Mr. Churchill's Secretary (Maggie Hope Mystery, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

May 26, 2013 D.G. rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, audiobook, historical-fiction

**2.5 stars**

Mr. Churchill's Secretary is not really a mystery. There's a dead body but no investigation as to who killed this person. Instead, it's more of a spy tale set in WWII.

☼THE GOOD☼
✔ Mathematician main character: Women are into science too and it's high time we have more of them in books.

✔ London during the Blitz: I don't know much about the political climate in England in 1940. Learning how many people thought Hitler was going to leave them alone, what people thought of Churchill, the ...more

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Jan 20, 2015 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: highly-recommend, england, favorites, historical-fiction, mystery, favorite-authors, world-war-2

I have been working my way to the Maggie Hope series for the past year, and I have finally arrived at my reading time for it. I suspected that after reading the first book in the series, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, I might be full of self reproach for not starting the series sooner. And, so it is while kicking myself, I am also experiencing the wonderment of falling in love with the character of Maggie Hope and her story. WWII in London has long been a favorite setting of mine for reading, and li I have been working my way to the Maggie Hope series for the past year, and I have finally arrived at my reading time for it. I suspected that after reading the first book in the series, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, I might be full of self reproach for not starting the series sooner. And, so it is while kicking myself, I am also experiencing the wonderment of falling in love with the character of Maggie Hope and her story. WWII in London has long been a favorite setting of mine for reading, and living alongside Maggie in the daily workings of survival amidst the bombing and rations is just the birds-eye view that brings it all into perspective.

Maggie Hope is a young woman in her early twenties, who was born in England, but was raised in Boston by her British Aunt Edith after parents were killed in a car accident in London when she was just a baby. Maggie had graduated from Wellesley and was set to start on and advanced degree in mathematics at MIT when her British grandmother, whom she'd never met, died and left to Maggie a Victorian house in London. Maggie had intended to go to London and sell the house quickly, then return to Boston. Now, two years later it is 1940, and Maggie is still in London sharing the house with several other young women and starting a job as a secretary for the newly elected Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Able to work in sensitive areas because of her British birth, Maggie begins her involvement with the war effort, which will lead her to a bevy of discoveries about her personal life and ties to the land of her birth. Being given an inside look at Number 10 Downing Street during WWII is quite a thrill for Maggie and for readers.

With the character of Maggie Hope we get a determined, highly intelligent, plucky, unabashed(showing her American side) young woman who is seemingly embracing her role as a British citizen during wartime. Often on the fiery side, well she does have the red hair, she is fiercely devoted to those she cares about and her responsibilities. Other characters are as carefully drawn and have engrossing layers like Maggie. The historical characters are so interesting in their daily interactions and habits, and the author has taken great pains and done her research to assure authenticity. The storyline is continuously moving along an intense line of secrets and revelations, and the setting is described with astute detail of the times. Susan Elia MacNeal has created a series for which I have unknowingly been waiting for, inside the world of WWII England. I thank her!
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Feb 11, 2023 Rachel N. rated it liked it

Shelves: series, mystery, read-in-2023, england, london, play-book-tag, world-war-ii

Maggie Hope was born in England but raised in the U.S. by her aunt. After inheriting her grandmother's house she returns to England just in time for WWII. After one of Churchill's secretaries is murdered a friend suggests Maggie for the position. Maggie is an expert on cryptology and math but she agrees to the position to help the war effort. The main mystery involves a plot by the IRA. Considering Maggie is a cryptologist I expected more code breaking in the book. Maggie is ok but i don't feel ...more

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