The Mapmaker: A Novel of World War II

by Tom Young

Resistance fighters Charlotte and Philippe, an American woman and a Frenchman, brave death or worse to evade the Gestapo and get critical information to the Allies.

Resistance operative Charlotte Denneau has critical targeting information for the Allies, and the Gestapo knows it. On the run across occupied France, she must prioritize her mission over the lives of the agents and civilians she needs to aid her escape. Germans are taking down Resistance networks with disastrous results. Agents are being arrested, tortured, questioned, and turned. Charlotte communicates in coded radio calls to London, well aware the enemy is always listening. More than anything, she must find a flight out—before the Nazis drag her to an interrogation chamber.

Philippe Gerard, a French pilot who joined the British Royal Air Force after the fall of France, faces an impossible mission: He must find Charlotte, land by moonlight to pick her up in a farmer's field, and evade Luftwaffe fighters on the way back to England. But where is she? If he gets an all-clear signal over a dark pasture, is she really there? Or could the signal be luring him into a trap?

In the critical weeks before D-Day, every contribution counts: A well-drawn map, a timely aerial photo, or a daring landing in a muddy field might make the difference between triumph and defeat. Inspired by real-life events from World War II, The Mapmaker demonstrates how individual courage and sacrifice set the stage for victory.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 22, 2025

About the author

Tom Young served in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Air National Guard. He has also also flown combat missions to Bosnia and Kosovo, and additional missions to Latin America, the horn of Africa, and the Far East. In all, Young has logged nearly five thousand hours as a flight engineer on the C-5 Galaxy and the C-130 Hercules, while flying to almost forty countries. Military honors include three Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

Young is the author of SILVER WINGS, IRON CROSS; THE HUNTERS; SAND AND FIRE; THE RENEGADES; SILENT ENEMY; and THE MULLAH'S STORM.

His nonfiction publications include THE SPEED OF HEAT: AN AIRLIFT WING AT WAR IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. His narrative, "Night Flight to Baghdad," appeared in the anthology OPERATION HOMECOMING: IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, AND THE HOME FRONT IN THE WORDS OF U.S. TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

Reviews

[Henry "bud" · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gripping WWII TALE

I just finished reading THE MAPMAKER, by Tom Young, and I am still reeling from the experience. This book masterfully weaves together fiction and fact, bringing to life the bravery and sacrifices of the French Resistance and the RAF pilots who played a crucial role in the war effort.
The dual narrative of Charlotte, a brilliant mapmaker on the run from the Gestapo and Philippe, a fearless French pilot flying for the RAF, had me on the edge of my seat. The author's vivid descriptions of Philippe's aerial missions and Charlotte's narrow escapes will leave you breathless .
What resonated with me most was the way the book humanized the heroes of WW2.
If you are a fan of historical fiction or just looking for a compelling story, THE MAPMAKER is a must read.

[Carolyn Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

On page one, you’re strapped into the cockpit and airborne into a story about the early days of World War II. France was being devastated by German invasion, which was also taking aim at England—and odds were in the Nazis’ favor.

But they didn’t reckon with the French Resistance and English resourcefulness. The two cooperated to fly operatives and intelligence back and forth across the Channel, spiking the German guns literally and figuratively. In this story, woven around real events, a French pilot, his sister, and a French-American woman—the mapmaker—find and funnel vital information that ultimately helped the Allies win the war.

Their peril is constant, on the ground and in the air. More than in most war novels, we get to see how people fought and died outside of battlefields, and how individual deeds contributed indirectly to victory. Young’s prose carries the action along sparely, swiftly, and smoothly, maintaining a nail-biting tension without overdramatizing. Rather, there’s a matter-of-factness to the narrative voice that lets the horrors and the agonies tell their own story.

Readers interested in this period will learn a lot about the small people, the unknown people, the unofficial people who the history books overlook. Readers new to the subject will get their hair curled from learning just how awful the war was. Readers who love aviation will get more flight time than usual, and better understand different roles aircraft played beyond dogfighting and bombing. All readers will find their worldview enhanced and their appetite for story fulfilled.

[H.W. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MAPMAKER may be Tom Young's best. It's a deeply researched and brilliantly written novel about the French Resistance in WWII. The title character is a young French woman who sketches maps of rail routes used by the occupying Germans. The maps must get to the Allies (in London) so they can use them to attack the rail lines. That's where the other main character, a French aviator, comes in. He must get the "mapmaker" to London, and then later help her by flying photo recon missions. Young painted (with words) a couple of scenes I found absolutely stunning (gripping would be another applicable adverb): one of an aircraft ditching in the English Channel; the other of a P-38 stressed beyond its limits and in a terminal dive. Great writing! Don't miss THE MAPMAKER.

[Nancy Gisvold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books that I have read recently. I couldn't put it down; I needed to know what would happen next. The characters were people that I would want to have as a friend. Their emotions and feelings were well developed. I could tell that the author had done meticulous research into the subject matter and the events that were portrayed in the book. I think it is Tom Young's best book yet; and I have read all of them. I highly recommend this book.

[Joseph Berchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

My highest recommendation!! History tells you what happened, Tom Young's novel, "The Mapmaker," takes you there. Travel to Vichy France to experience the lives of fearless resistance fighters during WWII and to the RAF aviators secretly and daringly supporting them. Page-turning action and aviation lore in this fascinating, well-researched, and well-written story makes this a terrific read.