THE PRINCESS SPY is pure nonfiction, but it’s also an enjoyable read. Author Larry Loftis keeps the excitement going from the first page of the prologue. We read about a strange noise outside Aline Griffith’s apartment window in Madrid. Then the shutters are pried open, and a hand pushes back the curtains. Loftis writes, “She raised the gun.”

Chapter one begins in Estoril, Portugal, on May 24, 1941. We don’t learn the identity of the intruder, or if Aline fired her weapon, until much later in the book. Like many successful mystery writers, Loftis frequently leaves us hanging at the end of a chapter, forcing us to keep reading so we can find out what someone is hiding or who the person behind the curtain really is.

"THE PRINCESS SPY is a meticulously researched, beautifully crafted work of nonfiction that reads like a James Bond thriller."

While Aline herself had written several books about her life (decades ago, I read THE SPY WORE RED and enjoyed it immensely), Loftis informs us in the preface that accounts of her years as an OSS agent (and later as a CIA agent) contained many embellishments. However, after extensive research, he shares his conclusions with us: “[T]here’s no question that Aline was an active, highly valued operational agent, but her spy books must be regarded as historical fiction; some parts are true, many others not.”

THE PRINCESS SPY is a meticulously researched, beautifully crafted work of nonfiction that reads like a James Bond thriller. And, ironically, Ian Fleming is mentioned here. While including facts about the war and Spain’s part in it, often with footnotes that share even more information, the book is filled with a novel-like telling of Aline’s life --- from her childhood in suburban New York, when she meets Frank Ryan, who eventually hires her as an OSS code agent, to her time at “The Farm” in D.C., where spies are trained. We follow her as she rides the flying boat the Clipper across the Atlantic, and we learn about her subsequent time in Madrid and other parts of Europe. We also discover her encounter with an extremely wealthy aristocrat and how their marriage comes about.

Here's how Loftis sums up Aline’s incredible life: “She’d lived an extraordinarily multifaceted life as a small-town girl, a model, a spy, a wife, a mother, a socialite, a fashion icon, and a celebrity. She’d left the safety of home and put herself in danger in order to help defeat the Nazi threat, then found the love of her life in a fairytale romance. Aline was smart, resourceful, determined, and fearless.”

There are over 60 pages of notes in which Loftis, chapter by chapter, cites the sources for his text and explains where and why he changed Aline’s own account. The result is a story that is filled with humor, authentic dialogue, historical information about WWII and the Spanish Civil War, a glimpse into the Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner of the CIA), and fascinating details about how the rich and famous lived almost a century ago.