For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry, captures the drama of an era of unprecedented challenge — and the greatness that rose to meet it.
London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses … Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined — and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.
Ensnared in a web of spies, murder, and intrigue, Maggie must work quickly to balance her duty to King and Country with her chances for survival. And when she unravels a mystery that points toward her own family’s hidden secrets, she’ll discover that her quick wits are all that stand between an assassin’s murderous plan and Churchill himself.
In this daring debut, Susan Elia MacNeal blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character, Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel.
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This book is the beginning of an interesting series set in England during World War II. Maggie is an American who is unexpectedly thrust into the center of wartime London when she goes over to settle her grandmother’s estate. I like Maggie a lot and suggest reading the series in order for maximum understanding.
I love historical fiction and this page-turner did not disappoint. An action packed spy novel set in London during the Blitz, filled with rich detail and led by a spirited, intelligent heroine.
Such a brilliant start to a wonderful series!
This is the first of a wonderful series. The main character Maggie Hope is a feisty American math wiz who finds herself in England during World War II. She gets a job working for Prime Minister Winston Churchill. There is action and adventure, mystery and intrigue. It is a delightful book you might even learn something,
Maggie Hope graduated at the top of her college class and has all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence but because she is a woman she only qualifies to be a new typist at 10 Downing Street for Winston Churchill. As war rages across the English channel Maggie Hope gets involved with spies, murder and intrigue and unravels a …
I liked this beginning to the series but admit it began a little slowly for me. It (and the plot) picked up as I figured out all the characters and became more invested. Centers on German air raids on the British and the spy operations going on there (both Nazi and IRA). Our heroine is a young, brilliant mathematician who aids the war effort as …
Love, love, love this author and her characters. She keeps your attention and you don’t want the book to end! Until the next book!
Vi really enjoy this series.
I love all of the books in this series, and this is probably my favorite.
I enjoy books during the time period of WWII and had looked forward to reading/listening to this book. Maggie was delightful and the mystery twist about her father was interesting. There were some facts sprinkled throughout the book. It was not meant to be taken literally.
If you like mysteries that incorporate real people from historic times, you should enjoy this book.
The great start to a great series!
I look forward to each of her books. Every one better than the last!
I enjoy reading historical fiction and this provided information about some of the behind the scenes people that helped with the winning of WWII.
Very good read.
Good story, and I felt it gave a good sense of what it was like to be in England during WWII.
This was an excellent time period book that threw in enough of what really happened to make it an excellent read for anyone that enjoys history. Being around at the time I know much of what was written was based on fact.
Actually I highly recommend the entire Maggie Hope series. They take place during WWII and it’s almost like being there. Maggie Hope is a young British American who returns to Britain to take care of her grandmother’s estate. She gets a secretarial job with Mr. Churchill and gradually gets involved with solving crimes and carrying out some …
Even though this book is Fiction it gives you an insight to London during WWII and what was going on at 10 Downing Street. I also didn’t know the IRA was setting
bombs in London at the same time.
An easy and enjoyable read. Definitely going to read more in the series.