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Maggie Hope #2
Princess Elizabeth's Spy
Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed début, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain’s beloved royals against an international plot—one that could change the course of history.
As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in maths. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous—and deadly—than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defence, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.
As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in maths. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous—and deadly—than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defence, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2012
1216 people are currently reading
8293 people want to read
About the author
Susan Elia MacNeal
19 books3,345 followersSusan Elia MacNeal is the author of The New York Times, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and USA Today-bestselling Maggie Hope mystery series, starting with the Edgar Award-nominated and Barry Award-winning MR. CHURCHILL'S SECRETARY, which is now in its 23nd printing. MOTHER DAUGHTER TRAITOR SPY, her first stand-alone novel, comes out September 20, 2022.
Her books have been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the ITW Thriller, the Barry, the Dilys, the Sue Federer Historical Fiction, and the Bruce Alexander Historical Fiction awards. The Maggie Hope series is sold world-wide in English, and has also been translated into Czech, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Bulgarian.. Warner Bros. has the TV rights.
Susan graduated from Nardin Academy in Buffalo New York, and also cum laude and with honors in English from Wellesley College. She cross-registered for courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course at Harvard University.
Her first job was as the assistant to novelist John Irving in Vermont. She then worked as an editorial assistant at Random House, assistant editor at Viking Penguin, and associate editor and staff writer at Dance Magazine in New York City. As a freelance writer, she wrote two non-fiction books and for the publications of New York City Ballet.
Susan is married and lives with her husband, Noel MacNeal, a television performer, writer and director, and their son in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Her books have been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the ITW Thriller, the Barry, the Dilys, the Sue Federer Historical Fiction, and the Bruce Alexander Historical Fiction awards. The Maggie Hope series is sold world-wide in English, and has also been translated into Czech, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Bulgarian.. Warner Bros. has the TV rights.
Susan graduated from Nardin Academy in Buffalo New York, and also cum laude and with honors in English from Wellesley College. She cross-registered for courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course at Harvard University.
Her first job was as the assistant to novelist John Irving in Vermont. She then worked as an editorial assistant at Random House, assistant editor at Viking Penguin, and associate editor and staff writer at Dance Magazine in New York City. As a freelance writer, she wrote two non-fiction books and for the publications of New York City Ballet.
Susan is married and lives with her husband, Noel MacNeal, a television performer, writer and director, and their son in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,725 reviews
July 11, 2017
Princess Elizabeth’s Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal is a 2012 Bantam publication.
This second book in the Maggie Hope series is better than the first!!
The story picks up with Maggie being told she can’t quite cut it at MI-5 from a physical standpoint, so she’s shipped home and reassigned.
At first, she balks, but becoming a math tutor for Princess Elizabeth turns out to be much more than 'woman's work', when it becomes clear the princess could be in serious danger.
On a more personal note, Maggie is still struggling to figure out her father and how their relationship should progress, and sadly, she has personally felt the effects of war. On a lighter note, there is a wedding to plan, and Maggie is reunited with her friend, David, but also makes new, very significant friendships while working undercover.
Well, my goodness! This series is such a pleasant surprise! I love the real life historical figures feature, which, in this case, is Princess Elizabeth, her sister, and of course the king and queen of England, which is always fun, but Maggie’s character is so perfectly balanced, and she is a delightfully smart, strong, and genuine.
The plot was, once again, very fast-paced, with all kinds of action, shocking revelations, intrigue beyond measure, mixed in with romance, humor, and some personal introspection and growth to round things out.
The conclusion was a real stunner! I think I actually gasped out loud. Thankfully, I already have the third book queued up and ready to go. I can’t wait to see how all these developments play out. Should be very interesting indeed!!
I love how quick and easy these books are to read, but at the same time they seem to come to an end all too soon.
4 stars
This second book in the Maggie Hope series is better than the first!!
The story picks up with Maggie being told she can’t quite cut it at MI-5 from a physical standpoint, so she’s shipped home and reassigned.
At first, she balks, but becoming a math tutor for Princess Elizabeth turns out to be much more than 'woman's work', when it becomes clear the princess could be in serious danger.
On a more personal note, Maggie is still struggling to figure out her father and how their relationship should progress, and sadly, she has personally felt the effects of war. On a lighter note, there is a wedding to plan, and Maggie is reunited with her friend, David, but also makes new, very significant friendships while working undercover.
Well, my goodness! This series is such a pleasant surprise! I love the real life historical figures feature, which, in this case, is Princess Elizabeth, her sister, and of course the king and queen of England, which is always fun, but Maggie’s character is so perfectly balanced, and she is a delightfully smart, strong, and genuine.
The plot was, once again, very fast-paced, with all kinds of action, shocking revelations, intrigue beyond measure, mixed in with romance, humor, and some personal introspection and growth to round things out.
The conclusion was a real stunner! I think I actually gasped out loud. Thankfully, I already have the third book queued up and ready to go. I can’t wait to see how all these developments play out. Should be very interesting indeed!!
I love how quick and easy these books are to read, but at the same time they seem to come to an end all too soon.
4 stars
May 26, 2013
Well, I really wanted to like this one because I enjoyed the first book in the series, "Mr. Churchill’s Secretary," although it also had its flaws (see my Goodreads’ review). My major problem with this book, though, was Maggie Hope herself. I liked her spunky, Nancy Drew style in the first book, but in this volume, I am not sure if she could have been any more clueless, annoying, irritating, whiny, petulant, etc.
I could not believe how both ridiculous and ridiculously unprofessional Maggie acted towards her boss and her coworkers in MI-5. Are you kidding me? Where should I start?
How about with Maggie’s childish reaction to her Windsor Castle assignment, being a “sponge” and protecting the Princess? Maggie, did you forget that you were failing your training at “Camp Spook” in Scotland? Did you remember how Peter Frain, the freakin’ head of MI-5, saved your butt and gave you an awesome assignment at Windsor Castle in spite of your craptastic training? Since when is it a disappointment to work with the rulers of England, both the Royal Family and Mr. Churchill? It must really be difficult to have to deal with such high powered people while on the job. Poor, poor Maggie. *sigh* To Maggie’s credit, I will say that her request for more information about the assignment was a fair request, as Frain should have given her the details to start with, but I cannot believe that she was so upset to be considered a “sponge.” I mean, isn’t that what a lot of espionage is—soaking up information?
Here’s a small peeve: Maggie’s complete cluelessness about formal etiquette and, I suppose, royal etiquette. She apparently does not know what “dress for dinner” means. I know much is made of Maggie’s American childhood—seriously, MUCH is made of it—but wouldn’t she have realized that living and working in a castle with the Royal Family would entail some specific etiquette rules to follow? Wouldn’t that have come up in pre-assignment training, if she had any?
Another small peeve: Maggie’s oft-repeated bitterness about giving up her dreams of a mathematics graduate degree from MIT, which leads into a bigger peeve: the reader is told over and over how smart Maggie is, but the reader is certainly not shown that. Maggie blunders about while trying to find some answers after Lily is killed (really gruesomely, too, may I add. Geesh.) and stumbles across a book that holds a very significant clue, but then when Maggie receives a book from her father, a SPY at Bletchley Park (hello, clue!), she does not realize the significance of the book (perhaps there’s a code in it, Maggie!) until Princess Elizabeth spills tea on it. Edmund even states in his note with the book, “Dear Margaret, So sorry we missed each other. Thought this book might answer some of your questions.”
