The Paris Agent

Kelly Rimmer

52 pages 1-hour read

Kelly Rimmer

The Paris Agent

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Josie is a young British operative managing celiac disease during wartime rationing. She operates under the code name Chloe and works under the cover of a nanny. Growing up with a chronic illness has made her resourceful and determined to prove her capability in the field. She relies on the black market to obtain gluten-free food while organizing sabotage missions.

Key Relationships

Romantic connection with Noah

Friend and colleague of Eloise

Daughter of Drusilla

Pseudo-niece of Aunt Quinn

Subordinate to Mr. Turner

Eloise is a war widow motivated to join the SOE after her pilot husband is shot down. Operating under the code name Fleur, she works to aid resistance connections while enduring the constant fear of capture. She channels her grief into creating a safer future for the young son she left behind in England.

Key Relationships

Mother of Hughie

Widow of Giles

Friend and colleague of Josie

Subordinate to Mr. Turner

Noah is a retired mechanic living in 1970s England, mourning his recently deceased wife. He suffers from partial amnesia stemming from a traumatic brain injury sustained during World War II. Hidden from his family for decades, his past as a Special Operations Executive agent comes to light as he attempts to track down the person who saved his life.

Key Relationships

Father of Charlotte

Father of Archie Ainsworth

Widower of Geraldine Ainsworth

Former partner of Josie

Saved by Remy

Research subject of Professor Read

Charlotte is a dedicated schoolteacher attempting to support her father after her mother's death. She discovers that the man she thought was merely a car mechanic was actually a wartime operative. Driven by curiosity and love, she takes the lead in researching the classified archives to help piece together his history.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Noah

Daughter of Geraldine Ainsworth

Sister of Archie Ainsworth

Niece of Kathleen

Research partner of Theo Sinclair

Collaborator with Professor Read

Supporting Characters

Theo is a high school teacher and amateur historian who helps Charlotte and Noah search through archival records. As an adopted child with unknown parentage, he is personally invested in uncovering the histories of families torn apart by the war.

Key Relationships

Research partner of Charlotte

Former student of Professor Read

Geraldine is Noah's deceased wife and the mother of Charlotte and Archie. During their marriage, she actively discouraged Noah from discussing his war experiences or engaging with his former colleagues. Her insecurities shaped the family dynamic, keeping her husband's trauma tightly contained.

Key Relationships

Wife of Noah

Mother of Charlotte

Mother of Archie Ainsworth

Sister of Kathleen

Kathleen is Geraldine's sister and Charlotte's aunt. She is highly critical of Noah and harbors long-held suspicions about his activities during the war. She provides Charlotte with uncomfortable truths about how Geraldine and Noah's relationship actually functioned.

Key Relationships

Sister of Geraldine Ainsworth

Aunt of Charlotte

Sister-in-law of Noah

Archie is Charlotte's younger brother. While less involved in the day-to-day archival research than his sister, he offers grounded theories about their parents' marriage and provides a more realistic perspective on their mother's motivations.

Key Relationships

Brother of Charlotte

Son of Noah

Son of Geraldine Ainsworth

Professor Harry Read is a dedicated academic at Manchester University. He has spent his career attempting to document the experiences of surviving SOE operatives. He has sent multiple unanswered letters to Noah over the years and is thrilled when the former agent finally appears in his office.

Key Relationships

Researcher of Noah

Academic contact of Charlotte

Former professor of Theo Sinclair

Mr. Turner is a high-ranking official within the Special Operations Executive in France. Coming from a prominent family of furniture makers, he is responsible for managing the female operatives, enforcing strict professional boundaries, and organizing drops and safe houses.

Key Relationships

Superior officer of Josie

Superior officer of Eloise

Drusilla is Josie's mother and a practicing physician. After a bitter separation from her husband, she relocated to France for better professional opportunities. She holds pragmatic views about her daughter's chronic illness, often encouraging her to pursue realistic, quiet goals.

Key Relationships

Mother of Josie

Partner of Aunt Quinn

Aunt Quinn is Drusilla's long-term romantic partner. Because of the era's social constraints, she is introduced to a young Josie merely as her mother's close friend and traveling companion.

Key Relationships

Partner of Drusilla

Pseudo-aunt of Josie

Remy is a French operative who worked alongside Noah during World War II. For decades, Noah only knows him as the mysterious figure who saved his life, prompting a massive search to locate and thank him.

Key Relationships

Fellow operative of Noah

Giles is Eloise's deceased husband. A military pilot, he was shot down in North Africa shortly after their wedding. His memory and his physical tokens, such as a St. Michael's medal, provide his widow with spiritual and emotional strength.

Key Relationships

Late husband of Eloise

Father of Hughie

Hughie is Eloise's young son. Left in the care of his grandmother in London while his mother serves in France, he represents the innocent future that the SOE operatives are fighting to protect.

Key Relationships

Son of Eloise

Son of Giles