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Nazi Sex Spies: Seduction, Subterfuge and State Secrets
All is fair in love and war. At least the Nazis thought so.
They deployed sex like any other weapon in the service of the Third Reich. In 1939, the SS took over Salon Kitty, a high class brothel in Berlin and bugged the rooms. In New York, there was a gay 'house of assignation' in Brooklyn where German spies hired American servicemen in the hope of hearing indiscreet pillow talk. The Nazis also employed Lilly Stein, a 'good-looking nymphomaniac' and part of the Duquesne Spy ring, who slept with US men in order to blackmail them. The list of those who were sex spies for the Nazis goes on and on... and this book compiles them all.
They deployed sex like any other weapon in the service of the Third Reich. In 1939, the SS took over Salon Kitty, a high class brothel in Berlin and bugged the rooms. In New York, there was a gay 'house of assignation' in Brooklyn where German spies hired American servicemen in the hope of hearing indiscreet pillow talk. The Nazis also employed Lilly Stein, a 'good-looking nymphomaniac' and part of the Duquesne Spy ring, who slept with US men in order to blackmail them. The list of those who were sex spies for the Nazis goes on and on... and this book compiles them all.
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2020
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233 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 17, 2021
NOPE!
There was literally nothing about this book that I liked.
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Purpose: Why was this book written? What are we supposed to learn from it? What did it mean to be a 'sex spy'? How did they affect the war effort? None of these questions are answered and the book suffers from it.
Gossip: This felt more like a gossip piece than an academic work.
Sex spies?: Apparently, being a 'sex spy' doesn't involve sex or even spying in many cases - the only prerequisite is simply being a woman. Barf.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
There was literally nothing about this book that I liked.
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Purpose: Why was this book written? What are we supposed to learn from it? What did it mean to be a 'sex spy'? How did they affect the war effort? None of these questions are answered and the book suffers from it.
Gossip: This felt more like a gossip piece than an academic work.
Sex spies?: Apparently, being a 'sex spy' doesn't involve sex or even spying in many cases - the only prerequisite is simply being a woman. Barf.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
May 31, 2022
I purchased this because intelligence and counterintelligence fascinates me, but this book was so disjointed and mildly gross-feeling, finishing it felt like a major chore.
April 15, 2024
For a school project but definitely interesting. Women were so important to the World Wars and war in general and it’s an underrated topic of discussion. This mainly focuses on women of the night in Germany who gained secrets from their nocturnal affairs. I was surprised to realize how many of them were Jewish or people that Hitler wanted to kill but ended up using for his own personal gain. It shows how much of a hypocrite and narcissist he really was. But I think we all know that. All the women this book covered were from so many different countries with so many background. My only complaint is that there weren’t footnotes explaining where the author got their information from even though it did include a bibliography. 3/5 ⭐️
February 26, 2021
Despite the title you will not find any material to titivate. The book is divided by chapter where each chapter is a vinaigrette of a different woman.
Interesting how far into the Nazism these woman went, and the men that they bedded with. We have mostly Englishman, Lords and their dalliance with these ladies outside their marriages. But there are famous names (John Kennedy) from the states too.
The Abwehr made great use of the women, Sending them where they can do the most good and a handsome allowance to sustain them to a high standard of living.
It was good. It kept my attention and the book surprised me in almost every chapter.
Interesting how far into the Nazism these woman went, and the men that they bedded with. We have mostly Englishman, Lords and their dalliance with these ladies outside their marriages. But there are famous names (John Kennedy) from the states too.
The Abwehr made great use of the women, Sending them where they can do the most good and a handsome allowance to sustain them to a high standard of living.
It was good. It kept my attention and the book surprised me in almost every chapter.
Read
April 15, 2020Did not finish book.
The title sounded interesting to me;however, the information presented was dull.
The title sounded interesting to me;however, the information presented was dull.
October 26, 2020
This book was a slog.
August 13, 2022
Al Cimino is the author of more than 25 books. Nazi Sex Spies: True Stories of Seduction, Subterfuge and State Secrets was published in 2020.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to a few mature situations, I categorize this book as PG.
The Nazis in WWII ran extensive intelligence operations. These included using women, and the occasional man, to seduce information sources. This book contains 21 chapters, each dealing with a different Nazi spy. Most were individuals operating on their own, but brothels were also occasionally used.