And now we come to one of my biggest problems with this book: how is it in any way appropriate for Maggie to blackmail her boss, the HEAD OF MI-5, because she no longer wants to work with a different, but more experienced, handler? Yes, Nevins is a total jerk, but guess what Maggie: sometimes we have to work with jerks. And her original, rookie handler, Hugh? A total dreamboat of a man, whom Maggie falls for, in spite of the fact that her almost-fiancé, John, is MIA (literally, his plane has been shot down in Germany, but they have not recovered a body, so he is probably still alive, as far as Maggie knows). Maggie really is a piece of work here. I dislike the introduction of an unnecessary potential love triangle (does this story really need the romance? No.). I dislike Maggie’s speedy recovery from the heartbreak of John’s disappearance. I especially dislike the completely unprofessional relationship between Maggie and Hugh, which results in Maggie’s childish tantrum that results in blackmailing her boss, the HEAD OF MI-5. Perhaps in real life spies really do fall into bed with one another; I do not know because I am not a spy, but I do know that it is probably not a good idea to be romantically and sexually involved with a supervisory coworker as Maggie is with Hugh. After all that ranting, let me just point out that I did not mind the actual character of Hugh, per se; I just really disliked the romantic relationship he and Maggie have.
I also disliked the bizarre red herring-ish subplot of Alistair Tooke, the Head Gardener, who according to Sam Berners, the Royal Falconer, put up the wire that decapitated Lily. Apparently, Tooke was so upset that his German wife was removed from the castle, but not the German lady-in-waiting, Lily, that he rigged up this crazy way to murder Lily. What? What if someone else had been riding ahead of Lily, like one of the princesses? This was just a very unlikely way someone would murder a specific person.
Finally, the revelation about Maggie’s mother was surprising, but, after everything else that has happened to Maggie, not shocking. What is shocking is the hare-brained new assignment Maggie will apparently be working on in the next volume of this series in which she goes undercover to Berlin and will at some point interact with her mother, the dreaded master spy Commandant Hess (this is from the set-up in chapter 30). MI-5 must be desperate to send such an inept spy undercover to Nazi Germany to deal with her own Nazi master-spy mother, whom she thought was killed in a car accident twenty years ago. Yeah, no potential for disaster there!
I could not believe how both ridiculous and ridiculously unprofessional Maggie acted towards her boss and her coworkers in MI-5. Are you kidding me? Where should I start?
How about with Maggie’s childish reaction to her Windsor Castle assignment, being a “sponge” and protecting the Princess? Maggie, did you forget that you were failing your training at “Camp Spook” in Scotland? Did you remember how Peter Frain, the freakin’ head of MI-5, saved your butt and gave you an awesome assignment at Windsor Castle in spite of your craptastic training? Since when is it a disappointment to work with the rulers of England, both the Royal Family and Mr. Churchill? It must really be difficult to have to deal with such high powered people while on the job. Poor, poor Maggie. *sigh* To Maggie’s credit, I will say that her request for more information about the assignment was a fair request, as Frain should have given her the details to start with, but I cannot believe that she was so upset to be considered a “sponge.” I mean, isn’t that what a lot of espionage is—soaking up information?
Here’s a small peeve: Maggie’s complete cluelessness about formal etiquette and, I suppose, royal etiquette. She apparently does not know what “dress for dinner” means. I know much is made of Maggie’s American childhood—seriously, MUCH is made of it—but wouldn’t she have realized that living and working in a castle with the Royal Family would entail some specific etiquette rules to follow? Wouldn’t that have come up in pre-assignment training, if she had any?
Another small peeve: Maggie’s oft-repeated bitterness about giving up her dreams of a mathematics graduate degree from MIT, which leads into a bigger peeve: the reader is told over and over how smart Maggie is, but the reader is certainly not shown that. Maggie blunders about while trying to find some answers after Lily is killed (really gruesomely, too, may I add. Geesh.) and stumbles across a book that holds a very significant clue, but then when Maggie receives a book from her father, a SPY at Bletchley Park (hello, clue!), she does not realize the significance of the book (perhaps there’s a code in it, Maggie!) until Princess Elizabeth spills tea on it. Edmund even states in his note with the book, “Dear Margaret, So sorry we missed each other. Thought this book might answer some of your questions.”
And now we come to one of my biggest problems with this book: how is it in any way appropriate for Maggie to blackmail her boss, the HEAD OF MI-5, because she no longer wants to work with a different, but more experienced, handler? Yes, Nevins is a total jerk, but guess what Maggie: sometimes we have to work with jerks. And her original, rookie handler, Hugh? A total dreamboat of a man, whom Maggie falls for, in spite of the fact that her almost-fiancé, John, is MIA (literally, his plane has been shot down in Germany, but they have not recovered a body, so he is probably still alive, as far as Maggie knows). Maggie really is a piece of work here. I dislike the introduction of an unnecessary potential love triangle (does this story really need the romance? No.). I dislike Maggie’s speedy recovery from the heartbreak of John’s disappearance. I especially dislike the completely unprofessional relationship between Maggie and Hugh, which results in Maggie’s childish tantrum that results in blackmailing her boss, the HEAD OF MI-5. Perhaps in real life spies really do fall into bed with one another; I do not know because I am not a spy, but I do know that it is probably not a good idea to be romantically and sexually involved with a supervisory coworker as Maggie is with Hugh. After all that ranting, let me just point out that I did not mind the actual character of Hugh, per se; I just really disliked the romantic relationship he and Maggie have.
I also disliked the bizarre red herring-ish subplot of Alistair Tooke, the Head Gardener, who according to Sam Berners, the Royal Falconer, put up the wire that decapitated Lily. Apparently, Tooke was so upset that his German wife was removed from the castle, but not the German lady-in-waiting, Lily, that he rigged up this crazy way to murder Lily. What? What if someone else had been riding ahead of Lily, like one of the princesses? This was just a very unlikely way someone would murder a specific person.
Finally, the revelation about Maggie’s mother was surprising, but, after everything else that has happened to Maggie, not shocking. What is shocking is the hare-brained new assignment Maggie will apparently be working on in the next volume of this series in which she goes undercover to Berlin and will at some point interact with her mother, the dreaded master spy Commandant Hess (this is from the set-up in chapter 30). MI-5 must be desperate to send such an inept spy undercover to Nazi Germany to deal with her own Nazi master-spy mother, whom she thought was killed in a car accident twenty years ago. Yeah, no potential for disaster there!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2022
A delightfully entertaining historical mystery. Good characters. Good research. I am enjoying reading Maggie Hope’s adventures. Where to go next. Follow me!
March 26, 2013
After reading the first book in this series, I was excited to pick up the second. I expected a enjoyable, if not particularly historically accurate, novel and that is what I got. The characters are fun, the insights into life in WWII England interesting, and the code-breaking tidbits intriguing. All was well until the entire sub-plot regarding Maggie's parents started to emerge- as a fan of the TV show Alias, I was shocked to discover the wholesale use of the entire plotline about Sydney's parents. Even the lines that Hugh utters about a wall of poppies are lifted from Vaughn's speech to Sydney about the wall of stars at the CIA. This was no small similarity in circumstances- this is essentially lifting the plot of several Alias episodes and just changing the names of the characters!
