The Lipstick Bureau

 

The Lipstick Bureau A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy by Michelle Gable. Graydon House: 2022. 464 pages.  Selected List of Sources ****

Niki Novotna, a Czech native, with multiple degrees and speaking many languages, is married to an American from a prominent family. Inspired by the true story of Barbara Lauwers, Gable has written a gripping novel about the OSS Moral Operations in Rome during WWII. Not your typical WWII novel, we have a behind the scenes view of a small propaganda operation that provides big results in affecting the morale of the German soldiers and citizens in Italy. Using prisoners of war to infiltrate and distribute flyers, handouts, etc. Niki who plays a pivotal role in designing operations with the nicknames of Sauerkraut, Cornflakes, and Monte Rosa, fears that she may have crossed the line in paying prostitutes to keep the select POWs happy and will be charged with violating the rules of the Geneva Convention. With her career in jeopardy, her marriage in name only, her parents and brother unaccounted for, Niki is facing some harsh realities as the war is ending. 

I read this book in one weekend and didn't want to put it down. Gable presents the realities of war alongside the personalities and desires of the main characters. Survival is the name of the game and it's not always predictable or pretty. Historical fiction fans will enjoy a glimpse into how propaganda works and the OSS. An excellent Book Club selection for the many moral and ethical discussion points. This is the first book I have read by Gable and it won't be the last. 

I received an ARC from the publisher for a review. 

From Amazon- "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."

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