“You’ll love this character so much, you’ll want her as your best friend.”—Alyssa Maxwell, author of the Gilded Newport Mysteries and a Lady and Lady’s Maid MysteriesPoppy Redfern is back on the case when two female fighter pilots take a fatal dive in an all-new Woman of World War II Mystery by Tessa Arlen.It is the late autumn of 1942. Our indomitable heroine Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed … Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed in her new job as a scriptwriter at the London Crown Film Unit, which produces short films featuring British civilians who perform acts of valor and heroism in wartime. After weeks of typing copy and sharpening pencils, Poppy is thrilled to receive her first solo script project: a fifteen-minute film about the Air Transport Auxiliary, known as Attagirls, a group of female civilians who have been trained to pilot planes from factories to military airfields all over Britain.
Poppy could not be more excited to spend time with these amazing ladies, but she never expects to see one of the best pilots die in what is being labeled an accident. When another Attagirl meets a similar fate, Poppy and her American fighter-pilot boyfriend, Griff, believe foul play may be at work. They soon realize that a murderer with a desire for revenge is dead set on grounding the Attagirls for good. . . .
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Tessa Arlen weaves an engaging tale of murder, revenge and the black market in World War II. The story is rich in period details and highlights women’s contributions to the war effort. Poppy is an intelligent and spirited heroine, filled with curiosity. Criminals don’t stand a chance when she’s on the hunt for the truth. Fans of Foyle’s War and Agatha Christie will love this book. I couldn’t put it down.
It is 1942 and Poppy Redfern, employed by the London Crown Film Unit as a scriptwriter to during wartime on location to work on a propaganda film script with regard to “Air Transport Auxiliary” pilots, or “Attagirls.” An intriguing group of talented & strong female pilots who each had different skill sets to pilots different types of planes & transport them to airfields all over Britain to help free or assist the male pilots for combat
Poppy was excited for her assignment & on top of it Captain Griff her new boyfriend is on leave to come along for the ride. Griff is more than willing to take her to her first job as a script writer. What a great assignment since he is a pilot. He cannot wait to see the Spitfire Plane. Not to mention he respects women & is fascinated to learn about the ATA program. However, could Griff be interested in this assignment for other reasons. Reasons he is investigating for the government & Allies?
When two “Attagirls” are killed in supposed accidents during routine flights that are being documented for the film. Poppy & and Griff feel something is wrong. Poppy wonders if each lady is a target for something in their personal lives.
Can Poppy & Griff find the murderer before another Pilot from the program is killed.
The killer is not easy to figure out. Once you think you know who it is. More clues come & change the plot twist. Which will surprise you by the time you get to the ending.
Each character in this saga are compelling & well developed. Our heroine, proves she is clever, witty & that her instincts for sleuthing are spot on. Her relationship with her boyfriend Griff is complicated at times, but that just makes the novel more interesting. The combination of World War II historical fiction & cozy mystery as well as the blossoming relationship of the two lead characters is great. If your interesting in both this gentry’s I recommend you read the series.
The author discusses the research she did to develop this story with regard to the ATA program
Unsatisfying Mystery/Suspense
AudioBook Review:
The eponymous Poppy Redfern is a young filmmaker sent to make a 15-minute video of the young women of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II, known as the Attagirls. These female pilots transported planes around England, delivering them where they needed to be for the male pilots who would then use the planes on missions domestically and abroad. What should be a relatively simple assignment for Poppy turns out to be much more as the young women start dying in plane crashes that should not happen given their skill, the plane’s mechanics, and flying conditions.
I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and I think listening to the excellent narrator made the story seem better than it was. I had no trouble staying interested as things kept happening to these poor young women, but at points, I wondered where the story was going. At the book’s end, I found the resolution/reveal completely unsatisfying. This book is a mystery/suspense: what or who is behind these fatal crashes? The author didn’t leave a trail of clues nor were there a lot of suspects. I felt like the villain simply appeared out of thin air at the book’s end, as the character made little impression on me earlier in the book. Not recommended.
I received a free copy of this audiobook, but that did not affect my review.
Poppy Redfern’s writing has gotten noticed, and she’s been made a scriptwriter for the London Crown Film Unit to help showcase British civilians who are heroes in some way to the war effort. Through this job she meets women pilots from the Air Transport Auxiliary, whose job it is to fly new and repaired planes to military airfields throughout the country. While working on the script for the film about these ladies, one of them dies in a spectacular crash that is attributed to pilot error. But Poppy is not so sure it was an accident and starts asking questions that don’t exactly relate to the script she’s writing.