I was deeply disappointed by this lack of originality and it undermined my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. If I were not a fan of Alias, I would have given this book four stars, but knowing how a central plot element was shamelessly stolen from the TV series, I'm only giving it one star because that is as low as I can go.
I was deeply disappointed by this lack of originality and it undermined my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. If I were not a fan of Alias, I would have given this book four stars, but knowing how a central plot element was shamelessly stolen from the TV series, I'm only giving it one star because that is as low as I can go.
December 30, 2012
Did nobody else see how closely (almost unethically closely) parts of Maggie's story followed that of Sydney's from the TV show Alias? It was enough that it pretty much disturbed the way I felt about the rest of the book - which paints this supposedly intelligent, reasonable woman as a complete dunce with all the clues she misses.
After reading the book, I was curious about the connections to Alias, so I pulled up Netflix and was astounded. I don't know if it was meant as an homage, or if it was inadvertent or deliberate, but parts of the story and the dialogue skirt the edge. Beyond all the that, the story wouldn't have been so bad had Maggie, this gifted woman, actually noticed obvious things that were right in front of her. The elements of life for the princesses in Windsor were interesting, but for me, not enough to overcome the shadow of Alias.
After reading the book, I was curious about the connections to Alias, so I pulled up Netflix and was astounded. I don't know if it was meant as an homage, or if it was inadvertent or deliberate, but parts of the story and the dialogue skirt the edge. Beyond all the that, the story wouldn't have been so bad had Maggie, this gifted woman, actually noticed obvious things that were right in front of her. The elements of life for the princesses in Windsor were interesting, but for me, not enough to overcome the shadow of Alias.
October 15, 2012
With the recent celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee, it’s especially engaging to read a novel about her as a young Princess—set in some of England’s darkest days during the brutal bombing attacks by Germany during WWII. While the adventures of Maggie Hope, spy and mathematician, with the fourteen-year-old Princess are fictional, MacNeal’s portrayal of Elizabeth rings delightfully true. Here’s the very young woman who already holds a powerful sense of duty to her people and carries her responsibilities with great love and care, even while she’s still a mischievous child as well—and those black-and-sable corgis! No matter that Elizabeth’s favorite dog has the habit of biting, the Princess is still devoted to him, and riding is her favorite activity. The “inside view” from Windsor is warmly entertaining from beginning to end. Maggie’s rooms at the top of Victoria Tower come complete with a loo on the roof. Creative plumbing added in later, apparently. Keep checking the closets because the scoundrels have slipped into the castle and it will take all of Maggie’s intelligence and gumption to keep the Princess safe.
As with her first Maggie Hope book, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, MacNeal excels both at creating a sense of place in history and at developing characters that draw us in and hold us there. She’s particularly good at giving us a cast of characters with multiple people we feel compelled to suspect. She’s great at planting clues, along with a fair share of misleading but true clues, so that you keep turning the page in anticipation of figuring out what’s up, but you’re unlikely to catch the Nazis before all is revealed. MacNeal’s plot is pleasantly twisted.
The idea of betrayal and what drives people to it arises in a number of ways in this book. Sometimes blind chauvinism, too arrogant to see the value of a woman’s mind, causes inadvertent, stupid betrayal. Sometimes war, both on the home front and on the battlefield, wounds so deeply and destroys men so thoroughly that they thrash about trying to save themselves from emotional drowning and in doing so betray those around them. Sometimes the heart has to have certainty to hold onto love, and a kind of betrayal can hide in the shadows among even the most loyal. Sometimes people must choose who to betray and who to protect when they are forced by evil circumstances.
The variations on this theme underlie many of the intertwined plotlines of the mystery, but despite this seemingly heavy idea, the novel is primarily a fun read with a sense of humor and a playfulness that will entertain you. Take for example—at one point Princess Elizabeth takes a cue for defensive action from her Corgi and bites a villain in the ankle. If you’re not laughing, you’re made of stone (and biting your own nails—it’s a scary moment, clever of MacNeal to combine with humor).
I definitely recommend curling up with Princess Elizabeth’s Spy.
For an interview with Susan Elia MacNeal about Princess Elizabeth's Spy, her research, the dungeons of Windsor and why the theme of betrayal appears in her books click here.
As with her first Maggie Hope book, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, MacNeal excels both at creating a sense of place in history and at developing characters that draw us in and hold us there. She’s particularly good at giving us a cast of characters with multiple people we feel compelled to suspect. She’s great at planting clues, along with a fair share of misleading but true clues, so that you keep turning the page in anticipation of figuring out what’s up, but you’re unlikely to catch the Nazis before all is revealed. MacNeal’s plot is pleasantly twisted.
The idea of betrayal and what drives people to it arises in a number of ways in this book. Sometimes blind chauvinism, too arrogant to see the value of a woman’s mind, causes inadvertent, stupid betrayal. Sometimes war, both on the home front and on the battlefield, wounds so deeply and destroys men so thoroughly that they thrash about trying to save themselves from emotional drowning and in doing so betray those around them. Sometimes the heart has to have certainty to hold onto love, and a kind of betrayal can hide in the shadows among even the most loyal. Sometimes people must choose who to betray and who to protect when they are forced by evil circumstances.
The variations on this theme underlie many of the intertwined plotlines of the mystery, but despite this seemingly heavy idea, the novel is primarily a fun read with a sense of humor and a playfulness that will entertain you. Take for example—at one point Princess Elizabeth takes a cue for defensive action from her Corgi and bites a villain in the ankle. If you’re not laughing, you’re made of stone (and biting your own nails—it’s a scary moment, clever of MacNeal to combine with humor).
I definitely recommend curling up with Princess Elizabeth’s Spy.
For an interview with Susan Elia MacNeal about Princess Elizabeth's Spy, her research, the dungeons of Windsor and why the theme of betrayal appears in her books click here.
October 26, 2022
Book 2
Historical fiction is my everything. I am truly enjoying this series about the British Family and all those involved.
This story is very informative. I am learning so much, its keeping my attention and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
The audio is very clear and percise.
Historical fiction is my everything. I am truly enjoying this series about the British Family and all those involved.
This story is very informative. I am learning so much, its keeping my attention and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
The audio is very clear and percise.
August 21, 2019
Another enjoyable entry in the Maggie Hope series. This time, she’s tasked with protecting Princess Elizabeth by masquerading as her maths tutor. Maggie’s also grieving over the possible death of John Sterling, who joined the RAF between books one and two, and was shot down over Germany somewhere.
I’ve decided that this series is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Maggie’s an interesting protagonist, being infinitely more comfortable with working on higher, complicated math problems than personal interactions. And yet, she proves herself adept at quick, logical assessments of situations, getting along well with others, and using a certain amount of improvisation in tough situations.
I like the quickly moving plots and historical detail, though I can’t say I think much of Susan Elia MacNeal’s ability to write credible romance. Despite that, I’m following Maggie on her next adventure.
I’ve decided that this series is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Maggie’s an interesting protagonist, being infinitely more comfortable with working on higher, complicated math problems than personal interactions. And yet, she proves herself adept at quick, logical assessments of situations, getting along well with others, and using a certain amount of improvisation in tough situations.
I like the quickly moving plots and historical detail, though I can’t say I think much of Susan Elia MacNeal’s ability to write credible romance. Despite that, I’m following Maggie on her next adventure.
