Churchill's Secret Messenger

From the internationally bestselling author of The Long Flight Home, a thrilling WWII story of love, duty, daring, and espionage, as a young woman recruited from Churchill’s typing pool to become an undercover agent in Nazi-occupied France risks everything for the country – and the man – she loves…
London, 1941: In a cramped bunker in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, underneath Westminster’s Treasury building, civilian women huddle at desks, typing up confidential documents and reports. Since her parents were killed in a bombing raid, Rose Teasdale has spent more hours than usual in Room 60, working double shifts, growing accustomed to the burnt scent of the Prime Minister’s cigars permeating the stale air. Winning the war is the only thing that matters, and she will gladly do her part. And when Rose’s fluency in French comes to the attention of Churchill himself, it brings a rare yet dangerous opportunity.
Rose is recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret British organization that conducts espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe. After weeks of grueling training, Rose parachutes into France with a new codename: Dragonfly. Posing as a cosmetics saleswoman in Paris, she ferries messages to and from the Resistance, knowing that the slightest misstep means capture or death.
Soon Rose is assigned to a new mission with Lazare Aron, a French Resistance fighter who has watched his beloved Paris become a shell of itself, with desolate streets and buildings draped in Swastikas. Since his parents were sent to a German work camp, Lazare has dedicated himself to the cause with the same fervor as Rose. Yet Rose’s very loyalty brings risks as she undertakes a high-stakes prison raid, and discovers how much she may have to sacrifice to justify Churchill’s faith in her…

This recommended reading and discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Kensington.

Book club questions for Churchill's Secret Messenger by Alan Hlad

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The Special Operations Executive (SOE), also known as “Churchill’s Secret Army,” was a real organization during WWII. Of its 470 agents in German-occupied France, 39 were women, many of whom were captured, tortured, and killed. What do you think Churchill saw in Rose that influenced him to have her recruited for the SOE? What do you think motivated Rose to join the SOE?

A number of historical figures make appearances in Churchill’s Secret Messenger, including Winston Churchill and General Charles de Gaulle. Did you recognize any other characters as people who existed in real life?

What are Lazare’s motivations to join the French Resistance? If he had not endured a childhood hand injury, what do you think his life would have been like?

Why do you think Rose and Muriel bonded so quickly as friends? Is there anything Rose could have done to save Muriel? Why is Rose determined to survive Ravensbrück Concentration Camp and deliver a message to Muriel’s daughter, Mabel?

What makes Felix a competent SOE network organizer? What are his weaknesses as a leader?

While working in German-occupied Paris, Rose and Lazare fall in love. What brings them together? At what point do you think Rose realizes she loves Lazare? How is the war, particularly the risk of being captured by the SD, a catalyst for their affection?

Prior to reading the book, what did you know about the Vel' d'Hiv roundup? What could Lazare have done to save his parents?

Operation Jericho was a real-life RAF bombing raid on Amiens Prison that took place one day before over 100 French Resistance prisoners were scheduled to be executed. The name of the person who requested this actual mission remains a secret—even to this day. How likely do you think it was that a female SOE agent such as Rose was the true mastermind behind Operation Jericho? If you were Rose, would you have arranged the bombing raid, knowing that it might kill the person you love? What were the consequences of Operation Jericho?

How do you envision what happens after the end of the book? Do you think Rose will remain bound to her oath of secrecy? Will the classified records of Rose and her network, Conjurer, ever be released to the public? What do you think Rose’s life will be like?

Why do many readers enjoy historical fiction, in particular novels set in World War II? To what degree do you think Hlad took creative liberties with this story?

Churchill's Secret Messenger Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Churchill's Secret Messenger discussion questions

“Drawing on historical material, Hlad concocts an appealing and exciting story involving the recruitment of a typist, Rose Teasdale, working in Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, to train for the SOE and parachute into France…Hlad does a nice job of intertwining the romance and action stories, treating both realistically and largely without melodrama. The early parts of the novel, detailing Rose's work in the below-ground War Rooms and her encounters with Churchill, prove every bit as compelling as the behind-the-lines drama. Good reading for both WWII and romance fans.” – Booklist on Churchill’s Secret Messenger