The Lost Girls of Paris: A Novel

Eleanor and the radio operators are troubled by the ongoing silence from not only Marie’s radio but others on the network as well. Eleanor suspects that Kriegler and his SD agents have been playing the “radio ruse” for months. The Director informs Eleanor that leadership has decided to recall all remaining female agents. “They’re shutting you down,” he tells her, “I’m afraid they’re writing off the women’s unit as a failed experiment” (266). The Director gives Eleanor a list of the 12 female agents that they have not accounted for. Marie and Josie are on the list. These are the same 12 women whose photographs Grace finds in Eleanor’s suitcase two years later. Eleanor is fired, and the Director escorts her from the building.

When Grace returns from Washington, D.C., she is surprised to find her mother waiting in her apartment. Grace hasn’t seen her mother since the funeral of her husband, Tom. Grace’s mother tries to convince Grace to come back to her hometown. When Grace resists, her mother expresses her support and leaves an envelope containing a check for $10,000 from Tom’s estate.

The following Monday, Grace goes to the British consulate to drop off