves but it's a book in ENGLISH. Sorry but most people don't speak french. Even using french words like 'R'eseau' which I finally figured out meant 'NETWORK', and abbe' which I never could find in a dictionary but must have been some religious title. But it slows down the reading to try to figure out what some of the French stuff meant.
As for Virginia Hall, what a beautiful soul. She will stick in my mind and that makes it worth the read! Interesting too that many in Europe apparently understood clearly that the threat would be Communism after the Nazis were beaten.

A very interesting story about the most decorated American lady during WW11.
Though I did expect a lot more detail.
She came through a lot of adversity ( the loss of her leg ) but never gave up.
Virginia wanted to work for the American Foreign Service but after rejections she joined the British SOE.
She went to France and worked in the field where she had a bounty put on her head .
But this did not stop her returning in disguise and became the leader of her own cell.

Virginia Hall was a friend and colleague of mine in 1950-51, when we both worked for the National Committee for a Free Europe (NCFE), the parent organnization of Radio Free Europe, on the third floor of the Empire State Building in NYC. While we knew that she had worked with the O.S.S. duing World War II, we never knew the nature of her work in sabotaging the Nazi war effort, nor the extraordinarily dangerous nature of this work. Virginia, although perfectly sociable, was secretive about her private life. During the time she was working for NCFE, she married Paul Golliot, her Frcnch war time colleague, and never even told us anything about it. The extraordinary thing about Ms. Judith Pearson's book is that, without ever having met her or her husband, she is able to bring Virginia so completely back to life for those of us who knew her 55+ years ago! You can hear Virginia talking and even thinking in Pearson's pages. I have given this remarkable work a rating of "4", because of some sloppy editing which could easily have been avoided. There are allusions in what is supposed to be French or Spanish which in fact are neither in French nor Spanish!--and there are also some inaccuracies in the recounting of the military operations on the Western front abetween D- and VE-Days. It is high time our children's and grandchildren's generations knew something about what these heroic fighters like Virginia Hall did for all of us during that long struggle. John Foster Leich

This is a terrific account of an extraordinary life. The bravery of Ms. Hall, and her French compatriots, in the face of Nazi atrocities, is inspirational. Adding in her disability, makes it even more incredible. The writing is reader friendly, not a dry rehashing of every little detail like some historical biographies. This really needs to be made into a movie.

I gave this book 3 stars out of respect for those who risked their lives for our freedom.

I chose this book because I thought it would be a page-turner. It was not.
With no disrespect to the real-life heroes the book is about, reading it basically just dragged on. I don't know how the author was able to turn such intriguing history into a boring read, but thats exactly what's happened.
VIrginia Hall was an amazing woman who's contributions to the war effort was clearly invaluable.
I am in awe of the risks she and others took to help conquer the Nazi Regime.
However, I feel this story could have been better written.
I was disappointed.

Virginia Hall was the daughter of a well-to-do Marylander with no need to get directly involved in WWII. Instead, she played a major role in the French Resistance, leading up to 1,500 men in attacks on isolated German troops, locate and assist in parachute drops, send wireless messages (particularly dangerous, given the Germans' emphasis on quickly locating the source of any signals), helping downed Allied fliers escape to Spain, sabotaging rail lines. Prior to D-Day the Germans put out a "Wanted" poster on Virginia, along with a description. This forced her temporarily out of France, via climbing the Pyrennees with a guide and two Allied fliers, only to be imprisoned for 20 days until the American Consulate got word and was able to help. All this with a wooden lower leg - cut off as a result of a hunting accident.

Virginia's original goal was to be an American Foreign Service Officer - however, this was precluded by her hunting accident, leading her to resign her clerical position to help the French through driving an ambulance during WWII's early days. She then was recruited as a British agent (spoke French fluently), trained (only two of the twelve women passed) and returned to France. Collaborators on both sides were typically motivated by money (France was in a depression also); even a Jesuit priest became involved as a double agent - for the Germans.

