The Spy Who Betrayed (Hardback)

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It’s well-worth reading if you like true war tales, or spy stories. Nigel Perrin has certainly done his research and explores this woman in depth.

NetGalley, Lisa Sanderson

As featured by

Military History Research Group

The author researches Matilda Carre expertly and leaves no stone unturned. An interesting read.

NetGalley, Lindsey Neil

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Spy Who Betrayed is a meticulously researched and judiciously written account of one of the most morally ambiguous figures of the Second World War. Nigel Perrin approaches Mathilde Carré not as a heroine or a villain, but as a historically complex individual shaped by ambition, fear, vanity, and circumstance.

What emerges is a portrait of a woman who helped build one of the most important resistance networks in Occupied France… and then betrayed it when her own life was on the line. The book explores that betrayal in detail, but more importantly, it interrogates the grey space around it: where resistance ends, where collaboration begins, and how mythmaking — especially around women in wartime — distorts reality.

What stands out most is the depth of research. Perrin situates Carré’s actions within the broader intelligence landscape of Occupied France, carefully tracing the overlapping networks, shifting allegiances, and operational realities of wartime espionage. The book benefits greatly from its strong use of primary sources, photographs, detailed notes, and a comprehensive bibliography, which lend clarity and credibility throughout.

Rather than passing judgement, the author allows the evidence to speak for itself. Carré’s role as founder, collaborator, betrayer, and survivor is examined with restraint, leaving readers to grapple with uncomfortable questions about resistance, collaboration, and self-preservation under extreme pressure.

This is not a sensationalised spy story, but a serious, thoughtful biography that will appeal to readers interested in WWII intelligence, resistance movements, and the ethical grey zones of history. A valuable and well-executed contribution to the field.

NetGalley, Elizabeth Rose

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A powerful story, told well.

Mathilde Carré was a Frenchwoman, and a complex, intelligent person who, for much of WW2, worked for the French, British, Polish and German secret services. She co-founded the largest intelligence network in Occupied France and inspired her recruits to fight a war against the Germans. She double-crossed them all, eventually in order to save her own life. As such she has become a figure of mystery, derision and even hatred.

This book about her life and exploits is a fascinating study of a woman driven by ambition, vanity and jealousy. Clearly, she isn't the most sympathetic of heroines, but the author does a wonderful job of presenting her in all her facets, without judgement, but at the same time trying to understand what drove her to do what she did. He also brings to light certain events which may not previously have been made apparent. Luckily, the book is replete with photographs, comprehensive bibliography, and chapter by chapter notes which help enormously when trying to place certain events into context. While being a fan of WW2 history will help, most readers will be able to follow the narrative.

Carré lived a long life - she was almost 100 years old when she died in 2007 and apparently still remained resolute, presenting herself as a victim of circumstance rather than a willing traitor. But the author doesn't fall into the trap of presenting her as good or bad - he simple presents her story and leaves the reader to reach their own conclusions.

Nigel Perrin is an historian, academic and writer, and his credentials shine through in this book, which in other hands could have been quite dry and heavy. But in fact, while it does not at all read like a novel, it moves along without too much.

Recommended reading.

NetGalley, Martin Paul