Seductive women were used to influence men in positions of importance. They also collected information that was of tactical advantage. At other times their goal was to discover or create embarrassing situations that could be used as blackmail.
The story I found most surprising is the romance between Inga Arvad, Miss Denmark 1931, and a young US Naval officer. Arvad had enjoyed a close relationship with Hitler in the 30s before she moved to the US in 1940. The FBI considered her a likely Nazi spy. As a reporter in 1941, she met and interviewed 24-year-old John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington DC. An affair followed, which caused Kennedy to be investigated. His father’s intervention and a transfer to the Pacific saved his career.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 279-page WWII history. This book takes a very different look at espionage in WWII. It is more a collection of short stories than a book. I was surprised at all of the documented attempts by the Nazis to use sex as leverage. The astonishing part is how they employed sex to spy on other German leaders. While the cover art is a bit bland, it is in keeping with the theme of the book. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to a few mature situations, I categorize this book as PG.
The Nazis in WWII ran extensive intelligence operations. These included using women, and the occasional man, to seduce information sources. This book contains 21 chapters, each dealing with a different Nazi spy. Most were individuals operating on their own, but brothels were also occasionally used.
Seductive women were used to influence men in positions of importance. They also collected information that was of tactical advantage. At other times their goal was to discover or create embarrassing situations that could be used as blackmail.
The story I found most surprising is the romance between Inga Arvad, Miss Denmark 1931, and a young US Naval officer. Arvad had enjoyed a close relationship with Hitler in the 30s before she moved to the US in 1940. The FBI considered her a likely Nazi spy. As a reporter in 1941, she met and interviewed 24-year-old John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington DC. An affair followed, which caused Kennedy to be investigated. His father’s intervention and a transfer to the Pacific saved his career.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 279-page WWII history. This book takes a very different look at espionage in WWII. It is more a collection of short stories than a book. I was surprised at all of the documented attempts by the Nazis to use sex as leverage. The astonishing part is how they employed sex to spy on other German leaders. While the cover art is a bit bland, it is in keeping with the theme of the book. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
February 5, 2025
DNF
Tldr: Great concept, terrible execution.
I've tried multiple times to read this, and have given up.
It seems to have no cohesive narrative, even the introduction was just a random jumble of facts from multiple people's histories.
I only attempted the first two stories: "Salon Kitty" which could have been amazing. Such an interesting piece of history, espionage and counter espionage...yet it just sort of lists what names didn't and didn't drop info and then fizzled out.
Then, "Hitler's Princess Spy". It reads as a great big name drop, I didn't really understand the chronology, any themes, or what the angle actually WAS. Was she Jewish and actually pro-nazi, was she doing it for survival, or money/fame, or as mentioned once 'for peace'?? He writes her as a gold-digging, fame-seeking harlot, and seems to write very little about the actual impact she had on the war.
I don't need you to repeatedly tell me that Hitler was enamoured and kept calling her Princess.
I felt absolutely no interest in the people, had no inkling of motives, and it just became a chore to read.
As stated in some other reviews it seems that Cimino has tried to write a book about women's impact in WWII and then lazily assumed women's only input could be flirting and sex, not showing any actual results of said espionage.
After reading Agent Zigzag, an absolutely riveting read...this was a huge disappointment (over and over again).
Tldr: Great concept, terrible execution.
I've tried multiple times to read this, and have given up.
It seems to have no cohesive narrative, even the introduction was just a random jumble of facts from multiple people's histories.
I only attempted the first two stories: "Salon Kitty" which could have been amazing. Such an interesting piece of history, espionage and counter espionage...yet it just sort of lists what names didn't and didn't drop info and then fizzled out.
Then, "Hitler's Princess Spy". It reads as a great big name drop, I didn't really understand the chronology, any themes, or what the angle actually WAS. Was she Jewish and actually pro-nazi, was she doing it for survival, or money/fame, or as mentioned once 'for peace'?? He writes her as a gold-digging, fame-seeking harlot, and seems to write very little about the actual impact she had on the war.
I don't need you to repeatedly tell me that Hitler was enamoured and kept calling her Princess.
I felt absolutely no interest in the people, had no inkling of motives, and it just became a chore to read.
