The Secret Lives of Women Spies
By (Author) Charlotte Philby
Penguin Random House Children's UK
Puffin
2nd September 2025
19th June 2025
United Kingdom
Children
Non Fiction
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Girls and women
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Biography and autobiography
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Politics and government
Paperback
304
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 35mm
500g
A collection of incredible true stories of daring and bravery from the most amazing female spies, written by espionage expert Charlotte Philby. Step into the Secret World and learn about the women who hid in its shadows. Charlotte Philby's grandfather was the most infamous spy in history. Inspired to find out more about his world, Charlotte discovered that there were many stories of courage and secrets and daring . . . And so many were about women. There were a host of incredible true tales involving female spies- from dare-devil skiers delivering top-secret information, to clever codebreakers taking down the world's biggest criminals, to brave undercover agents fighting alongside the French Resistance. Written as imagined letters and news articles, there are stories from Edith Cavell, Elizebeth Friedman, Noor Inayat Khan and many more. Get ready to dive into a hidden history, and discover the secret lives of women spies.
Charlotte Philby is a critically acclaimed author of six novels. As a journalist, she worked for eight years as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist at the Independent, where she was shortlisted for the Cudlipp Prize for investigative reporting. She is a former contributing editor and features writer at Marie Claire, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, New Statesman and Financial Times. With the support of the BFI, she is currently adapting for film her novel Edith and Kim, which reimagines the lives of her grandfather, the double-agent Kim Philby, and Edith Tudor-Hart, who recruited him to the Soviet cause. Charlotte has three children and lives in Bristol.