April 1, 2014
I was intrigued by the first book in this series, Mr. Churchill's Secretary. I didn't particularly like Maggie (in face she seemed to be a bit of a Mary Sue in that book, and this book reinforced my opinion of her - men instantly falling in love/lust with her; we're constantly told how unbelievably intelligent she is; it seems like she knows or is good at everything except where the plot point requires that she doesn't, though she is always quick to correct that). However, I loved the supporting characters - David, Chuck, John, etc. - and I thought Susan Elia MacNeal did fairly well with the historical characters.
Though it was obvious that the author did research, both books were rife with historical inaccuracies. I’m the sort of person that is easily bothered by something like that, particularly when a five minute google search can correct an inaccuracy.
Perhaps because of the errors, I never got a really good feeling for the time and place the novels are set in. Wartime London never really comes alive for me. Time is compressed very oddly in these stories anyway. In the first book for example, we are in June in chapter one and then must be in late September in the next, because the bombing of London has started. The readers are never advised, either through placards before the chapters or in the text itself, that there is any sort of time change (though time is signposted more clearly in PES than MCS - the Coventry raid provides context to figure out when this is supposed to be happening).
The editing is also kind of bizarre as well, though that’s been covered in other reviews, so I’ll leave it.
These things bugged me while reading both books. I thought the author was actually pretty good and that Secretary was clearly a debut novel. There was a good story there and I thought the second book would get better. I tried to turn my brain off and enjoy a fluffy read. I originally thought both books were about three star range; enjoyable, not great, may read future books sort of level.
But then, as I was progressing through the second book, I realized several plotlines were very familiar. A friend had just recommended the British TV series Foyle’s War on Netflix and I had just started watching it. The first episode deals with an older man who is married to a German immigrant. His wife is detained for possibly spying (the letter in the book and a photograph in the tv show) and dies of a heart attack while in the internment camp. His son, I think, goes to the local wealthy, powerful man in the show; Mr. Tooke goes to the King, and both are turned away. Both the son and Mr. Tooke remind the powerful man that an important person in their life is German, as well - the wealthy man’s second wife in the show and Lady Lily in the book. Both women are later killed gruesomely - decapitated by a piano wire strung between trees while out on their usual rides.
The similarities do not stop there. The Detective Chief Superintendent called to the crime scene in both the book and the show is a middle-aged widower with a son serving in the military (Foyle’s son is in the RAF and Wilson’s is in the Royal Navy). They both served in WWI and tried to offer their services for the war effort during the current war, but were turned down.
I was shocked reading it, as it was instantly recognizable to me and probably anyone that has seen the first episode of Foyle’s War. I googled it, and found that it seems the author not only did not properly attribute these borrowed plot points, she also borrowed another, even more important plot point from another TV show, down to some of the dialogue.
It may not be out and out plagiarism, but what happened here is very, very close. I can’t give this book anything more than one star as a result. I certainly won’t be purchasing any further books in the series.
Though it was obvious that the author did research, both books were rife with historical inaccuracies. I’m the sort of person that is easily bothered by something like that, particularly when a five minute google search can correct an inaccuracy.
Perhaps because of the errors, I never got a really good feeling for the time and place the novels are set in. Wartime London never really comes alive for me. Time is compressed very oddly in these stories anyway. In the first book for example, we are in June in chapter one and then must be in late September in the next, because the bombing of London has started. The readers are never advised, either through placards before the chapters or in the text itself, that there is any sort of time change (though time is signposted more clearly in PES than MCS - the Coventry raid provides context to figure out when this is supposed to be happening).
The editing is also kind of bizarre as well, though that’s been covered in other reviews, so I’ll leave it.
These things bugged me while reading both books. I thought the author was actually pretty good and that Secretary was clearly a debut novel. There was a good story there and I thought the second book would get better. I tried to turn my brain off and enjoy a fluffy read. I originally thought both books were about three star range; enjoyable, not great, may read future books sort of level.
But then, as I was progressing through the second book, I realized several plotlines were very familiar. A friend had just recommended the British TV series Foyle’s War on Netflix and I had just started watching it. The first episode deals with an older man who is married to a German immigrant. His wife is detained for possibly spying (the letter in the book and a photograph in the tv show) and dies of a heart attack while in the internment camp. His son, I think, goes to the local wealthy, powerful man in the show; Mr. Tooke goes to the King, and both are turned away. Both the son and Mr. Tooke remind the powerful man that an important person in their life is German, as well - the wealthy man’s second wife in the show and Lady Lily in the book. Both women are later killed gruesomely - decapitated by a piano wire strung between trees while out on their usual rides.
The similarities do not stop there. The Detective Chief Superintendent called to the crime scene in both the book and the show is a middle-aged widower with a son serving in the military (Foyle’s son is in the RAF and Wilson’s is in the Royal Navy). They both served in WWI and tried to offer their services for the war effort during the current war, but were turned down.
I was shocked reading it, as it was instantly recognizable to me and probably anyone that has seen the first episode of Foyle’s War. I googled it, and found that it seems the author not only did not properly attribute these borrowed plot points, she also borrowed another, even more important plot point from another TV show, down to some of the dialogue.
It may not be out and out plagiarism, but what happened here is very, very close. I can’t give this book anything more than one star as a result. I certainly won’t be purchasing any further books in the series.
July 31, 2018
Mystery was weak but the characters are great as is the research the author did to make this story as true as she could. I do wish I knew more the timeline and how much time passed bt the first and second book and within the story itself. Sometime I think a lot of time has passed but it hasn’t and vice versa. I hated how she made the relationship with John. Teased it, then ended it but wait let’s stick her with another man etc
September 12, 2017
Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed début, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain’s beloved royals against an international plot—one that could change the course of history.
This is part 2 of a series. I wasn't aware of it when I bought it but that doesn't matter because you can read it without reading the first one, however I want to read the first one now!
I love history, especially British history and add fiction, a hot British guy, and a tough woman and you get a great book. It was fun with a twist of mystery and romance. I read that they are going make a series out of this and that sounds amazing. On board 100%. Can't wait to read the whole series.
This is part 2 of a series. I wasn't aware of it when I bought it but that doesn't matter because you can read it without reading the first one, however I want to read the first one now!
I love history, especially British history and add fiction, a hot British guy, and a tough woman and you get a great book. It was fun with a twist of mystery and romance. I read that they are going make a series out of this and that sounds amazing. On board 100%. Can't wait to read the whole series.
April 22, 2013
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read this book and it is nothing short of fantastic! I absolutely loved this book. I was absolutely saddened in the beginning by the twist of the novel in the first twenty pages but Mrs. MacNeal has an excellent way of sucking in readers and delivered what is a spectacular sequel! I squealed at the end it was so fantastic! Thank you, Mrs. MacNeal for writing something so wonderful! I cannot wait until the third novel!
June 5, 2022
“War took our world and what we once thought was normal. And now we’re all like, like Alice looking through the looking glass, in some sort of crazy upside-down world where truth is a lie and lies are truth.”
✮✮✮✮✮
Maggie Hope was training to be a spy in the Second World War, but when her fitness wasn’t up to par, MI-5 and the Prime Minister found her a job teaching maths to Princess Elizabeth. After all, she’d be able to keep an eye incase anyone tried to kidnap the heir to the English throne. However, a mysterious murder at Windsor Castle made Maggie Hope’s assignment one of the most important in the whole of the Second World War.