After WWII, Virginia was awarded the DSC (turned down presentation by President Truman to remain anonymous), married one of her French fellow agents, and "settled down" in the CIA until retirement.

A very heroic and impressive woman whom I never would have known about without "The Wolves at the Door."

Enjoyed the history of this woman spy. Her goal was to be a foreign service worker but she could not become more than a clerical worker because she was a woman. Because of her European trips, knowledge and language skills, she actually became a spy in Germany and France from the beginning of WWII till the end of the war.

This is a terrific account of an extraordinary life. The bravery of Ms. Hall, and her French compatriots, in the face of Nazi atrocities, is inspirational. Adding in her disability, makes it even more incredible. The writing is reader friendly, not a dry rehashing of every little detail like some historical biographies. This really needs to be made into a movie.

I gave this book 3 stars out of respect for those who risked their lives for our freedom.

I chose this book because I thought it would be a page-turner. It was not.
With no disrespect to the real-life heroes the book is about, reading it basically just dragged on. I don't know how the author was able to turn such intriguing history into a boring read, but thats exactly what's happened.
VIrginia Hall was an amazing woman who's contributions to the war effort was clearly invaluable.
I am in awe of the risks she and others took to help conquer the Nazi Regime.
However, I feel this story could have been better written.
I was disappointed.

Virginia Hall was the daughter of a well-to-do Marylander with no need to get directly involved in WWII. Instead, she played a major role in the French Resistance, leading up to 1,500 men in attacks on isolated German troops, locate and assist in parachute drops, send wireless messages (particularly dangerous, given the Germans' emphasis on quickly locating the source of any signals), helping downed Allied fliers escape to Spain, sabotaging rail lines. Prior to D-Day the Germans put out a "Wanted" poster on Virginia, along with a description. This forced her temporarily out of France, via climbing the Pyrennees with a guide and two Allied fliers, only to be imprisoned for 20 days until the American Consulate got word and was able to help. All this with a wooden lower leg - cut off as a result of a hunting accident.

Virginia's original goal was to be an American Foreign Service Officer - however, this was precluded by her hunting accident, leading her to resign her clerical position to help the French through driving an ambulance during WWII's early days. She then was recruited as a British agent (spoke French fluently), trained (only two of the twelve women passed) and returned to France. Collaborators on both sides were typically motivated by money (France was in a depression also); even a Jesuit priest became involved as a double agent - for the Germans.

After WWII, Virginia was awarded the DSC (turned down presentation by President Truman to remain anonymous), married one of her French fellow agents, and "settled down" in the CIA until retirement.

A very heroic and impressive woman whom I never would have known about without "The Wolves at the Door."

Enjoyed the history of this woman spy. Her goal was to be a foreign service worker but she could not become more than a clerical worker because she was a woman. Because of her European trips, knowledge and language skills, she actually became a spy in Germany and France from the beginning of WWII till the end of the war.

Everyone should read this incredible true story of an American heroine who fought for freedom in WWII with Churchill's intelligence agency, and William Donovan's OSS in France against the Nazi occupation. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the British MBE, and the Croix Dr Guerre avec Palme. Her service cannot be overrated. This is a page Turner.

Virginia Hall was a Baltimore-born American Foreign Service officer in Lyon, France, when Hitler invaded in 1940. She quickly made the decision to use her familiarity with the region and contacts she had made as an espionage agent for the Allied forces. She worked effectively in coordinating and directing sabotage, assassinations, and other activities until the Nazis took over the southern part of France which they had allowed to remain nominally indepedent under Petain. After fleeing Lyon to Spain, Hall was brought to London by the British and American intelligence services she had been working with. They had come to prize her abilities in operating undetected, working with the French Resistanance, and causing damage to the German war machine in France. Recognizing that she would be a valuable agent working in France in the time leading up to D-Day, she was sent back into France. After the War, Hall received high awards for her incomparable espionage work from the British and American governments. Pearson--author of other works on personal stories from World War II--tells Hall's daring story in a quick-paced style occasionally going into historical background. An engaging commemoration for this little-known, but major World War II Allied spy.

