SOE Novels

One or two titles here are self‐published, and are available on Kindle only.
Books with a rosetterosette iconare recommended titles.


book cover

As Time Goes By by Ted Allbeury (Hodder and Stoughton, 1994).

image of book The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb

The Winter Fortress [Novel] by Neal Bascomb (Head of Zeus, May 2016). Based on SOE's operations against the Nazi nuclear program and the Norsk Hydro sabotage raid in Norway.

image of novel HHhH by Laurent BinetRecommended book rosette

HHhH by Laurent Binet (trans. Sam Taylor) (Harvill Secker, 2012). A writer's obsession with the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich turns into a fascinating exploration of the boundaries between history, storytelling, imagination and memory. Winner of the Prix Goncourt's 2010 First Novel award.

image of book I Can't Begin to Tell You by Elizabeth Buchan

I Can't Begin to Tell You [SOE Novel] by Elizabeth Buchan (Michael Joseph, August 2014).

image of novel Light of the Moon by Elizabeth Buchan

Light of the Moon by Elizabeth Buchan (Pan, 2004).

image of novel By Moonlight by 'Peter Churchill

By Moonlight by Peter Churchill (Hodder & Stoughton, 1958). SOE agent Peter Churchill's dramatised account of the Glières maquis.

image of novel Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks (novel)

Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks (Vintage, 2007).

image of novel Shadow War - The Resistance Fighters' Literary Club

Shadow War - The Resistance Fighters' Literary Club by Debra Finerman (Rue de Courty Publications, 2014).

image of novel In At The Kill by Alexander Fullerton

In At The Kill [third book] by Alexander Fullerton (Sphere, 2000).

image of novel Into the Fire by Alexander Fullerton

Into The Fire [first book] by Alexander Fullerton (Sphere, 1997). First of a quartet of novels featuring female SOE agent Rose Ewing.

image of novel Return to the Field by Alexander Fullerton

Return to the Field [second book] by Alexander Fullerton (Sphere, 1998).

image of novel Single to Paris by Alexander Fullerton

Single to Paris [fourth book] by Alexander Fullerton (Little, Brown, 2001).

image of novel Staying Alive by Alexander Fullerton

Staying Alive by Alexander Fullerton (Sphere, 2007). Prequel to the series of four books above.

image of novel Amazon link to novel All That I Have by Laurent Joffrin

All That I Have by Laurent Joffrin (Arrow Books, 2005).

image of novel Farewell Leicester Square by Jon Kilkade

Farewell Leicester Square (Kindle) by Jon Kilkade (Magic Rat, 2012).

image of novel The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Simon MawerRecommended book rosette

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Simon Mawer (Little, Brown, 2012). A young woman is recruited for an SOE mission to France to rescue a nuclear physicist. Anne‐Marie Walters' Moondrop to Gascony is the inspiration for this well-crafted and researched novel, which introduces a few unusual twists and turns away from the typical 'female agent in France' storyline. Also available as an audiobook.

image of novel The Light Behind The Window by Lucinda Riley

The Light Behind The Window by Lucinda Riley (Pan, 2012). Published in the US under the title The Lavender Garden.

image of novel Early One Morning by Robert Ryan

Early One Morning (Kindle) by Robert Ryan (Kindle edition, 2010). Based on the exploits of Grand Prix drivers Robert Benoist and William Grover‐Williams.

image of novel The Tiger Claw by Shauna Singh Baldwin

The Tiger Claw by Shauna Singh Baldwin (Vintage, 2005). Another non-fiction novel, adapting the life of agent Noor Inayat Khan.

image of novel The Caves of Perigord by Martin Walker

The Caves of Perigord by Martin Walker (Simon and Schuster, 2009). Draws on the history of the Lascaux caves and the adventures of Jacques Poirier, George Hiller and other SOE agents in south‐western France.

image of novel Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Electric Monkey, February 2012). Also available as an audiobook.

©2009-2023 Nigel Perrin