The Lipstick Bureau: A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy

by Michelle Gable

Overview

Inspired by a real-life female spy, a novel about a woman challenging convention and boundaries to help win a war, no matter the cost.

“A gripping, fascinating read.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan

1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy's capital. One of the OSS's few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she's tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.

Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.

As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she's been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…

*Don't miss The Beautiful People, Michelle Gable’s next novel. On sale in April 2024 and available to preorder now!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525811470
Publisher:	Graydon House Books
Publication date:	12/27/2022
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	322,415
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I'll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @mgablewriter.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2022

Soldiers and politicians weren't the only players during World War II. Surprisingly, many of the unsung heroes were women. Gable (The Bookseller's Secret) has created a brilliant, gripping historical novel about one of those women. When the Office of Strategic Services was founded in 1942, 4,500 women worked to create and distribute misinformation to the Nazi invaders in Europe. Czechoslovakian Niki Novotná was one of those women. Highly skilled at creating propaganda to demoralize Hitler's troops, her contribution and that of many other women was a key part of the ultimate defeat of the Nazis. But her job comes at a personal cost. Separated from her husband while she works in Rome, her marriage begins to crumble. Then the Bureau is hit with charges that their tactics of disinformation and the use of POWs to disseminate that disinformation, are in direct violation of the Geneva Convention. But their work continues until the end of the war and has a profound impact on the ultimate victory of the Allied troops. VERDICT Well researched and smartly told, this novel is a must read for World War II buffs and those who like a peek behind the curtain of the role women played in it.—Jane Henriksen Baird

Library Journal

Inspired by little-known history, The Lipstick Bureau is a gripping, fascinating read about one woman’s courage and determination during WWII.”
—Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan

“A brilliant, gripping historical novel… Well researched and smartly told, this novel is a must read for World War II buffs and those who like a peek behind the curtain of the role women played in it.”
—Library Journal

“Gable’s deeply personal historical fiction vividly conjures the deprivations of war-torn Rome and the tenacity and creativity of a valiant, rag-tag group charged with changing the course of history.”
—Booklist

“The Lipstick Bureau is a cracking good story, and a tribute to the courage and ingenuity of intelligence agents whose work has remained secret for so long.”
—Shelf Awareness

“A delight from start to finish. Michelle Gable skillfully twines the narratives of two effervescent heroines. The result is a literary feast any booklover will savor!”
—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code, on The Bookseller's Secret

“Filled with crisp dialogue and populated with delightful, intriguing characters, The Bookseller's Secret sings with wit and wisdom.”
—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

“Featuring a colorful, witty, tenacious cast of characters, The Bookseller’s Secret is a delightful tribute to an intriguing historical legend.”
—Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday

“With a vivid real-and-imagined cast of unforgettable characters, Gable expertly and cleverly delivers wit, humor, and intrigue in full measure on every page.”
—Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things, on The Bookseller's Secret

“The Bookseller’s Secret is a captivating story. Michelle Gable has a gift for describing complex, charming characters. This is an engrossing page-turner about books and war, and finding love in unexpected places.”
—Gill Paul, bestselling author of The Collector’s Daughter

“Gable’s witty narrative effortlessly moves between two time periods and is enriched with cameos by historical figures and authentic, memorable characters. Historical fiction fans will be riveted from the first page.”
—Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW) on The Bookseller's Secret

“A cunning blend of historical fiction, fetching romance, and literary thriller, Gable’s newest novel is sure to reinvigorate interest in Mitford and beguile fans of light-hearted relationship fiction.”
—Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) on The Bookseller's Secret

From the Publisher

Inspired by little-known history, The Lipstick Bureau is a gripping, fascinating read about one woman’s courage and determination during WWII.”

author of The Warsaw Orphan Kelly Rimmer