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Quick answer: If you loved The Alice Network, read Kate Quinn's The Rose Code and The Huntress, then try The Lost Girls of Paris, The Nightingale and Code Name Verity. All feature brave women, wartime secrets and dual timelines.
Kate Quinn's novel follows a former spy from World War I and a young American woman searching for her cousin in 1947. It draws on the real Alice Network of female spies. The books below share that mix of wartime heroism, women's courage and suspense. All are adult or crossover historical fiction, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rose Code | Kate Quinn | Adult | more Quinn |
| The Huntress | Kate Quinn | Adult | hunt for a villain |
| The Diamond Eye | Kate Quinn | Adult | true-story fiction |
| The Lost Girls of Paris | Pam Jenoff | Adult | women agents |
| The Book of Lost Names | Kristin Harmel | Adult | hidden history |
| The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | Adult | emotional stories |
| Lilac Girls | Martha Hall Kelly | Adult | real people |
| Code Name Verity | Elizabeth Wein | Teen and adult | friendship and war |
| Sarah's Key | Tatiana de Rosnay | Adult | Holocaust history |
| The Paris Library | Janet Skeslien Charles | Adult | bookish history |
| The Women in the Castle | Jessica Shattuck | Adult | postwar Germany |
| Beneath a Scarlet Sky | Mark Sullivan | Adult | true war stories |
| The Orphan's Tale | Pam Jenoff | Adult | circus settings |
| The Women | Kristin Hannah | Adult | overlooked heroes |
| Atonement | Ian McEwan | Adult | literary war fiction |
1. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Three women work as codebreakers at Bletchley Park and are broken apart by secrets. Quinn's biggest hit, with friendship at its center.
Best for: more Quinn.
2. The Huntress by Kate Quinn
A British journalist and a young woman in Boston track a Nazi war criminal. Tense and moving.
Best for: hunt for a villain.
3. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
The story of Mila Pavlichenko, a Soviet sniper who became a national hero. Based on real events.
Best for: true-story fiction.
4. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
A woman finds a suitcase of photographs of female agents and follows their stories. Spy history in two timelines.
Best for: women agents.
5. The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
A young woman forges documents to save Jewish children in France. Moving and clear.
Best for: hidden history.
6. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters resist the occupation of France in different ways. Big emotion and clear stakes.
Best for: emotional stories.
7. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Three women, including a real New York socialite, are tied together by a Nazi camp. Heavy and researched.
Best for: real people.
8. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Two young women, a pilot and a spy, are caught in wartime France. Clever, brutal and heartbreaking.
Best for: friendship and war.
9. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A journalist uncovers the story of a girl caught in the 1942 Paris roundup. Moving and haunting.
Best for: Holocaust history.
10. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Librarians in occupied Paris protect books and each other. A love letter to libraries.
Best for: bookish history.
11. The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Three German widows share a castle after the war. Quiet and morally complex.
Best for: postwar Germany.
12. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
A teenage Italian boy becomes a hero in the war. Based on a true story.
Best for: true war stories.
13. The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
Two women hide in a circus in Nazi Germany. Warm and tense.
Best for: circus settings.
14. The Women by Kristin Hannah
A young nurse serves in Vietnam and returns to a world that ignores her. Big, emotional and well researched.
Best for: overlooked heroes.
15. Atonement by Ian McEwan
A girl's false accusation ruins lives, and the war divides lovers. Precise and devastating.
Best for: literary war fiction.
How to Choose
For more Quinn, begin with The Rose Code. For espionage, The Lost Girls of Paris. For emotional impact, The Nightingale. For YA crossover, Code Name Verity. Keep tissues nearby, since many of these books are moving and sad. Historical fiction like this often inspires further reading. After the novel, try a nonfiction book about the real women of World War I or II, such as Liza Mundy's Code Girls. Visiting museums or watching documentaries can add context. Many of these authors list their sources at the back.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Alice Network based on a true story?
The Alice Network was a real spy ring in World War I, and some characters are based on real people.
Who is Eve Gardiner?
She is a fictional former spy, one of the main characters in the book.
What is the setting?
The book moves between 1915 France and 1947 England and France.
Is it a good book club read?
Yes. It prompts conversation about courage, guilt and the cost of war.
Which Quinn book should I read next?
The Rose Code is the most popular, followed by The Huntress.
Was the Alice Network real?
Yes. It was a spy ring in occupied France led by Louise de Bettignies, nicknamed Alice Dubois.
Is the book suitable for teenagers?
It deals with war and violence, so it suits older teens and adults.
Is The Alice Network part of a series?
No. It is a standalone novel.
Is this list in order of quality?
No. The books are listed by similarity and variety, so start with the one that sounds best to you, and use the Best for lines to pick quickly.