Can I say… THIS WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK!!!! There was sooo much action. I didn’t expect any of it, and omg as if Susan ended the book on a cliffhanger. **starts rearranging my book reading schedule to fit in the next book** ! I love Hugh, he’s just my new favourite character - and I don’t know who I would stand by if John somehow did reappear..!
Get me to book three and Maggie Hopes Berlin experience!!!!!
✮✮✮✮✮
Maggie Hope was training to be a spy in the Second World War, but when her fitness wasn’t up to par, MI-5 and the Prime Minister found her a job teaching maths to Princess Elizabeth. After all, she’d be able to keep an eye incase anyone tried to kidnap the heir to the English throne. However, a mysterious murder at Windsor Castle made Maggie Hope’s assignment one of the most important in the whole of the Second World War.
Can I say… THIS WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK!!!! There was sooo much action. I didn’t expect any of it, and omg as if Susan ended the book on a cliffhanger. **starts rearranging my book reading schedule to fit in the next book** ! I love Hugh, he’s just my new favourite character - and I don’t know who I would stand by if John somehow did reappear..!
Get me to book three and Maggie Hopes Berlin experience!!!!!
March 9, 2015
I think this is the last book of this series I'll be reading. Besides the irritating behavior of the main character and the fact that she literally failed at her task because of her own pig-headedness, I could not get past the egregious editing errors and the seemingly plagiarized--in some places--plots. I noticed in the first book a few hints of copying scenes and backgrounds from the TV show "Foyle's War" but I was able to suspend my disbelief. This one, not so much. I also noticed, that although maintaining she's British constantly the main character rudely clings to being an American in the oddest ways (eating for example). And puhleeze! Don't tell me that a girl in that era with her (supposed) education and upbringing wouldn't know how to "dress" for dinner! It also irritated me, like a burr, that the author seems to be "book smart" about British life and the Royal family but still hasn't a clue how things are really run or done. Other research errors are just disgusting. In one place she talks about using the inspiration of a certain author's illustrations for painting the scenery for the pantomime the Princesses put on. Not knowing this particular artist I Googled it and was shocked to find Art Nouveau porn. Another case of sloppy research or if not a ridiculous way to sneak in a personal agenda. All I can really say in a positive light is that I'm very glad I didn't buy the book but borrowed it instead.
December 11, 2015
Utterly, totally, and completely awful.
Not only is the plot entirely lifted from "The German Woman" from Foyle's War and then the first say two to three seasons of "Alias," as has been noted before, Maggie is irretrievably stupid through this whole book, Princess Elizabeth is precocious to the point of child-star obnoxiousness, the plot is inane, and the idea that even on a German Submarine, no one would guard three such important prisoners, or that they would be left alone and unstarched and untied is farcical to the point of....
Well, it would be a bigger problem if Ms MacNeal hadn't ripped off the plot of "Alias" so completely.
I can only assume that in the next book, she'll parachute into Nazi Germany, find herself a souped up car with a Union Jack painted on the top, and tear around Germany with her cousin and half sister, chased by an incompetent local Nazi official, and whenever it seems as though they'll be caught, they'll drive their car off a bombed-out bridge and evade capture in riotous good fashion. OR, maybe they'll find a talking dog and a van and drive around the country solving mysteries and ripping oddly lifelike masks off the face of rascally Nazi officials pretending to be ghosts to scare the local Jews or something. I doubt it could be more dreadful if they did.
Not only is the plot entirely lifted from "The German Woman" from Foyle's War and then the first say two to three seasons of "Alias," as has been noted before, Maggie is irretrievably stupid through this whole book, Princess Elizabeth is precocious to the point of child-star obnoxiousness, the plot is inane, and the idea that even on a German Submarine, no one would guard three such important prisoners, or that they would be left alone and unstarched and untied is farcical to the point of....
Well, it would be a bigger problem if Ms MacNeal hadn't ripped off the plot of "Alias" so completely.
I can only assume that in the next book, she'll parachute into Nazi Germany, find herself a souped up car with a Union Jack painted on the top, and tear around Germany with her cousin and half sister, chased by an incompetent local Nazi official, and whenever it seems as though they'll be caught, they'll drive their car off a bombed-out bridge and evade capture in riotous good fashion. OR, maybe they'll find a talking dog and a van and drive around the country solving mysteries and ripping oddly lifelike masks off the face of rascally Nazi officials pretending to be ghosts to scare the local Jews or something. I doubt it could be more dreadful if they did.
October 10, 2012
In my review of Winston Churchill's Secretary, the first of the Maggie Hope books, I said that the series showed promise as MacNeal settled into her talents as a writer. With this second installment, MacNeal is certainly starting to live up to that promise. Although some of the language is still a bit clunky (and there are far too many mentions of birds), the story itself flows much more smoothly than it did in the first book and MacNeal takes fewer shortcuts to get her characters in and out of situations.
Newly installed with MI-5, Maggie Hope is placed at Windsor Castle at Christmas in 1940. Posing as Princess Elizabeth's math tutor, she is really there to ferret out a possible plot against the future queen's life. Descriptions of life at Windsor Castle during this period are well-done, and glimpses of historical personages are clearly well-researched. Once again, MacNeal does an excellent job bringing to life a fascinating aspect of Britain during WWII, while at the same time allowing Maggie to grow as a character and as a spy. I look forward to reading more!
Newly installed with MI-5, Maggie Hope is placed at Windsor Castle at Christmas in 1940. Posing as Princess Elizabeth's math tutor, she is really there to ferret out a possible plot against the future queen's life. Descriptions of life at Windsor Castle during this period are well-done, and glimpses of historical personages are clearly well-researched. Once again, MacNeal does an excellent job bringing to life a fascinating aspect of Britain during WWII, while at the same time allowing Maggie to grow as a character and as a spy. I look forward to reading more!
January 22, 2013
The author provides an extensive list of references at the end of the book, although she misnames historian Carolly Erickson as Carollyn; however,this outing for Maggie Hope felt off historically (the age gap between the Princesses is exaggerated, ladies-in-waiting were not hanging about at Windsor, travel was not nearly as frequent, and even the King had to wait to have phone calls put through by an operator-no 'direct lines') incorrect as far as Royal family details (the Princesses called their father Papa, not Daddy and the corgi's name was Dookie, not Dukie), and completely unbelievable when it comes to plot, even for an espionage thriller. She does provide a caveat "This is a work of fiction..." but I firmly believe that when an author puts real people, places and events into a fictional book, the author is still obligated to accurately portray those people, places and events within the fictional shell.
April 25, 2017
Another handful of deceit, action-filled drama, malice and a woman to save the day. Very interesting and appears as if the author took her time and described scenes, acts and the people in great detail. There is no unbelievable, fairy-tale saves; just real live drama that keeps you on your toes trying to figure out who has the most to gain from treachery.
Maggie has a new assignment; governess to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Someone is trying to abduct Princess Elizabeth but how no one knows. Until the King & Queen of England decided to have a Christmas celebration at Windsor Castle.
Who can you trust when everyone has an agenda?
Maggie has a new assignment; governess to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Someone is trying to abduct Princess Elizabeth but how no one knows. Until the King & Queen of England decided to have a Christmas celebration at Windsor Castle.
