Can a stolen violin lead secret agent and spy Maggie Hope to a serial killer terrorizing London? Find out as the acclaimed World War II mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal continues.“A wartime mystery to sink your teeth into.”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress Maggie Hope started out as Winston Churchill’s secretary, but now she’s a … Winston Churchill’s secretary, but now she’s a secret agent—and the only one who can figure out how the missing violin ties into a series of horrifying murders.
London, December 1943. As the Russian army repels German forces from Stalingrad, Maggie Hope takes a much-needed break from spying to defuse bombs in London. But Maggie herself is an explosion waiting to happen. Traumatized by her past, she finds herself living dangerously—taking huge risks, smoking, drinking, and speeding through the city streets on a motorbike. The last thing she wants is to get entangled in another crime.
But when she’s called upon to look into the theft of a Stradivarius, one of the finest violins ever made, Maggie can’t resist. Meanwhile, there’s a serial killer on the loose in London, targeting conscientious objectors. Little does Maggie know that investigating this dangerous predator will pit her against a new evil—and old enemies. Only Maggie can uncover the connection between the robbery, the murders, and a link to her own past.
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With any luck the adventures of red-haired super-sleuth Maggie Hope will go on forever. Maggie makes for an appealingly damaged heroine, struggling to overcome the emotional scars that espionage and murder have left on her soul, losing herself in cigarettes, scotch, and risk-taking — but the war won’t allow Maggie much in the way of rest, as a serial killer, a missing Stradivarius, and the sensational murder trial of her last antagonist collide in a new series of challenges. Taut, well-plotted, and suspenseful, this is a wartime mystery to sink your teeth into.
The King’s Justice is gripping. It is reality, gritty and frightening. I feel the cold, the fear, and the courage. The very air of it exists on the edges of my own memory.
Inimitable, indefatigable, intrepid — there simply are not enough good adjectives to describe Maggie Hope. The latest installment of Susan Elia MacNeal’s masterful series brings us a wiser and wounded Maggie, one who defuses bombs and buzzes around London on her motorbike, drowning her demons in pink gin and pitting her wits against a serial killer determined to have the last laugh. I was riveted from the first page to the last, rooting for Maggie all the way. Reading her latest adventure is like walking a tightrope made of razor wire.
Susan Elia MacNeal spins another rousing tale featuring gutsy Maggie Hope. Once again, MacNeal deftly weaves a fast-paced mystery with enticing historical detail, but this time gives us a fully realized exploration of a psychologically wounded but still determined survivor of the darkness of war… A multilayered thriller that will keep you up all night reading!
The King‘s Justice by Susan Elia MacNeal is the latest Historical Mystery Thriller featuring Maggie Hope. What I find exciting in each new book is Maggie always finds new adventures and dangerous tasks or they find her. She is talented, tireless and encourages others to serve using their gifts for the war effort as she does. She is faithful to her country giving her best even when others let her down.
Plenty of cringe worthy scenarios, twisted, scary suspense that I could not stop reading. Who is committing these horrific killings? Action and thrills as Maggie tracks the killer before another murder. Pit of your stomach angst.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. Loved it! 5 Stars
I have enjoyed all the MacNeil books that I have read but they are chewing gum for the mind. There is no nutritional value, just fun.
I’ve loved all of her books.
This is the 10th book in the Maggie Hope series and just as good as the other none. I liked the growth in Maggie’s character and how the war changes her. A good mystery too
Love this series set in WWII
I had watched the series DANGER UXB, so was delighted and surprised when Maggie was working on defusing unexploded bombs. It is early 1943, and there are over 30,000 identified unexploded bombs. To this day, they are still wrangling with them.
While Maggie’s life is not ordinary, we see her struggling to make it ordinary in extraordinary times. The glimpses provided of life in London then are illuminating. Maggie is the only woman defusing UXBs, which made me wonder if more came later.
The ending dragged a little, and may have gotten preachy, but I look forward to the next book.
I love all of her books’
Gripping. “The King’s Justice” is darker and more contemplative than the previous books in the series. Through the hunt for a serial killer terrorizing London in 1943, Susan Elia MacNeal explores how war changes people and the meaning of justice.
Great writer. This entire series is devoted fan-worthy
Wonderful as always! Maggie Hope is one of my favorite fictional detectives.
4 Stars. An interim Maggie, still brave, resourceful & brilliant, but taking some time to climb out of her slough of despair. If the next book is what is hinted at in the closing remarks of this one, can’t wait!
Another winner in Susan Elia MacNeal’s World War II series featuring Maggie Hope, who is back in London, defusing unexploded bombs. A serial killer is on the loose and Maggie is reluctantly drawn into the investigation and the chase to find the culprit.
Unfortunately, this series took a turn to the dark side of human frailties in the last book that carried over into The King’s Justice. Maggie’s mental state has begun to drag down the series. Hopefully, this will turn around in future books because this is generally a great series with lots of information about World War II and what it took to win.
As usual, the writing is excellent, characters are believable, and dialogue is realistic. With the rich setting of WWII Great Britain, this series is a true winner. MacNeal’s ability to describe the setting of the war and the time period is exemplary. While this is a good story with a strong ending in which Maggie’s mental state improves, the darkness Maggie goes through to get to that ending may turn off readers who read about and loved the strong character we knew as Maggie Hope.
Susan Elia MacNeal has outdone herself with THE KING’S JUSTICE, her latest book in the Maggie Hope mystery series. In this book we see Maggie go through an emotional journey of self-doubt, self destruction and redemption. Where will this lead her? I don’t know, but I’ll be anxiously awaiting her next book.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank You Bantam Books!
I enjoyed this murder mystery and rate it 4 stars. There isn’t any graphic violence, but there is a serial murderer, so it would probably be ok for cozy mystery fans.
Maggie Hope has a talent for solving murders, and she is asked by her boyfriend, DCI(Detective Chief Inspector) James Durgin to help him solve the case. She refuses because of a terrible experience in the previous book. This is book 9 in the series,and I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books in the series. The bad experience had to with her almost being killed by what Durgin insists on calling a “sequential murderer.” The press nicknamed him the “Blackout Beast.” The press are calling the new sequential murderer Jimmy Greenteeth.
There is also a stolen Stradivarius violin and a connection to Maggie’s mother, Clara Hess. Clara is a German spy, and this book spans a 4 month period from Dec. 1942 to Mar. 1943, in London, UK. Maggie does eventually help solve the case, realizing that there is a link between the 2 sequential murderers. Since I didn’t read any of the previous books, I don’t know how Maggie Hope, an American, became the daughter of a German spy.
All of these threads are resolved with a satisfying conclusion. Also, at the end Maggie is asked to go back to the US to help solve another murder–subject of book 10.
“Violence runs in circles,” Maggie Hope concludes throughout this book, as she examines whether violence/the death penalty is an appropriate sentence for a violent crime. Is a violent punishment really justice? After having numerous brushes with death, having to kill, being held prisoner by her own government, and then having to testify against a serial killer, Maggie Hope is exhausted and in a very, very mentally fragile state. She is drinking and smoking too much, taken a job defusing unexploded German bombs, and just completely numbing herself to her present (and past) reality. In The King’s Justice, Maggie is once again brought in to help the Met Police with a criminal investigation, two actually, and in the process, she must face her own demons. This is another great outing in the Maggie Hope series. It’s a bit grim, so I only give it 4 stars.