I really liked this book, though not quite as much as the first one in the series. The world-building and atmosphere were just as good, but the characters were just a little weaker. And the mystery plot was mostly done well, but I was left scratching my head a little at the end. There was a clue given near the beginning of the story that was never actually used in any way, unless I simply missed it. Still, the story played out well.
I love the history that this series brings to life, and learning about the ATA and Attagirls was the best part of the book. The American fighter pilot Poppy grows close to in the previous book, Griff, is in this one as well. Readers hoping to see their relationship ramp up may be disappointed, but I personally don’t mind the struggles they’re going through, only partly related to the differences between their cultures. Poppy comes to realize during this book that she may be offering Griff more than just “British reserve” due to her own past, but Griff shows that he can handle it. I wonder if we’re seeing shades of the author’s relationship with her husband, she being British and he being American. Either way, it’s a much more realistic-feeling “romance” than most you find in books, and I like it.
Poppy’s continued inner voice of the main character of the novels she’s still writing is a quirk that doesn’t detract from the novel at all, in my opinion. Like the previous book, I enjoyed the experience this book provided and would recommend you give it a try if either of the genres interest you. I may have to wait half a year for the next book to come out, but I’ll definitely be watching for it.
This is a tightly written story line. A lot of drama with interesting characters that draw you in.
I expected the guilty party(ies) to be of a certain type but was somewhat surprised by the actual culprit(s). (Trying to not give away too much.)
It is interesting to see British Poppy trying to figure out how she feels about her American flyer friend. Very believable.
The flying and filming aspects are fascinating.
I look forward to the next episode.
I enjoyed this as much as the first. Poppy is so independent and has found what is practically her dream job while helping the war effort as well. The Crown Film Unit is sending her to the Didcote Airfleld to help make a film about the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), female pilots who ferry fighter planes to various air fields for the RAF, etc. There she meets some of the original women to start up the unit, all with big personalities to go with their fearless love of flying. A crash becomes suspect almost right away and with a little help from American pilot Griff, Poppy tries to figure it all out.
Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers is the second installment of Tess Arlen’s A Woman of WWII mystery series. I have the audiobook of the first one, Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders, but have not yet had the opportunity to listen to it. I was happy to learn this one stood alone and I didn’t get confused by a few references to the former story. This book was narrated by Madeleine Leslay.
Poppy Redfern is a young Englishwoman who is newly working as a scriptwriter in the autumn of 1942. She works for the London Crown Film Unit, which makes propaganda films for the war effort. Her first solo effort at writing a script shines the spotlight on the Air Transport Auxiliary, also known as the Attagirls, women pilots who ferry aircraft from factories to military airfields throughout Great Britain. Poppy is thrilled with this assignment, until a very talented pilot dies in an accident. This was tragic enough, but when another Attagirl dies in a crash, Poppy begins to suspect murder. She and Griff, her American fighter-pilot boyfriend, begin to investigate. Who, and why, is someone murdering these brave female pilots?
This was a fun – and occasionally irritating – book to listen to. Poppy is a budding writer with a quick mind, doing what she can to help the war effort and get more practice at her craft. She is a brave young woman and a good writer who, unfortunately, has the habit of listening in her head to “Illona”, a fictional character about whom she writes. She admired the pilots who died and wanted justice for them. Griff, her sorta-boyfriend, helps her investigate, but apparently he has secret investigations of his own. Poppy was a bit standoffish with him at times; I hope their relationship deepens in future books. I loved adorable Bess, Poppy’s little dog. The mystery was entertaining, though it became a bit convoluted at the end. The main stars of the story, however, were the brave Attagirls. Ms. Arlen apparently did her historical homework concerning these women pilots and brought them to life for me. Madeleine Leslay did a fine job with narration, except for Griff, but I loved her voice for Poppy. I would definitely like to listen to the next book in the series and follow Poppy’s growth.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
This is the second book in the Poppy Redfern series but it’s the first one I read and it can definitely stand alone. Set during WWII in England’s home front, the first thing that struck me is its authenticity. The historical detail woven into the story really brings the era to life. Even the title has a 1940s feel to it. The story is definitely mystery, but it also feels like an adventure and I loved learning about the ATTA girls. The combination made it a pleasure to read.