Who can you trust when everyone has an agenda?
April 15, 2016
Well, it's not too often I read a book until it's 20 pages from the end and THEN abandon it, but if ever a book deserved that treatment, it was this one. Let me try to tell you why.
First, the protagonist, Maggie, is a character who is so underdeveloped, it's almost laughable. Almost. She has fractional glimmers of depth , but for the most part, her personality is depicted as a very shallow pool. Perhaps the author believes she's created a "spunky" character in Maggie Hope, but honestly, she came across to me as a reader as an unbalanced and immature mess of a human. And so unbelievable. No one who has any inkling of the seriousness of the topic, or has studied much about the women and men who sacrificed their lives during WWII working in intelligence could possibly be suckered into buying this Maggie Hope character or her ridiculously implausible and awkward trajectory, as she sulks, bumbles, rages, emotes, and snarks her way through a plot that is equally goofy. After flunking out of spy school because she's a klutz, she's awarded a position to work with the royal family, yet she questions that assignment, initially refusing to accept it (as if she'd have a choice in her position), and then once in place, she acts as basically a "free-agent", going rogue from her handlers and then calling the shots in a royal kidnapping case, even though the Prime Minister and the King and the head of M15 are on the scene. Honestly, there were so many instances where the author overstepped the lines of reality with this storyline, I can't even begin to cite them all. Suffice to say this entire book was a joke. A very dull reader might be slightly intrigued by the extremely basic cypher examples included and a very naive reader might be ookily intimidated by the smattering of mathematical terms the author tosses in, in an effort to buff up her Maggie character's reputation as a whiz-kid, but if Maggie is such a mathematical wonder, how does the author explain her total lapses in logical thinking that riddle this book?
The writing is really bad too. While the author may have spent a few minutes on the internet looking up a couple of facts to pepper her writing with, the research certainly wasn't there. The dialog and language are all wrong, especially when a "shooter" is running amuck in the castle and the PM calls for a "lockdown". Honestly, those terms weren't even in existence until the 1970s, if even then.
So, I've already spent much more time than this book warrants on a review. If you want to read a book about an unpredictable, unsympathetic and unbelievable protagonist, with an equally ridiculous plot, have at it.
First, the protagonist, Maggie, is a character who is so underdeveloped, it's almost laughable. Almost. She has fractional glimmers of depth , but for the most part, her personality is depicted as a very shallow pool. Perhaps the author believes she's created a "spunky" character in Maggie Hope, but honestly, she came across to me as a reader as an unbalanced and immature mess of a human. And so unbelievable. No one who has any inkling of the seriousness of the topic, or has studied much about the women and men who sacrificed their lives during WWII working in intelligence could possibly be suckered into buying this Maggie Hope character or her ridiculously implausible and awkward trajectory, as she sulks, bumbles, rages, emotes, and snarks her way through a plot that is equally goofy. After flunking out of spy school because she's a klutz, she's awarded a position to work with the royal family, yet she questions that assignment, initially refusing to accept it (as if she'd have a choice in her position), and then once in place, she acts as basically a "free-agent", going rogue from her handlers and then calling the shots in a royal kidnapping case, even though the Prime Minister and the King and the head of M15 are on the scene. Honestly, there were so many instances where the author overstepped the lines of reality with this storyline, I can't even begin to cite them all. Suffice to say this entire book was a joke. A very dull reader might be slightly intrigued by the extremely basic cypher examples included and a very naive reader might be ookily intimidated by the smattering of mathematical terms the author tosses in, in an effort to buff up her Maggie character's reputation as a whiz-kid, but if Maggie is such a mathematical wonder, how does the author explain her total lapses in logical thinking that riddle this book?
The writing is really bad too. While the author may have spent a few minutes on the internet looking up a couple of facts to pepper her writing with, the research certainly wasn't there. The dialog and language are all wrong, especially when a "shooter" is running amuck in the castle and the PM calls for a "lockdown". Honestly, those terms weren't even in existence until the 1970s, if even then.
So, I've already spent much more time than this book warrants on a review. If you want to read a book about an unpredictable, unsympathetic and unbelievable protagonist, with an equally ridiculous plot, have at it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2013
Where I got the book: ARC won on the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.
The plot: In WWII Britain, Maggie Hope is assigned to teach math to Princess Elizabeth as a cover for investigating a possible danger to the young princess, as it's known that the Germans would love to replace her father, George VI, with the abdicated King Edward VIII (widely rumored in real life to be a Nazi sympathizer).
Nice idea, on the surface, and I can see how American readers who love a bit of royal glamor would like this one. But to a Brit, even a long-expatriated one, this story just grated on me like nails on a chalkboard. As it was an ARC I can't get into the text, but bits of research kept popping up and interrupting the action and the Princesses seemed far more like American schoolgirls than members of a family who were notorious for bowing and curtseying to each other even when only the servants were looking. There were some terms used that I KNOW (and I checked) were not in use in the 1940s, and the stoplight accident in 1917 could only have happened if Doctor Who had stopped by and brought a stoplight from the 1930s, when they came into use in Britain (other than the one that exploded in the late 1800s).
In a word, it was farfetched. Too much so for me. But, YMMV.
The plot: In WWII Britain, Maggie Hope is assigned to teach math to Princess Elizabeth as a cover for investigating a possible danger to the young princess, as it's known that the Germans would love to replace her father, George VI, with the abdicated King Edward VIII (widely rumored in real life to be a Nazi sympathizer).
Nice idea, on the surface, and I can see how American readers who love a bit of royal glamor would like this one. But to a Brit, even a long-expatriated one, this story just grated on me like nails on a chalkboard. As it was an ARC I can't get into the text, but bits of research kept popping up and interrupting the action and the Princesses seemed far more like American schoolgirls than members of a family who were notorious for bowing and curtseying to each other even when only the servants were looking. There were some terms used that I KNOW (and I checked) were not in use in the 1940s, and the stoplight accident in 1917 could only have happened if Doctor Who had stopped by and brought a stoplight from the 1930s, when they came into use in Britain (other than the one that exploded in the late 1800s).
In a word, it was farfetched. Too much so for me. But, YMMV.
October 1, 2017
This second book in the Maggie Hope series was not quite up to par with the first. I enjoyed it, but there were some sections that downright annoyed me.
In this book, we see Maggie train to become a spy. She then moves on to protecting Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. The premise is that the ruling powers in Germany are planning to kill the King and kidnap the Princess in order to weaken England and open a window of opportunity for the Germans to invade. On a personal note, Maggie continues to dig into her father's history to try to uncover his past and get to know him better.
The plot was intriguing and I enjoyed MacNeal's fictional characterizations of such historical figures as Winston Churchill and the royal family. I found the novel suspenseful and interesting, enough to keep me reading/listening. But around Chapters 19 and 20, Maggie, in her quest to find out about her father's earlier life, seems to become a somewhat petulant child. I could almost see her stamping her feet demanding to know things that were better left unknown, at least at that point in the story. I, too, would want to know about my father, but her manner just became so annoying that it kind of tainted the whole story. My review is 3 stars, but it's really more like 2.5 stars.
In this book, we see Maggie train to become a spy. She then moves on to protecting Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. The premise is that the ruling powers in Germany are planning to kill the King and kidnap the Princess in order to weaken England and open a window of opportunity for the Germans to invade. On a personal note, Maggie continues to dig into her father's history to try to uncover his past and get to know him better.
