From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir comes a thrilling new WWII story about a village busybody—the mighty Mrs. Braithwaite—who resolves to find, and then rescue, her missing daughter Mrs. Braithwaite, self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed following her husband’s selfish divorce petition. Never deterred, the threat of a … deterred, the threat of a family secret being revealed sets her hot-foot to London to find the only person she has left—her clever daughter Betty, who took work there at the first rumbles of war.
But when she arrives, Betty’s landlord, the timid Mr. Norris, informs her that Betty hasn’t been home in days–with the chaos of the bombs, there’s no telling what might have befallen her. Aghast, Mrs. Braithwaite sets her bullish determination to the task of finding her only daughter.
Storming into the London Blitz, Mrs. Braithwaite drags the reluctant Mr. Norris along as an unwitting sidekick as they piece together Betty’s unexpectedly chaotic life. As she is thrown into the midst of danger and death, Mrs. Braithwaite is forced to rethink her old-fashioned notions of status, class, and reputation, and to reconsider the question that’s been puzzling her since her world overturned: How do you measure the success of your life?
Readers will be charmed by the unforgettable Mrs. Braithwaite and her plucky, ruthless optimism, and find in The Spies of Shilling Lane a novel with surprising twists and turns, quiet humor, and a poignant examination of mothers and daughters and the secrets we keep.
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You’re never too old to change your ways — and in the case of the main character of this book change would be a very good thing. She had already lost most of her friends as well as being estranged from her daughter and divorced by her husband. To say that she was overbearing and rude is putting it mildly! But what caused those changes in someone who ALWAYS knew the right way everything should be done?
Mrs. Braithwaite is the leader of WVS (Women’s Voluntary Service) in her small town in rural England during the war. After her husband leaves her for another woman, she is asked to step down from her leadership role because of her bossy ways and the embarrassment brought to the group by her divorce. She decides to go to London to visit her only daughter and when she finds out that her daughter is missing she uses her rude and overbearing manner to try to find her daughter. While in London, she stays in her daughter’s rented room and pushes Mr. Norris (the landlord) to become involved in her search. She was far removed from the war in her small town and the reality of what it going on quickly sets in when the air raid sirens start to go off and she has to go to a shelter to stay alive. As she tries to find her daughter, she begins to feel compassion for the people injured in the bombings and begins to question her attitude toward other people and life in general. Will the search for her daughter cause her to search her own soul or will she continue to feel superior to those around her.
This was a fun book to read. Mrs. Braithwaite was so over the top and out of touch that she was a funny character. The book read more like a cozy mystery than a spy book but I found it a very interesting and fun book to read.
The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan is a Historical Mystery that takes place during World War II. Ryan’s new book has plenty of action with thrills, suspense, romance and the characters are fun and quirky. My favorite part was the transformation of the characters as they went through many adventures and misadventures. Mrs. Braithwaite was seen as a difficult person but she had such strength and truly cared for others. I loved the choices she made to change her life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from First to Read. 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.
I was not expecting to rate this English novel/mystery as lots of fun and very entertaining! The female protagonist is a kick!!!
This is one of the most delightful mysteries I’ve read in a long time. Jennifer Ryan has set a compelling mystery against the backdrop of WWII and the bombing of London. The main character of Mrs. Braithwaite is as much fun as Jessica Fletcher and Mrs. Marple. I hope to read more of this lady’s adventures.
An incredibly enjoyable read set in London during WW2.
The reader is taken into the world of MI5, spies, double agents and Fascism.
Wonderful characters, with a focus on healed relationships and new friends.
I loved this story, and cannot recommend it highly enough.
It’s not a silly romance novel though it contains romance, and it’s simply well-written, original, and feels like “time well spent” to read.
It was different and well written, I quite liked it.
Far fetched plot but fun. Some words of wisdom and unusual characters.
Another view of England during WWII.
Loved this book!
Entertaining characters.
This was a light easy read. While a mystery, it was also a romance which is not my favorite book genre. I think one of the things I enjoyed most was that the characters are not all young adults. The fact that women over 50 are tough and not to be taken lightly. Add the aspect of Mrs. Baithwaite’s personal growth as she changes and begins to develop relationships and overcomes her insensitive nature makes it a delightful story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishers for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Divorced and pushed out of the WVS Mrs. B. decided it’s time to find Betty. Arriving at Mr. Norris’ home only proves to Mrs. B. that she has not been involved enough in Betty’s life and now has a strained relationship. But how do you fix your mother-daughter bond when the daughter is missing. Let the mystery solving begin!!! Mrs. B. event gets Mr. Norris to come out of his meek shell and assist in the search. The togetherness of these two may just lead to some fun adventures!