As stated in some other reviews it seems that Cimino has tried to write a book about women's impact in WWII and then lazily assumed women's only input could be flirting and sex, not showing any actual results of said espionage.
After reading Agent Zigzag, an absolutely riveting read...this was a huge disappointment (over and over again).
January 15, 2024
Do I think this was a research paper that didn't get published in an anthology journal because it was bias, yes. Saying that a lot of the stories and information was really interesting.
However, I have some issues with it for one. I think the structure wasn't thought out well, and I also believe there should have been a chapter on Mata Hari as she was mentioned in every other chapter.
My other issue is how biased this books it, not just against Nazis but against women. And I get the natural bias against Nazis but if you are writing an academic text it shouldn't feel like a middle class middle age straight American man from as it feels so judgey the shut shaming in this book is so much.
I also believe this book shouldn't have been called Nazi sex spies as that accounted for less than a quarter of these women.
Most of these women weren't sex spies- they are just attractive women, and some were married others just happened to be promiscuous, not necessarily using their bodies for secrets.
It could have been that this wasn't the authors original title but something pushed by publishers to sell more, but it felt misrepsenting of the book.
And felt wrong to many of the women discussed. Such as Stella who was a Jewish child, who was beaten and tortured to sell out other Jews to save her parents being sent to Auschwitz and then killed herself, I'd hardly call her a sex spy.
The same goes with Lucy. The "high-school spy" was 18 when on trail, making her a teen spy. Calling her a sex spy is just sad when that's not what she did, and she was a child. Yes, she was a spy, but she wasn't having sex with people for info.
Coco Channel wasn't a sex spy, but she was a bad person, so I will let her slander in this book slide because she was a homophobic anti-semetic Nazi.
This put me in such a reading slump.
However, I have some issues with it for one. I think the structure wasn't thought out well, and I also believe there should have been a chapter on Mata Hari as she was mentioned in every other chapter.
My other issue is how biased this books it, not just against Nazis but against women. And I get the natural bias against Nazis but if you are writing an academic text it shouldn't feel like a middle class middle age straight American man from as it feels so judgey the shut shaming in this book is so much.
I also believe this book shouldn't have been called Nazi sex spies as that accounted for less than a quarter of these women.
Most of these women weren't sex spies- they are just attractive women, and some were married others just happened to be promiscuous, not necessarily using their bodies for secrets.
It could have been that this wasn't the authors original title but something pushed by publishers to sell more, but it felt misrepsenting of the book.
And felt wrong to many of the women discussed. Such as Stella who was a Jewish child, who was beaten and tortured to sell out other Jews to save her parents being sent to Auschwitz and then killed herself, I'd hardly call her a sex spy.
The same goes with Lucy. The "high-school spy" was 18 when on trail, making her a teen spy. Calling her a sex spy is just sad when that's not what she did, and she was a child. Yes, she was a spy, but she wasn't having sex with people for info.
Coco Channel wasn't a sex spy, but she was a bad person, so I will let her slander in this book slide because she was a homophobic anti-semetic Nazi.
This put me in such a reading slump.
May 21, 2023
I picked up the book because of my interest in World War II and I thought it would be a decent, easy read. It was. Despite the titillating title I found the book to be informative. Of particular interest to me was the depth to which Nazi spies had penetrated the British aristocracy and how much support the Nazi's had from upper class British society. I also found the chapter on John F. Kennedy and his Nazi-linked lover "Inga Binga" to be enlightening. For style and presentation, I would give the book three stars. For new information that I have not seen printed so clearly elsewhere, I would give the book a 5 making the average a solid 4.
If you want a quick read that lays bare the skeleton's that many might wish would remain buried, this is a decent book. It skewers some sacred cows.
If you want a quick read that lays bare the skeleton's that many might wish would remain buried, this is a decent book. It skewers some sacred cows.
May 21, 2020
This was a very interesting read, however, it was quite dull at times. I found it extremely interesting how deep our country was penetrated with spies even before the war had started. As far back as the early 1930's.
I'm sure this same type of thing still goes on now, but I hadn't thought about it before. It is pretty wild when you think about it.
Loose lips sink ships is a very true statement when the high ups are literally sleeping with the enemy.
Overall this was really interesting, just a slow read.
