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.
Reviews
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. There are just too many reasons to recommend this book. It was a pleasure to read on many levels; it was engaging, historically revealing, and full of intrigue. Our heroine, Betty Thorpe Pack, is as unlikely a spy as ever there was, and yet she is not. Over time it becomes clear that some spies do not choose their craft, it chooses them. She has all the assets that allow her to flourish in her missions – a keen mind, steely nerves, a finely tuned power of observation, and the uncanny ability to identify a valuable asset for mining. She travels in all the right circles as a British ambassador’s wife, she is beautiful, and very adept at using her charm to her advantage – a bit like a female James Bond.
Betty Thorpe Pack, the spy and hero you never heard of, provided invaluable information to both Britain's MI6 and America's OSS during World War II. She undoubtedly risked her life for her country and Britain, because surprisingly, she is an American citizen. It is the beginning of WWII, and America is not involved in the war yet, and would definitely frown on her spying for a foreign government. Her recruitment started out innocent enough, she provided information she overheard to the British embassy staff. She is asked to continue to provide whatever info she might hear, no matter how small or insignificant. She is patiently watched. Not only does she continue to provide valuable Intel, she exceeds all expectations and is meticulous in her reports. She realizes that this is just what her staid life needs - a cause, a “Raison d’Etre”, and the excitement it provides.
There is no doubt about it, Betty is a complicated person. On the one hand she will do anything to provide information to Britain that can save lives and shorten the war effort. On the other hand, she ignores her personal responsibilities to her husband, children, and parents. She is treacherously unfaithful in her marriage, and manipulates others to her own end. Sometimes I was left wondering if Betty pursued this life because of the adventures or because of her loyalty to her country. It is left to the reader to decide about their feelings for Betty… The saving grace is that this is war time, and ignoring her own personal safety, Betty truly does prove herself to be a heroine. She provided information that resulted in Britain obtaining an Enigma machine, information that saved valuable war time assets from being scuttled, and information that saved thousands of lives in Britain and America’s war campaign in Africa.
This book made an impact on me, not just carried me away to a different place and time. It made me realize the sacrifices that some made during the war so that we can live a democratic way of life. In the end, I am thankful to men and women like Betty who took the risk, and grateful to read a book that reveals some hidden history about a daring and patriotic woman, Betty Thorpe Pack. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Blum’s other books…
Betty Thorpe Pack, the spy and hero you never heard of, provided invaluable information to both Britain's MI6 and America's OSS during World War II. She undoubtedly risked her life for her country and Britain, because surprisingly, she is an American citizen. It is the beginning of WWII, and America is not involved in the war yet, and would definitely frown on her spying for a foreign government. Her recruitment started out innocent enough, she provided information she overheard to the British embassy staff. She is asked to continue to provide whatever info she might hear, no matter how small or insignificant. She is patiently watched. Not only does she continue to provide valuable Intel, she exceeds all expectations and is meticulous in her reports. She realizes that this is just what her staid life needs - a cause, a “Raison d’Etre”, and the excitement it provides.
There is no doubt about it, Betty is a complicated person. On the one hand she will do anything to provide information to Britain that can save lives and shorten the war effort. On the other hand, she ignores her personal responsibilities to her husband, children, and parents. She is treacherously unfaithful in her marriage, and manipulates others to her own end. Sometimes I was left wondering if Betty pursued this life because of the adventures or because of her loyalty to her country. It is left to the reader to decide about their feelings for Betty… The saving grace is that this is war time, and ignoring her own personal safety, Betty truly does prove herself to be a heroine. She provided information that resulted in Britain obtaining an Enigma machine, information that saved valuable war time assets from being scuttled, and information that saved thousands of lives in Britain and America’s war campaign in Africa.
This book made an impact on me, not just carried me away to a different place and time. It made me realize the sacrifices that some made during the war so that we can live a democratic way of life. In the end, I am thankful to men and women like Betty who took the risk, and grateful to read a book that reveals some hidden history about a daring and patriotic woman, Betty Thorpe Pack. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Blum’s other books…
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