When Mrs. Braithwaite, the bully of Ashcombe Village is outbullied by Mrs. Metcalf, she leaves the village and heads to London to seek support from her daughter. Only to arrive in London to discover said daughter Betty is missing. She bullies Betty’s meek landlord into helping her find, and possibly rescue, her daughter.
What a fun, amazing story! Mrs. Braithwaite drags poor Mr. Norris, who only wants to return to his accounting job, across London and into some pretty dicey places. She stands up to a raucous bar full of questionable characters. She visits a young victim of the Blitz who happens to share her last name. She counsels a grieving friend of Betty’s. Along the way they are pulled into a Nazi plot, a ring of spies and lots of new friends. Oh, and she learns the meaning of motherly love.
I truly love this book! I hope to see more of Mrs. Braithwaite, but this might be a standalone. Set at the beginning of WW II, the story is complex and the characters are winning. I could have read this in one sitting, but chose to savor it. A terrific read!
4 stars for a light, enjoyable mystery/ romance/character study.
The blurb sets the premise of the story: “Mrs. Braithwaite, self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed following her husband’s selfish divorce petition. Never deterred, the threat of a family secret being revealed sets her hot-foot to London to find the only person she has left—her clever daughter Betty, who took work there at the first rumbles of war. ”
It is March, 1941 and Mrs. Braithwaite arrives in London only to find her daughter missing. She sets out to find her and recruits some unlikely help:
Mr. Norris, Betty’s landlord, a rather timid accountant who is appalled at this blustering harridan ordering him about.
Some criminals who have it in for 5th column fascists.
How Mrs. Braithwaite and Norris rescue Betty from the fascists and rekindle a mother daughter relationship made for a pleasant read. Fans of the author’s previous book, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir will like this one also. There is very little violence and no murders, so cozy mystery fans will enjoy it.
One quote : “But the conversation seemed to have tipped Mr. Norris into a thoughtful mode and he said rather philosophically, ‘When people you care for die, something inside changes and you become a different person. Some say that you take on a part of them yourself, that everything you loved about them is enveloped within you, that you have a responsibility to keep them alive in your heart, whatever it takes.”
Thanks to Jennifer Ryan/Crown Publishing/Net Galley for sending me this book. #TheSpiesOfShillingLane #NetGalley
Great Read
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads giveaways, was not required to give a favorable review. This was such a wonderful book. It starts off with a mother that hasn’t had the best of relationships with her daughter but there are so many reasons behind it. Mrs. Braithwaite’s daughter decided to go work in London during the war, and when the mother gets dethroned from the WVS and divorced and other things she ends up in London trying to see Betty. Only when she gets there Betty is missing and her landlord Mr. Nixon hasn’t seen her. But between the two of them they have a lot to learn on the fly of being spies and helping Betty, MI5, a wonderful teacher who is also Miss Braithwaite, who was injured and lost her mother. But Cassandra one of the other ladies in the home renting a room. I loved how they got into some touchy situations. I enjoyed it very much, if you love a good historical this is a book to read.
The world is on the brink of it’s second World War. Some underground groups in London want to see the Nazis succeed. Mrs. Braithwaite’s daughter, Betty, is undercover with MI5, working to stop the Nazis and those who would see them succeed. But when she goes missing, her mother of all people is on the case. After a brief reunion, the two are torn apart. We follow each of them in their search for each other as a brilliant story unfolds.
A lifetime under her Aunt’s thumb has made Mrs. Braithwaite impossible, as the blurb says, she’s despised by many. She is a force to be reckoned with and as Betty describes of her mother, “plucky”, and I think that’s apt. She’s persuasive and able to pull others to do her bidding.
I thought The Spies of Shilling Lane was incredibly well-written, it’s smart, witty, and clever. While it was hard to like Mrs. Braithwaite at first, she grew on me fast. The characters are excellent, and I especially liked the timid Mr. Norris. The story did go to crazyville and I think that’s why I like it so much. It’s a super fun read.
This was a unique thriller, set in London during WWII. I thought Mrs Braithwaite was a current day Mrs Fletcher, from Murder She Wrote, but with a bad disposition and personality. She has alienated everyone, including her daughter Betty, who has taken off to work in London. When Betty suddenly disappears, Mrs Braithwaite takes off for London, and the search begins.
This is a espionage thriller, with enemy infiltrators, kidnappings and intrigue.
It has a slapstick way about it, with its tongue in cheek humor and dialogue.
Jennifer Ryan is a skilled storyteller, with interesting likable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and appreciate the ARC from #NetGalley and
#PenquinRandomHouse.