Review: The Queen's Accomplice by: Susan Elia MacNeal

Title: The Quuen's Accomplice
Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Publisher: Bantam
Series: Maggie Hope #6
Format: Paperback ( 368 p.) Personal Purchase

Synopsis:

England, 1942. The Nazis relentless Blitz may have paused, but London s nightly blackouts continue. Now, under the cover of darkness, a madman is brutally killing and mutilating young women in eerie and exact re-creations of Jack the Ripper s crimes. What s more, he s targeting women who are reporting for duty to be Winston Churchill s spies and saboteurs abroad. The officers at MI-5 quickly realize they need the help of special agent Maggie Hope to find the killer dubbed the Blackout Beast. A trap is set. But once the murderer has his sights on Maggie, not even Buckingham Palace can protect the resourceful spy from her fate.

My Thoughts:

The blitz's have taken a break and someone has decided to try to emulate Jack the Ripper with young women who work for the SOE.  Maggie Hope is now working for the SOE and one of the agents has been compromised.  Maggie gets called to Downing Street to meet with a local Scotland Yard cop to figure out what is going on with the young women.  

Meanwhile Maggie's sister is with her father on a small release of 9 days to renounce the doctor and the death's they were performing when she is picked up by the underground and a German officer helps her escape by practically throwing her into a car.

Maggie also finds herself having tea with the Queen whose adamant in owing Maggie a favor she she need it at anytime.  This may come in handy to Maggie at some point.

This book had so much going on with different characters Sarah Sanderson is training for a trip to France and finds herself jealous of Maggie's relationship with Hugh even though they broke up and Hugh has his eyes on Sarah.  

I can't get over how the author weaves so many different stories into one book there is definitely a lot going on but it flows so smoothly that it works.  I have read other authors and it doesn't always flow the way it did here. 

Can't wait to read about Paris!

Read More

Review: The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by: Susan Elia MacNeal

Title: The Prime Minister's Secret Agent
Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Publisher: Bantam
Series: Maggie Hope #4
Format: Paperback ( 306 p.) Personal Purchase

Synopsis:

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry, The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent is a gripping new mystery featuring intrepid spy and code breaker Maggie Hope. And this time, the fallout of a deadly plot comes straight to her own front door.

 

World War II rages on across Europe, but Maggie Hope has finally found a moment of rest on the pastoral coast of western Scotland. Home from an undercover mission in Berlin, she settles down to teach at her old spy training camp, and to heal from scars on both her body and heart. Yet instead of enjoying the quieter pace of life, Maggie is quickly drawn into another web of danger and intrigue. When three ballerinas fall strangely ill in Glasgow—including one of Maggie’s dearest friends—Maggie partners with MI-5 to uncover the truth behind their unusual symptoms. What she finds points to a series of poisonings that may expose shocking government secrets and put countless British lives at stake. But it’s the fight brewing in the Pacific that will forever change the course of the war—and indelibly shape Maggie’s fate.

My Thoughts:

Maggie Hope is recovering from her previous adventure in Scotland, when she learns of ballerina's being targeted by someone and Maggie thinks of her friend Sarah.  She rushes reluctantly to solve the issue with the ballerina's before Sarah is a target. Will she figure it out in time or will Sarah be next?

This book had so much going on for Maggie we see a darker side of her dealing with all she had been through plus seeing her go and help her friend.  This is a great series for anyone who loves reading about historical fiction especially during WWII.  

Read More