I can see Jessica Chastain staring in this role. Again this shows how women need to be stronger and more assertive than their male counterparts in order to succeed. WWII was won by everyone involved with the Allies. Not just the soldiers but the farmers and their families, the resistance and the common man (woman)!

A must read page turner for fans of history as much as for fans of fiction and those who diligently remember WWII. This book reads as well as stories of Captain Biggles or any Ludlum novel - but it’s all true and serves as a reminder of the past we should never ever have to live through again. It also tacitly points out that the war was not won by the bomb or by D Day in isolation but by the soul searing And patient work of so many in enemy territory. As my first Kindle book - I loved it.

In Leo Marks excellent book 'Between Silk and Cyanide' he says that the average life of a radio operator in the resistance in France was six weeks. Virginia Hall was in France on two tours for a lot more than six weeks. She was the only female in the war to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. Born in 1906, she was not the beautiful young thing that gets featured so often in movies. In fact she even had a wooden leg and became known to the Germans as the 'Lady with the Limp.' She survived the war and worked for the CIA until the mandatory retirement age of sixty.

This book is her story, well told by Ms. Pearson who has written a number of other books, mostly on POWs. She has done a supurb job, able to capture the tone of the times while making Miss Hall's story stand out as one of great courage and accomplishment.

This is a real story that is hard to believe, but it's true! You can hardly stop reading about her exploits and the courage it must have taken to deliver the results she was able to achieve. Hopefully, we are never faced with this challenge again.

I have a new genre to add to my list of favorites. I call it biographies of very brave women. I have a lot of catching up to do, so I had best get busy! This is gonna be fun. Thanks, Ms. Pearson, for such a well written and informative book

Amazing story of a woman who played a role in the French Resistance in spite of a missing leg. The plot reads like fiction, but is a testament to the courage of real people who will not let evil triumph and democracy die in darkness.

An amazing story of courage and overcoming handicap to help win the war against the Nazis. Her tenacity, fearlessness and willingness to take on any role to help win the war against the Nazis is amazing. A true Heroine.

An incredible true story of a fearless woman! Thank you Ms. Pearson for writing this book and telling the world Virginia Hall's amazing story of determination and courage! I had never heard of Virginia Hall until I read this book. Thank goodness my daughter will hear of courageous women like her.

Very interesting bio of Virginia Hall’s life as a spy and leader in the resistance. Great historical account and storyline. Enjoyed reading this, quite a page turner to see what would be happening next. I would read other books by this author.

I've read the book about Vera Atkins, "Spymistress" & this makes a good addendum to it, as they were all involved in the same project-namely to disable the Nazi military machine as much as possible during WW II.

This was one of the most well written books I’ve read in awhile. It felt I like you were right there with Virginia and the depiction of the characters and the geography was excellent. I’ve read many WW 2 espionage accounts and this was one of the best if not the best I’ve read. Great read.

The book gives a great deal of details on the secret activities of World War II. I had trouble putting it down. It's a shame that the book was not written earlier so older generations could have known the story. I'm looking forward to the movie.

Highly recommend this book. She epitomizes strength,spirit,determination and conviction . A unsung hero. Virginia overcame physical limitations and worked through gender bias which was prevalent during that time.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was intrigued by the subject of an American female working with the French Resistance during WWII. I learned much about the time, conditions, and a woman who beat the odds multiple times. The book included much background information that was presented in a way that drew the reader into the story rather than causing one's brain to scramble to keep up with the facts. The epilogue was a nice way to tie up the many loose ends that were not only a part of the story but of Virginia Hall's life. Thank you so much, Judith Pearson, for bringing this woman's story to life!

