From the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls comes the never-before-told story of a small cadre of influential spies in the precarious early days of the CIA-women who helped create the template for modern espionage in the treacherous post-WWII era but whose lasting contributions went largely unnoticed…until now.


In the wake of World War II, four agents were critical in helping build a new organization that we now know as the CIA-Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, and Elizabeth Sudmeier. These women, or "wise gals" as their male colleagues called them (because of their sharp sense of humor and even quicker intelligence), were not the stereotypical femme fatale of spy novels. They were smart, courageous, and ground-breaking agents at the top of their class, instrumental in creating tools for intelligence gathering in the decades to come while simultaneously working across the globe to keep peace at the height of the Cold War.

Adelaide rose through the ranks and became branch chief, developing new cryptosystems that advanced how spies communicate with each other. Mary was the first senior-level female executive in the organization. Elizabeth became the first woman awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit. Eloise became chief of scientific and technical operations. Through their friendship and shared sense of purpose, they rose to positions of power and were able to make real change in a traditionally "male, pale, and Yale" organization-but not without some tragic losses and real heartache along the way.

Meticulously researched and beautifully told, Holt uses firsthand interviews with past and present officials and declassified government documents to uncover the stories of these four inspirational women. Wise Gals sheds a light on the untold history of the women whose daring foreign intrigues, domestic persistence, and fighting spirit have been and continue to be instrumental to our country's security.