A series of baffling murders among a group of imprisoned agents threatens the outcome of World War II in this chilling mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.November, 1942. World War II is raging, and former spy Maggie Hope knows too much: what the British government is willing to do to keep its secrets, who is lying, who the double-crossers are. She … the double-crossers are. She knows exactly who is sending agents to their deaths. These are the reasons Maggie is isolated on a remote Scottish island, in a prison known as Killoch Castle. When one of her fellow inmates drops dead in the middle of his after-dinner drink—he’s only the first. As victims fall one by one, Maggie will have to call upon all her wits and skills to escape—not just certain death . . . but certain murder. For what’s the most important thing that Maggie Hope knows? She must survive.
Praise for The Prisoner in the Castle
“The colonel sums it up best on page ten: ‘If you take a pretty girl and teach her how to kill, it can cause problems.’ Not just problems—electrifying action and nonstop surprises. I loved this book!”—R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
“Another literary tour de force . . . From the book’s perfectly calibrated plot to its incisively etched characters, everything is handled with perfect finesse by the author.”—Poisoned Pen Newsletter
“One pleasure of a mystery series is connecting with a character that changes and grows with each novel. . . . Maggie’s intelligence and loyalty to the war effort continue to evolve in [Susan Elia] MacNeal’s series. . . . Solid twists keep the plot of The Prisoner in the Castle churning until the surprise finale.”—Associated Press
“A mystery . . . tailor-made for readers in the post-election, #MeToo era. . . . If you love a tricky puzzle that requires you to keep track of multiple alibis over time, this is your summer read.”—The Washington Post
“Evocative.”—Publishers Weekly
“MacNeal uses [Agatha] Christie’s And Then There Were None as a framework for a character-driven mystery/thriller that successfully emulates the original.”—Kirkus Reviews
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The main character has frustrations from those in command
I enjoyed this series at the beginning but find that the main character’s motivation has become weak and generic (oh, I want to help with the war effort.) In this book, the tension in the book requires the characters to make stupid choices. (oh, look someone is killing us, guess I’ll go up to bed now.) Weak.
I agree with several other reviewers. I should have read the first seven books in this series first. But the opportunity to receive this book as an ARC from NetGalley and not realizing it was part of a series had me attempting to read the book.
It is obvious that I would have enjoyed the book better if I had read the other books in the series. However, I did enjoy the mystery and getting to know Maggie Hope enough that I may go back and read the other books.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book was wonderful!! I love all of the books in this series!!! Very interesting but also scary and you never know what will happen next!!! Terrific series!
Like all of the Maggie Hope novels, I enjoyed reading this one. She brings up a bit of WWII history I would not have known about otherwise – that it would be possible for an agent to be sequestered in isolation for the duration of the war for knowing too much. Wrapping it up in a murder mystery made it all the more interesting.
With echoes of Agatha Christie and lashings of dark intrigue, Susan Elia MacNeal skillfully spins a tale of espionage and murder during World War II.
Maggie Hope series…all good books. Attention keeping.
I have enjoyed all the books in this series. This one is good, but not my favorite.
Enjoying the Maggie Hope series and the historical setting.
Great series
This riveting suspense novel finds British spy Maggie Hope imprisoned on the island of Scarra along with other agents who know too much about war secrets. Rumors proclaim that the prior castle’s owner murdered all his male guests and then killed himself. Now history seems to be repeating itself as the castle’s occupants are killed off one-by-one. In true Agatha Christie format, the suspects are all trapped together on an island, cut off from communications with the mainland by a ferocious storm, and discover they’re harboring a Nazi agent in their midst. Which one of them is a ruthless murderer? As the number of guests diminishes, readers will be turning pages rapidly to see who’s next and if Maggie can survive. The evocative settings, memorable cast of characters, and intriguing puzzle are classic to the traditional mystery. This gripping whodunit will keep you guessing to the end.
I have followed the Maggie Hope series and have to say that this edition was a huge misstep and by far not the author’s best.I’m not sure if I will even read the next book and that is a disappointment as I have enjoyed the rest of the series.
The idea of these books is sound. The writing is okay, but it could be more polished.
I love the classy smart Maggie Hope. I’ve read the series, but I encourage you to jump in anywhere. These books are to be enjoyed one at time.
Churchill’s talented staff lead by the charming Miss Hope never lag or disappoint.
I like this series if books. The main character is a spy during WWII so the books are informative, exciting and historical.
I loved the others in this series. This one – not so much. The story was squeezed into a classic country house murder mystery.
Love this whole series!
This book was wonderful. I have read all or listened to the audio books that this author has written. She is a fantastic writer.
I didn’t like this story as well as I have the others. This story seemed to emphasize the mistakes and unnecessary losses that we know occur in any large-scale undertaking.
Didn’t see that coming!