The Secret War of Julia Child is a historical fiction novel by Diana R. Chambers, published October 22, 2024 by Sourcebooks Landmark. It is a USA Today bestseller, a People magazine Best Book of Fall, and a New York Post Book of the Week.

Before she mastered the art of French cooking, Julia McWilliams — single, six feet two, and thirty years old — took a job working for America's first espionage agency during World War II. The novel traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, D.C. file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services.

Her wartime journey takes her to the remote frontlines of Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, and self-knowledge — and love with mapmaker Paul Child. Lyrical and immersive, this story illuminates a fascinating and rarely explored chapter in the life of America's most beloved chef, showing how the war shaped the icon she would become.

389 pages, paperback. Rated 3.61/5 on Goodreads with over 6,700 ratings.