The first one was good, this second one was great. Highly informative about the ATS
and those brave women of WWII.
England, 1940s, pilots, World War-2, women, murder, murder-investigation, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-research, historical-setting
Was it really pilot error that killed the skilled woman performing aerials for the camera? Poppy, the script writer and more, really doubts it. Surprisingly, her American airman friend (and more) isn’t too sure either. These women pilots are part of an elite squadron who ferry planes from one location to another and are highly skilled. Poppy has spent days getting to know them and more. I know it’s repetitious, but want to avoid details and possible spoilers. The sleuthing begins and so do the red herrings and misdirections, but it is all very well done in this historical cosy. These events are fiction, but the service was real and meticulously researched to show readers that not all women stayed in place.
Madeleine Leslay has a remarkable talent for mimicry and delineates the characters very well.
I requested and received a free audio copy from Dreamscape Media/Berkley via NetGalley. Thank you!
This series is a delightful find! I have read other books by Tessa Arlen, but I missed out on the first of the Poppy Redfern books – and I’m so sorry about that! The writing is excellent, the mystery is well-formed and well-executed so you don’t guess who the villain is until the very end. There are lots of red herrings to keep you guessing. This book was so entertaining that I’ll now have to go back and read the first book in the series. Speaking of it being a series, this book can totally be read as a standalone – but I can promise you, you’ll want to go back and read the first book.
I listened to an ARC of the audiobook and I enjoyed the listen. The narrator, Madeleine Leslay, performed the narration with a tempo and voice that made me feel as if Poppy is a happy person who enjoys her life. She sounded very upbeat. I didn’t totally lose myself in the story because I did have a hard time differentiating among the speakers. They all sounded pretty much the same – every once in a while, the Scot would sound like a Scot, but the American never, ever, sounded like an American. So, I had to really concentrate to determine who was speaking. I’ll also mention that the American, who is also the masculine lead, was performed so that he sounded so prissy that I would have thought the part was female had the word ‘he’ not been used to describe him.
In late autumn of 1942, Poppy Redfern is settling into her new job as a scriptwriter at the London Crown Film Unit, which produces short films about valorous deeds performed by ordinary British citizens in wartime. She’s really excited to receive her first assignment, writing the script for a fifteen-minute film on a group of female pilots known as the Attagirls. These intrepid ladies fly every sort of aircraft to bases all over England. These ladies would much rather actually fly as part of the Royal Air Force, but England doesn’t allow female combat pilots – they barely allow these ladies to fly the planes around England. They perform a vital service – getting new planes from the manufacturer to the bases who need them as well as ferrying newly repaired planes back to their bases. Poppy cannot wait to meet these ladies.
Poppy’s gentleman friend, Griff, has seven days of leave and decides to go along with Poppy for a few days. Both Griff and Poppy quickly come to like and admire these brave ladies who fly in all sorts of adverse conditions without any of the basic safety devices regular combat pilots have. Their bravery and patriotism come through loud and clear. The six ladies they meet were the first recruited by the Air Transport Auxiliary and all of them are highly skilled and rated for most types of aircraft.
Poppy, Huntley (the producer), Keith (the cameraman), and Griff, all head for the ferry depot from which the Attagirls work. Poppy and Griff arrive first and Poppy sets about getting to know the ladies in order to begin the scriptwriting. She likes them very much and is excited to tell their tales. That excitement turns to horror when, one of the best pilots crashes and dies during a filming session. Everyone is immediately saying it was an accident and/or pilot error. Griff, who is a pilot, and Poppy don’t believe it to be an accident. They investigate more and more – they become more and more sure it wasn’t an accident. Without any proof, they cannot say anything – and when a second crash and death occur, they are sure both are related. When the powers-that-be decide that the crashes are ‘accidents’, and the filming session is drawing to a close, they know they have to quickly get some answers.
I absolutely adored Poppy and Griff – not to mention Bess, Poppy’s sweet little Corgi. Since I didn’t read the first book, I have no idea where Poppy and Griff left their relationship in that book. However, in this book, it is quite evident they care for each other. I’ll be so very happy to read the next book in order to see what mystery they get to solve and to see where their relationship goes next.
I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an Advance Audio Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.