A wonderful biography of Virginia Hall. Should be required reading in high school to open minds to those who have achieved freedoms for people the world over. Also, to recognize the brave women who made these achievements possible! Women who changed the world!

Should be read by anyone searching for a truly meaningful biography on women in service to our world. This book personally have me context for what was happening around my father during his time of service in northern Africa.

This is a wonderful and thrilling story of one woman's role in helping to bring down Germany during World War II.
If you like true wartime accounts about unsung heroes and heroines, this is the book for you.

Kudos to the author, Judith Pearson. I almost always prefer first person accounts of those who lived through WWII. However, this book gripped me throughout the narrative. This would make a wonderful movie with Virginia Hall played by an actress of Cate Blanchett's caliber. Exhaustively researched and well written. Thank you Ms. Pearson, I'll be looking for your next book!

THIS IS THE TRUE ACCOUNT OF A SPY BY THE NAME OF VIRGINA HALL WHO VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT AND EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD A WOODEN LEG SHE WAS AN AMERICAN SPY DURING WORLD 2 WORKING FIRST FOR THE BRITISH AND THEAN THE AMERICANS DEEP BEHIND GERMAN LINES SHE SAVED MANY ALLIED LIFES, DESTROYED COUNTLESS GERMAN TRAINS AND LEAD MANY FREEDOM FIGHTERS ON COUNTLESS RAIDS AGAIST NAZI FORCES. FOR HER BRAVERY SHE WAS DECORATED BY BOTH THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH GOVERMENT. THE ARTHUR JUDITH L. PEARSON HAS INTERVIEWED AND TRACKED DOWN MANY FORMOR FREEDOM FIGHTERS WHO HAVE SHARED THERE MEMORYS OF MRS HALLS WORLD WAR 2 EXPERIENCES AND THIS REMARKABLE WRITER HAS ALSO TRAVELED TO THE EXACT LOCATIONS WERE THIS FREEDOM FIGHTER WAS AND HAS FOR THE FIRST TIME GOT ACCESS TO SOME REAL ONE OF A KIND RECORDS ON THE LIFE OF THIS VERY SPECIAL SPY. IT WAS AMAZING TO ME THAT THIS SPY ACCOMPLISHED ALL OF THESE MANY THINGS WITH A WOODEN LEG. THIS BOOK WOULD REALLY MAKE A SPECIAL GIFT FOR A FRIEND, FAMILY MEMBER AND OR SOLDIER SERVING OVER SEAS.

This is a truely fasinating book! It is very well written. Even though it is written about a particular person it also includes snatches of history to set the stage for the story. It helps you to feel what the people were going through at that time, especially the main character of the book, but it is written with a balanced view--no agenda. It is not a light read but is so interesting that it keeps your attention the whole way through. After reading this book, I will definitely be watching for other books written by this author.

Ms. Pearson's excellent account of a little-known & very secretive figure from World War II Europe is a required morality play for anyone that fancies himself a "patriot." Virginia Hall was a lower functionary in the State Dept., with what used to be nobly known as a liberal education, when @the outset of WWII, her experience & education made her the ideal recruit for espionage ... in the British Special Ops. Executive (SOE).

Ms. Hall's story is one of a woman who consistently failed to achieve what she so desperately wanted (a career in the American foreign service) & so incredibly succeeded @what was thrust upon her. Thru early State Dept. contacts & after she lost her leg in a hunting accident (shooting her foot off while climbing thru a fence), she was recruited into the SOE to learn demolition, clandestine survival, Morse code, small arms & close combat, & organizing an underground resistance circuit. In the waning days of the war, she transfered to the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) & later worked for its successor, the CIA. But she never again was an operative, which, indeed, was all she wanted. Her courage & moral exactitude are instructive for any budding jingoist.