The plot was intriguing and I enjoyed MacNeal's fictional characterizations of such historical figures as Winston Churchill and the royal family. I found the novel suspenseful and interesting, enough to keep me reading/listening. But around Chapters 19 and 20, Maggie, in her quest to find out about her father's earlier life, seems to become a somewhat petulant child. I could almost see her stamping her feet demanding to know things that were better left unknown, at least at that point in the story. I, too, would want to know about my father, but her manner just became so annoying that it kind of tainted the whole story. My review is 3 stars, but it's really more like 2.5 stars.
June 29, 2012
I finished Princess Elizabeth's Spy. I read it as an ARC (advanced reader copy) and it is beyond excellent.
If you are looking for an exciting, WWII, feminist story, with a look at a young Princess Elizabeth, read this novel.
This story is filled with bits and bobs of detail, little kernels of knowledge that shows Susan Elia MacNeal's scholarship, reverence for history, and ability to weave a story about this fascinating era. We get an inside look at war-torn England, the upstairs/downstairs of Windsor Castle, the inner workings of MI-5 and the machinations of the spy industry in World War II Europe. This book sparkles with strong females - on both sides - in all walks of life, from the humblest Morse Code operator, to the future Queen of England.
Maggie shows us that math IS for girls, that it is essential in the spy trade, and that just maybe, it can even save your life.
If you are looking for an exciting, WWII, feminist story, with a look at a young Princess Elizabeth, read this novel.
This story is filled with bits and bobs of detail, little kernels of knowledge that shows Susan Elia MacNeal's scholarship, reverence for history, and ability to weave a story about this fascinating era. We get an inside look at war-torn England, the upstairs/downstairs of Windsor Castle, the inner workings of MI-5 and the machinations of the spy industry in World War II Europe. This book sparkles with strong females - on both sides - in all walks of life, from the humblest Morse Code operator, to the future Queen of England.
Maggie shows us that math IS for girls, that it is essential in the spy trade, and that just maybe, it can even save your life.
July 26, 2013
While not great literature, this would have been an enjoyable beach read if not for its wholesale plagiarism of a major Alias plotline. Ridiculous. The author should be ashamed of herself.
August 17, 2016
2.5 stars
I wish I could say I enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series. It just fell flat for me. I found myself doing a thousand other things before reading on. I decided not to bail, because things picked up just as I was considering it. At 80%. That's just too damn late in a book!
I found quite a lot of small things annoying, but my biggest gripe is that the author wasn't subtle about any of the foreshadowing or clues in the early to middle part of the story. I've read enough mysteries to notice.
I grew up with Anglophiles, and visited England and its castles as a kid. I confess that I've always wondered what it would be like to live in one. The author says, "Living at Windsor was like ‘camping in a museum,’" which didn't make it appealing. Unlike Downton Abbey, I didn't find the rituals or descriptions charming. Instead the people and the trappings of royalty were dull, dull, dull.
It's not a spoiler to say that our heroine, Maggie Hope, is a trained (if green) agent. It is however a spoiler to say that she disregards the first rule of kidnapping at a key moment. Even I know that you never ever let the villains move you from the original location. If she truly had proper training or a better author, she would've put up a bigger fight. Instead she just kept hoping for rescue. I guess I just like my heroines more kick ass than Maggie.
As the story progressed the author resorted to stereotypes instead of character development. For example, the Brits are always sniping at Maggie about her American accent or the way she uses silverware. There are more complex ways to make someone American than just incessantly repeating those.
I also didn't feel like the portrayal of Maggie's friend David, who is gay, was appropriate and respectful. He's just a cardboard cutout with a "gay best friend" label in it. Truthfully, he's a good guy but again only a stereotype. However his tendency to use odd exclamations like "Merciful Minerva" is just annoying and nearly as hokey as saying "Jumping Jehoshaphat" like everybody's weird great aunt.
Maggie is a mathematician. She says, “It was so much easier when it was just maths. You throw all these people into the mix—” I think that's what the author thought too. The code breaking sections are fun but limited. The people are just frustrating. Too frustrating to continue on with the series.
I wish I could say I enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series. It just fell flat for me. I found myself doing a thousand other things before reading on. I decided not to bail, because things picked up just as I was considering it. At 80%. That's just too damn late in a book!
I found quite a lot of small things annoying, but my biggest gripe is that the author wasn't subtle about any of the foreshadowing or clues in the early to middle part of the story. I've read enough mysteries to notice.
I grew up with Anglophiles, and visited England and its castles as a kid. I confess that I've always wondered what it would be like to live in one. The author says, "Living at Windsor was like ‘camping in a museum,’" which didn't make it appealing. Unlike Downton Abbey, I didn't find the rituals or descriptions charming. Instead the people and the trappings of royalty were dull, dull, dull.
It's not a spoiler to say that our heroine, Maggie Hope, is a trained (if green) agent. It is however a spoiler to say that she disregards the first rule of kidnapping at a key moment. Even I know that you never ever let the villains move you from the original location. If she truly had proper training or a better author, she would've put up a bigger fight. Instead she just kept hoping for rescue. I guess I just like my heroines more kick ass than Maggie.
As the story progressed the author resorted to stereotypes instead of character development. For example, the Brits are always sniping at Maggie about her American accent or the way she uses silverware. There are more complex ways to make someone American than just incessantly repeating those.
I also didn't feel like the portrayal of Maggie's friend David, who is gay, was appropriate and respectful. He's just a cardboard cutout with a "gay best friend" label in it. Truthfully, he's a good guy but again only a stereotype. However his tendency to use odd exclamations like "Merciful Minerva" is just annoying and nearly as hokey as saying "Jumping Jehoshaphat" like everybody's weird great aunt.
Maggie is a mathematician. She says, “It was so much easier when it was just maths. You throw all these people into the mix—” I think that's what the author thought too. The code breaking sections are fun but limited. The people are just frustrating. Too frustrating to continue on with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2016
This is sad. Almost quit after 100 pages, but I was curious how MacNeal was going to wrap this up. Not well.
First, this is not historical fiction so much as a parallel universe or alternate timeline. Yes, the events read like World War Two, but the people act and talk as if they are twenty-first century. Geography is off, too: in our world Winsor castle is twenty five miles west of London, in this book it’s between London and Berlin. Long distance direct dialing in 1940? The first RAF bombing attack on Berlin happened in December 1941, a year before one character supposedly flew his Spitfire over that city. Twenty minute cruise by surfaced sub to France when it’s not yet in sight? News cycle and police processing times based on current American television standard, let alone not wartime 1941.
Interesting set up, following the series opener, references to which were handled discretely. Several interesting female characters, but most of the males are homosexuals, villains or cardboard cut-out English parodies. Churchill says, “All’s well that end’s well”? And HRH George VI (who stutters only three times in the entire book) says, “Jolly good show”?
The plot suffered many gaps and short cuts. The story telling focused on architecture and clothes as much as the story. (That may be endemic to the genre.) BBC routinely broadcast news (“Shootout at Windsor Castle”) of war sensitive events as they happened? A character dies and her memorial service is scheduled before her body has cooled.
Spoilers:
And the climax. A comic-book villain monologue explaining everything he’s done and why. Good thing because, despite all the hand-waving and too-easy-to-be-credible coincidences, the cops were nowhere near catching the robbers.
