The Librarians of Lisbon

A WWII Story of Love and Espionage

De: Suzanne Nelson

Narrado por: Alex Picard

“A fast-paced roller-coaster ride of deceit, espionage, danger, and—above all—the unbreakable bonds of friendship. This tense page-turner peels back new layers in the complexities of World War II espionage as it hurtles toward its satisfying finish.”—New York Times bestselling author Kristin Harmel

Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Inspired by real historical figures, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson pens a captivating story of two remarkable women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.

WWII rages Europe. Lisbon stands alone as a glamorous city on the brink of chaos, harboring spies trading double-edged secrets. Among them are Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan, Boston librarians turned Allied operatives. Officially enlisted to collect banned books, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.

Victory is not guaranteed.

Soon, they’re caught up in games of deception with two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal spy, code name Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms with Luca, the more bookish Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy world of informants. But when a betrayal unravels a carefully spun web of lies, everything they’ve fought for is thrown into jeopardy. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?

©2025 Suzanne Nelson (P)2025 Zando, LLC

Interesting history about WWII Portugal

Engaging characters, good plot twists and excellent research on American espionage in Portugal during WWII that included female librarians from United States.

Fascinating women’s WWII history!

Loved learning about Lisbon during the war, what it meant for Portugal to be neutral, and how many young American women risked their lives as spies for the Allies. Gripping historical novel! Perfect reading after a trip to Lisbon !

Unique Perspective on WWII

The things I really liked about this book; the unique perspective of spy’s in Portugal in WWII, the audio narration was great, the historical context that was woven into this book, the two time lines and the authors notes.

What I wanted; this is marketed as a fast paced book and it is - but I felt I wanted more details and descriptions sometimes. I really enjoyed the story line and felt I wanted it to last longer with longer explanations and descriptions. No one ever talks about Lisbon in WWII and that’s why this book is so interesting.

Solid reading

Enjoyed the read. No Kristin Hannah or Kate Quinn, but a solid story with well-developed characters.

Little historical context

This is a chick flick book with traditional gender roles. There is almost no historical context. Yuck!