3 out of 5 Stars.
I'm sure this same type of thing still goes on now, but I hadn't thought about it before. It is pretty wild when you think about it.
Loose lips sink ships is a very true statement when the high ups are literally sleeping with the enemy.
Overall this was really interesting, just a slow read.
3 out of 5 Stars.
April 23, 2024
It's very hard to rate this book, as it goes from bad to great, chapter by chapter. First, each chapter is entirely independent of another, the author makes no attempt to tie them together even when there are duplicate characters. And some of the chapters are extremely short and probably not worthy of inclusion. However, there are several stories that are wonderful, but lack historical context and reference. I wish the author had focused on these and created a history book other than a collection of stories.
April 30, 2022
The title is misleading. I read it for the "Nazi Spy" angle. A better title would be "Narcissistic Selfish Amoral Women Who Thought They Were All That & Who Slept With Anything That Moved Get Caught Up In War & Discover The Depths To Which They Will Sink". But I guess the real title fits more neatly on the cover.
Interesting chapters on Wallis Simpson & Ina Arvad. It's like the National Enquirer published a book about greedy females of WW2.
Interesting chapters on Wallis Simpson & Ina Arvad. It's like the National Enquirer published a book about greedy females of WW2.
May 20, 2024
If you are a history aficionado (I AM) then this book is full of so much information! The title does not accurately portray the substance of this book. It has intrigue, espionage, intelligence and so much more. The details this book gives is so much more than I have read in any history book. It covers all fronts of WWII from Europe, to Asia, to the Pacific and to America!
July 14, 2021
I don’t believe all the women in this book fit the definition of a “nazi sex spy”. I think parts could be edited better for clarity purposes at times. I’m used to reading historical non-fiction so I didn’t find it a “slog”, but sometimes the writing wasn’t very clear and irrelevant to the theme.
March 7, 2024
Interesting book. How the good guys fell for the pretty ladies. A lot written about Coco Chanel (anti-gay and anti-semitic) and Eward (ex-king of England) and his wife. Rich people don’t care about politics.
June 28, 2024
Poorly written, it read like an 8th grade term paper. I’d have given it one star except I did learn details of JFK’s brush with a nazi spy as well as work by Coco Chanel and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor on behalf of the nazis.
September 25, 2020
Decent easy read with some interesting stories, does not need to be called nazi sex spies as that’s not what they are. It’s just young attractive women who happened to be spies
February 7, 2021
I never thought much about collecting intelligence through the war; but this book puts a unique spin on that aspect, with some interesting stories and the people involved.
March 20, 2021
There were some good interesting femme fatales in this book
October 7, 2021
A fascinating read into the different nationalities that were spies for the Nazis in the 30's and 40's
Read
October 12, 2022A remarkable , historical and a true view about humans desires wired roles in people's during wars or peace times.
March 11, 2023
I was so bored reading this book it was just dates ,times and who's who
October 2, 2020
Incredibly interesting at times but mostly rather dull. I was really looking forward to a WWII nonfiction but this was not it. I was surprised how many spies were embedded into our nation.
February 19, 2021
This book was given to me as a gift, which I, of course, appreciate. It was not the most in depth book that I have ever read. I was disappointed in that. It included a lot of snippets of specific people and the activities they got up to. It was more like a broad overview. Good to have in the collection, but not that great.
March 24, 2021
The title is clearly intended to tantalize, but aside from a very few, most of the women portrayed have little to with sex and often even nothing to do with spying. It seems all you had to do to be in this book was be a woman.
I can't in good conscience recommend this book.
*I received a free copy through Netgalley, but the review is my own opinion*
I can't in good conscience recommend this book.
*I received a free copy through Netgalley, but the review is my own opinion*
October 5, 2023
The concept for this book is fascinating, but the storytelling leaves a lot to be desired, and the style is quite choppy and separated chapter-to-chapter, which focuses on a particular woman's history with no real attempt to bring the disparate stories together.
February 24, 2022
Nazi Sex Spies
Very interesting read. Well researched and well written. A bit of history a lot of people don't think about. I recommend.
Very interesting read. Well researched and well written. A bit of history a lot of people don't think about. I recommend.
June 22, 2023
A little too long winded for me. Did learn one or two things but a bit of a dry read.
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