Travelogue, catalog and monologue.
Nice cover art.
First, this is not historical fiction so much as a parallel universe or alternate timeline. Yes, the events read like World War Two, but the people act and talk as if they are twenty-first century. Geography is off, too: in our world Winsor castle is twenty five miles west of London, in this book it’s between London and Berlin. Long distance direct dialing in 1940? The first RAF bombing attack on Berlin happened in December 1941, a year before one character supposedly flew his Spitfire over that city. Twenty minute cruise by surfaced sub to France when it’s not yet in sight? News cycle and police processing times based on current American television standard, let alone not wartime 1941.
Interesting set up, following the series opener, references to which were handled discretely. Several interesting female characters, but most of the males are homosexuals, villains or cardboard cut-out English parodies. Churchill says, “All’s well that end’s well”? And HRH George VI (who stutters only three times in the entire book) says, “Jolly good show”?
The plot suffered many gaps and short cuts. The story telling focused on architecture and clothes as much as the story. (That may be endemic to the genre.) BBC routinely broadcast news (“Shootout at Windsor Castle”) of war sensitive events as they happened? A character dies and her memorial service is scheduled before her body has cooled.
Spoilers:
And the climax. A comic-book villain monologue explaining everything he’s done and why. Good thing because, despite all the hand-waving and too-easy-to-be-credible coincidences, the cops were nowhere near catching the robbers.
Travelogue, catalog and monologue.
Nice cover art.
November 14, 2012
I've been reading a lot of pre WWII cozy mysteries. Just a few days ago I posted the review for Elegy For Eddie and now there's Princess Elizabeth's Spy.
This book is fabulous.
I really loved the author's attention to detail in the historical aspect of the story. It was great to get a picture of Queen Elizabeth II in the days when she was just Princess Elizabeth.
It is a historical novel of intrigue that touches on the cozy side, but Maggie Hope is a little more than your typical cozy mystery heroine. She wants to work for the MI-5. She's a brilliant woman. She knows math and code-breaking.
There are 2 murders fairly quickly on that keep the story flowing as well as the intrigue that surrounds Maggie's father. There's also a little bit of a romance that tries to brew between Maggie and her handler Hugh, once she starts to become acclimated to the fact her fiancee perished in the war, when his plane went down.
When reading this book, I felt like I was with the royal family. Even though this book is fictional, I feel the author portrayed the family well. I loved the interaction between Elizabeth and Margaret. It can't be easy writing about people that are still alive! It makes me wonder what Queen Elizabeth thinks of this novel!
I can't wait til spring when the next book in the series comes out!
This book is fabulous.
I really loved the author's attention to detail in the historical aspect of the story. It was great to get a picture of Queen Elizabeth II in the days when she was just Princess Elizabeth.
It is a historical novel of intrigue that touches on the cozy side, but Maggie Hope is a little more than your typical cozy mystery heroine. She wants to work for the MI-5. She's a brilliant woman. She knows math and code-breaking.
There are 2 murders fairly quickly on that keep the story flowing as well as the intrigue that surrounds Maggie's father. There's also a little bit of a romance that tries to brew between Maggie and her handler Hugh, once she starts to become acclimated to the fact her fiancee perished in the war, when his plane went down.
When reading this book, I felt like I was with the royal family. Even though this book is fictional, I feel the author portrayed the family well. I loved the interaction between Elizabeth and Margaret. It can't be easy writing about people that are still alive! It makes me wonder what Queen Elizabeth thinks of this novel!
I can't wait til spring when the next book in the series comes out!
July 26, 2012
I won an advance copy through a Random House drawing, and if possible, would give it 4.5 stars. Mr. Churchill's Secretary laid the groundwork, and Princess Elizabeth's Spy is where the series seems to be establishing its stride. It kept me up late reading for several nights, and is a strong choice for historical fiction and mystery fans - the author has done an amazing amount of research. (I have known Susan MacNeal for several years, and would expect nothing less than a thorough study of every possible historical angle from her.) Book #3 cannot come soon enough!
August 16, 2022
Excellent , captivating writing just like the first. I didn't care for the romantic thread. I don't want to give too much away but I really didn't like how quickly Maggie moved on. I'll leave it at that. Reminding myself these aren't romance novels. Incredible, crazy twist at the end!
June 21, 2025
Maggie Hope, recruited into MI-5 for her intelligence and powers of observation, is rejected by spy-school boot camp. This leads to a perfect assignment: there seems to be a German threat against the king and queen's daughters, in the line of secession if something happened to the king. Maggie becomes the princess's maths tutor with orders to keep her eyes open and protect the royals. There's been a murder in London which Maggie soon discovers may be connected to the royal court; soon there's a murder on the grounds of the castle. Meanwhile, German spies have penetrated Bletchley and are about to reveal the biggest secret of the war. Maggie, of course, is instrumental in foiling the German plots and saving the day. MacNeal's weak point is her history: the captured Enigma and Turing's work to analyze and replicate the Enigma's function was the most important secret of the war. Nobody was allowed to know about it except a special committee whose job it was to parcel out the discovered secrets while protecting the source. In Maggie Hope's 1940 Britain, everybody at MI-5 knows about enigma and goes about discussing it. In reality, even most of the code-breakers working at Bletchley didn't know the SOURCE of the codes they worked on. An example of how the work at Bletchley won the war: during the war in North Africa (1941-1943) where Rommel and the German Africa Corps almost won through to Cairo, the Suez Canal, and African oil, Axis forces in Italy informed the German army in Tripoli when vital shipments of arms, ammunition, and fuel would cross the Mediterranean. These messages were decoded by Bletchley, and seemingly unlucky supply ships were regularly sunk by patrolling British aircraft, ships, and submarines, to the point where Rommel only received 20% or 25% of intended supplies. This led to Rommel's defeat; Rommel's defeat led to more allied victories and the end of the Nazis. MacNeal is sloppy with other historical bits of less consequences, though she bases some important story aspects on mistakes, such as a German U-boat with an automated sprinkler system that disables the warship. Huh. Memo from Kriegsmarine HQ: 'After the loss of over forty U-boats in the last month, we've decided to ban smoking in the boats.' Oddly, MacNeal knows the navy slang for a U-boat's conning tower, the sail, and she uses it without explanation (they climbed the sail.)' Many if not most readers will wonder why the U-boat has a sail.
July 29, 2020
This is a really well done series in my opinion! This is book 2 by the way and Maggie Hope is now an MI5 agent undercover at Windsor castle. We are mid WW 2 and there are Nazi spies around.
There is an assassination attempt on the King and Princess Elizabeth is kidnapped. Maggie is wrapped up in all of it.
Meanwhile, the truth about her mother comes out and more data about John, her missing presumed dead boyfriend.
The story moves, keeps you interested, has all the historical sense of the time and has bad guys all over the place so you're never sure who is who! Love it and I will absolutely pick up book 3!
There is an assassination attempt on the King and Princess Elizabeth is kidnapped. Maggie is wrapped up in all of it.
Meanwhile, the truth about her mother comes out and more data about John, her missing presumed dead boyfriend.
The story moves, keeps you interested, has all the historical sense of the time and has bad guys all over the place so you're never sure who is who! Love it and I will absolutely pick up book 3!
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