The Last Goodnight, Howard Blum
The Last Goodnight, Howard Blum
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The Last Goodnight
A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure, and Betrayal

Author: Howard Blum

Narrator: Tristan Morris

Unabridged: 14 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 04/12/2016


Synopsis

The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Dark Invasion, channels Erik Larson and Ben Macintyre in this riveting biography of Betty Pack, the dazzling American debutante who became an Allied spy during WWII and was hailed by OSS chief General “Wild Bill" Donovan as “the greatest unsung heroine of the war.”Betty Pack was charming, beautiful, and intelligent—and she knew it. As an agent for Britain’s MI-6 and then America’s OSS during World War II, these qualities proved crucial to her success. This is the remarkable story of this “Mata Hari from Minnesota” (Time) and the passions that ruled her tempestuous life—a life filled with dangerous liaisons and death-defying missions vital to the Allied victory.For decades, much of Betty’s career working for MI-6 and the OSS remained classified. Through access to recently unclassified files, Howard Blum discovers the truth about the attractive blond, codenamed “Cynthia,” who seduced diplomats and military attachés across the globe in exchange for ciphers and secrets; cracked embassy safes to steal codes; and obtained the Polish notebooks that proved key to Alan Turing’s success with Operation Ultra.Beneath Betty’s cool, professional determination, Blum reveals a troubled woman conflicted by the very traits that made her successful: her lack of deep emotional connections and her readiness to risk everything. The Last Goodnight is a mesmerizing, provocative, and moving portrait of an exceptional heroine whose undaunted courage helped to save the world.

About Howard Blum

With the publication more than fifty years ago of the acclaimed Wanted! The Search for Nazis in America, Howard Blum, a former investigative reporter for the New York Times, established himself as a bestselling author of carefully reported and page-turning nonfiction works. Among his many bestsellers are American Lightning, Dark Invasion, The Last Goodnight, and The Spy Who Knew Too Much. Several of his books are being developed as films, including When the Night Comes Falling, which is being produced as a dramatic series by Village Roadshow Productions. The father of three adult children, he divides his time between a small town in Connecticut and East Hampton, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cold War Conversations Podcast on November 12, 2015

The “Mata Hari from Minnesota If you’ve never heard of Betty Pack, then neither had I until I read this book. It’s a fascinating story of an American born British diplomat’s wife who was hailed by OSS chief General “Wild Bill" Donovan as “the greatest unsung heroine of the war.” She seduced and at tim......more

Goodreads review by Peter on May 30, 2017

I cannot vouch for the veracity of this book. The author certainly takes interpretive liberties. But it is a fascinating read. Now I must take other reviewers to task. Many reviews are making a big deal about Betty's morals and her willingness to use men and use sex to further her own ends. They lik......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on February 07, 2019

I struggled to give this book two stars. The writing got better as it went but it started off as if the author had never seen an adjective he didn't like. After reading the book I read several reviews most of them really good. I don't agree with them. Sorry, I don't think she's a hero. Much of the c......more

Goodreads review by Brian on August 17, 2021

I've always seen espionage as a compelling picture of spiritual warfare, the Christian's position by grace being that of "agents" of the coming order, poking here and there to expose the limits of the current power structure and its assumptions. In that vein, this was really enjoyable. The book was e......more

Goodreads review by Terry on April 04, 2016

Howard Blum, a New York Times Bestselling author and an Edgar Award recipient, has written several nonfiction works, his latest being “The Last Goodnight”. Blum has that rare gift of writing that takes a memoir or biography and creates a story that reads with the enjoyment of a fictional novel. Ther......more