Most of the book centers on Ms. Hall's activities in France, where she apprised the British military of Nazi movements, thru her contacts in the French Resistance. One of the less savory sidelights in post-war Europe: that the senior OSS officer in Switzerland (& later first CIA dir.) Allen Dulles bought into the offer by a senior Gestapo chief to permit free passage of would-be war criminals (Eichmann, Mengele, Barbie), in exchange for a covert army of spies to battle Stalin & his expansionist communism. What became the Cold War.

Ms. Pearson's book does suffer from occasional sloppy editing: German nouns are not capitalized & there is constant oscillation between repeating definitions of abbreviations & using abbreviations before defining them. But this has less to do with Ms. Pearson's writing ability or attention to detail than with the fact that illiterate Americans are no less frequent in publishing than in policymaking & govt. contracting.

So if you think of yourself as a good American & an armchair supporter of troops, pass on the latest gang rant under a "Rush Limbaugh" or "Ann Coulter" aegis & pick up Wolves at the Door.

As a old history teacher (retired)I really enjoyed this book. These are the stories that are disapearing by the thousands a day. Judith Pearson did a very good job with her research for this book. The comment in the book that Virginia Hall never told her story, because no one asked hold very true with people coming out of WWII. This gives a fresh new look that the spy game in France during the war was not all blowing bridges and rails, but developing groups that were safe havens. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about Vichy France during the war.

It read like bad fiction which for me destroyed credibility. How did the author know Virginia sneezed or raised her hand or crossed her legs at a particular moment. I mean it was as tho the author became Virginia Hall.

Ms. Pearson's excellent account of a little-known & very secretive figure from World War II Europe is a required morality play for anyone that fancies himself a "patriot." Virginia Hall was a lower functionary in the State Dept., with what used to be nobly known as a liberal education, when @the outset of WWII, her experience & education made her the ideal recruit for espionage ... in the British Special Ops. Executive (SOE).

Ms. Hall's story is one of a woman who consistently failed to achieve what she so desperately wanted (a career in the American foreign service) & so incredibly succeeded @what was thrust upon her. Thru early State Dept. contacts & after she lost her leg in a hunting accident (shooting her foot off while climbing thru a fence), she was recruited into the SOE to learn demolition, clandestine survival, Morse code, small arms & close combat, & organizing an underground resistance circuit. In the waning days of the war, she transfered to the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) & later worked for its successor, the CIA. But she never again was an operative, which, indeed, was all she wanted. Her courage & moral exactitude are instructive for any budding jingoist.

Most of the book centers on Ms. Hall's activities in France, where she apprised the British military of Nazi movements, thru her contacts in the French Resistance. One of the less savory sidelights in post-war Europe: that the senior OSS officer in Switzerland (& later first CIA dir.) Allen Dulles bought into the offer by a senior Gestapo chief to permit free passage of would-be war criminals (Eichmann, Mengele, Barbie), in exchange for a covert army of spies to battle Stalin & his expansionist communism. What became the Cold War.

Ms. Pearson's book does suffer from occasional sloppy editing: German nouns are not capitalized & there is constant oscillation between repeating definitions of abbreviations & using abbreviations before defining them. But this has less to do with Ms. Pearson's writing ability or attention to detail than with the fact that illiterate Americans are no less frequent in publishing than in policymaking & govt. contracting.

So if you think of yourself as a good American & an armchair supporter of troops, pass on the latest gang rant under a "Rush Limbaugh" or "Ann Coulter" aegis & pick up Wolves at the Door.

As a old history teacher (retired)I really enjoyed this book. These are the stories that are disapearing by the thousands a day. Judith Pearson did a very good job with her research for this book. The comment in the book that Virginia Hall never told her story, because no one asked hold very true with people coming out of WWII. This gives a fresh new look that the spy game in France during the war was not all blowing bridges and rails, but developing groups that were safe havens. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about Vichy France during the war.

It read like bad fiction which for me destroyed credibility. How did the author know Virginia sneezed or raised her hand or crossed her legs at a particular moment. I mean it was as tho the author became Virginia Hall.