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.
