Goodnight from Paris

A Novel

By: Jane Healey

Narrated by: Kristina Klebe

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In Nazi-occupied France, an American film star takes on the most dangerous role of her life in a gripping novel about loyalty and resistance, inspired by a true story, from the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Secret Stealers.

Paris, 1939. Hollywood actress Drue Leyton, married to Frenchman Jacques Tartière, lives as an expatriate in love. But when her husband is dispatched to Brittany to work as a liaison for the British military, Drue finds herself alone with her housekeeper, adrift and heartsick in her adopted city. With her career and fame forty-five hundred miles away, Drue accepts an opportunity that will change her life forever.

Befriended by seasoned wartime journalist Dorothy Thompson and urged on by political operative Jean Fraysse, Drue broadcasts radio programs to the United States. Her duty: shake America from its apathy and, as Nazis encroach and France is occupied, push for resistance and help from the US. As Drue and Jean fall under suspicion, Hitler sends his own message: when Drue’s adopted country is conquered, she will be executed.

In a Paris that is no longer safe, Drue’s political passion is ignited. She’s prepared to risk anything to fight the enemy no matter how dangerous it gets—for her, for everyone she loves, and for everything she’s fighting for.

©2023 Jane Healey (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"An inspirational story for those who chose to fight evil rather than flee. Highly recommended.”—Historical Novels Review

“In Goodnight from Paris, Jane Healey reels readers in to the inspiring tale of real-life Hollywood actress Drue Leyton Tartière, when she leaves acting for a Frenchman and becomes part of the Resistance in Nazi-occupied France. Drue’s courageous actions—engaging in dangerous work, broadcasting radio programs designed to prompt America to action and then assisting in the escape of over a hundred Allied pilots—are riveting, and through the pages of this novel, will finally be better known.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Einstein, The Only Woman in the Room, and Her Hidden Genius

“In Goodnight from Paris, Jane Healey illuminates the fascinating story of Drue Leyton, the Hollywood starlet turned Resistance heroine. Combining romance, adventure, friendship, betrayal, and redemption, Healey weaves a heady, larger-than-life tale against the vivid backdrop of France during the Second World War.”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Sapphire

Fabulous Story!

Brought back all the WWII stories my grandparents and father recounted to me as as a child. Their home was in Italy, but due to their business, they spent several years in France as well. This story helped bring it all to life for me. Thank you.

I couldn’t wait to get back to it!

Rarely do I listen to a book that I have a hard time stopping, but this one kept me up late and not wanting to put it down!
The story itself is so compelling, and the author does an amazing job of telling it with such detail and creativity that I felt transported to that time. I’m not typically enthralled by war time reads, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I truly enjoyed this book. Kudos to the author for what must have been such careful and meticulous research to find and share Drue’s story in the way she did.
To me, the sign of great narration is when it’s done so masterfully that it doesn’t distract from becoming involved the story. This one definitely hit the mark! I was particularly pleased at how authentic the narrator’s French accent was.
Overall just an amazing story, wonderfully told.
Goodnight from Paris is a gem, and definitely worth a listen or read!!

Powerful At Every Turn

What an incredible story that I’m so glad to know. I’ve never given thought to the brave folks on the radio who voiced the truth about the Nazis. I’m in awe of Drue Leyton’s courage at every turning point in her story of resistance. Also, one of my ancestors survived a bombed out plane and lived to cross the Pyrenees, so I was highly interested in that part of the story. I loved how the French were portrayed in their protectiveness of these young men, and I feel the truth of that, having lived for a bit in France as well as having visited the beaches. Well done, Jane Harley.

The only part I struggled with was the audio. It was jerky in a very strange and distracting way, as well as being over-voiced for some supporting characters. :/ What happened here?

Outstanding Narrator

Healey did a magnificent job of transforming history into a novel that captures the biography of Drue Leyton, an American actress who played an essential role in Nazi-occupied France during WWII. Kudos to Kristina Klebe who made this story come alive with her outstanding narration.

What a beautiful story of love and sacrifice

This story was a beautiful read. Friends made the very best of this awful time.

Captivating!

This is one of the best audio books I have heard in a long while. The narrator truly makes the characters come alive. The drama, suspense and even humor told thorough the perfect pacing and dialog made this book impossible to hit the pause button on. As someone who has travelled a lot, I was impressed by the French and German accents. It made it easy to follow and very entertaining. I'll listen to this title again!

Outstanding story and performance!

This was an outstanding true story that I was unaware of until now. Kristina Klebe's narration was incredible and brought all the character's vividly to life. We hope to hear more from her. It's was so great to discover this little known chapter in history and learn of Drue's historic efforts to save her friends even it seemed if they fought on the other side. I hope I can find her movies somewhere. Maybe This story can be captured on film w/Ms Klebe, who is already an accomplished actress, in the lead. Highly recommended!

Fascinating Story—BRILLIANT Reader

We can learn so much from novels like this one! As a professional actor, I can’t express how happy I was that the story of this historical figure was told. And on that note, the reader! WOW! One person—actor—performed all these different characters and dialects! I am in awe of Kristina Klebe (known for Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN). As an avid reader (and listener) I can’t understand why she hasn’t done more audiobooks. Brilliant. PERIOD.

Drue Leyton

Oh, my goodness....this is a great book based on the true story of Hollywood actress Drue Leyton. I had to research her once I was done reading the book. Be sure to read the author's notes at the end. I look forward to reading The Beantown Girls, which is patiently waiting for me to pick it up to read. The only complaint I have is the narrator reads slower than me which makes it a challenge when reading along with whispersync and the narration of Nadine's voice was too childlike.

The voice acting is incredible!!!

I absolutely enjoyed listening to this book! While the story was definitely compelling, the voice acting was so entertaining and kept me engaged and listening. Everyone, down to the most minor character, had their own distinct voice in a perfect French, American, or German accent. I definitely recommend listening to this audiobook. I would read a book I wasn't incredibly interested in just to hear Kristina Klebe perform it. She's so talented!