The story of this remarkable woman is definitely a good one and if you can get past the multiple code names and time jumps, I believe the author does justice to bringing Nancy Wake's incredible wartime exploits to life. In the end, I think planning to read the book twice would provide the most enjoyment. I just found it choppy, confusing and difficult to follow. The timeline of the book jumps back and forth, showing the beginning of her career, her relationship with her husband, and the details of her missions and those she worked with. Only on reflection, do I see that the story alternated between two time periods, something I didn't pick up on while trying to focus on what was happening. This book follows the life and legacy of Nancy Wake Fiocca, also known under several code names throughout her career as a spy, including The White Mouse and Hlne. With the audio version, it was impossible for me to keep track of these dates as the story unfolded. It would be difficult enough to keep track of this in a hardcover book where you can flip back and forth to jot down notes.

There aren't chapters so much as 34 'episodes', each with a different date. *Code Name Helene* time jumps so much I could barely keep track of the story line. For me, it defeats the purpose of good storytelling. This is a popular gimmick in contemporary writing that I loathe. An even bigger problem for me was what one astute reviewer referred to as a 'story-in-a-blender' style of writing. If I really understood who was doing what and their relationship to Nancy, I would have appreciated the book far more. There were so many code names and not a whole lot of background to flesh out many of the characters so I sort of lost track and just kept reading. A big problem I had was trying to figure out who was who. The story, while sensationalized, was a good one and like most historical novels, it sent me to the Internet to learn more. Historical novels are my favorite genre so this one seemed like a slam dunk.

Code name helene book