From the international bestselling author of Rebel Queen and Nefertiti comes a captivating novel about the infamous Mata Hari, exotic dancer, adored courtesan, and, possibly, relentless spy.
Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom…or death. Alone and despondent, Mata Hari is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she’s been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers.
As Mata Hari waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison. Beginning with her carefree childhood, Mata Hari recounts her father’s cruel abandonment of her family as well her calamitous marriage to a military officer. Taken to the island of Java, Mata Hari refuses to be ruled by her abusive husband and instead learns to dance, paving the way to her stardom as Europe’s most infamous dancer.
From Indian temples and Parisian theatres to German barracks in war-torn Europe, international bestselling author Michelle Moran who “expertly balances fact and fiction” (Associated Press) brings to vibrant life the famed world of Mata Hari: dancer, courtesan, and possibly, spy.
Praise for Mata Hari's Last Dance:
"MATA HARI'S LAST DANCE is everything historical fiction should be: a transportive tale of a complex figure, brought to life in lush and evocative language, packed with too-good-to-be-true historical details. Michelle Moran's storytelling is as sumptuous and seductive as the subject herself. Like Mata Hari's spellbound audiences, you'll be cheering bravo."—Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of SISI
"[Mata Hari] is a mysterious character, but Moran manages to formulate a realistic heroine....Readers of historical fiction will note the author’s signature attention to detail; however, the flawed Hari makes this engrossing reading."
"By interweaving the strands of Mata Hari’s multiple reinventions into an evocative tapestry depicting the woman who captured the collective imagination of several nations, the author ensures that questions of her guilt or innocence ultimately take a back seat to her mesmerizing tale. Moran breathes new life into another atrophied legend of a remarkable woman who left an indelible mark upon her time and place in history."
Praise for Michelle Moran:
“I could not put this book down! Sita’s voice as narrator is a strong one, and the time and characters fascinating. Moran’s evocative writing transports the reader from small backcountry villages where women live out their lives in purdah to the exotic kingdom of Jhansi whose women freely walk the streets, and finally to the eye of the hurricane as British authority in Jhansi increases. . . . A riveting and addictive glimpse of that era.”
