*****
PRINCESS ELIZABETH’S SPY by Susan Elia MacNeal
Some
historical novels/mysteries are very loosely based in the period in
which they are set. Others are very true to the period. PRINCESS
ELIZABETH’S
SPY is in the latter category.
Maggie
Hope was previously a secretary to Winston Churchill (MR. CHURCHILL’S
SECRETARY). She is recruited by British Intelligence and after failing
the training to be dropped on the continent, is assigned to be a maths
tutor for fourteen year old Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. A
lady in waiting dies and Maggie investigates and gets drawn into a
complicated scheme involving German secret codes, Nazi spies, members of
the household staff who aren’t who they appear and ending on board a
U-2 submarine.
MacNeal
uses her extensive research into life at the castle to write about
daily life and the austerity of wartime in fascinating detail. The
setting, especially the sense of the period, is the strong point of the
book. The mystery is complicated and well developed, but sometimes a
bit unbelievable. However, the details of the period and ways that
Maggie figures out what is going on and what she must do next make
compelling reading.
There
are frequent references to events in the first book, especially
Maggie’s almost fiancee, which will make the reader want to read the
first book, and the third book (HIS MAJESTY’S HOPE, due out in May 2013)
more or less begins in the ending of this one, so the books in the
series are tightly tied together. Readers who like historical mysteries
will want to read all three.
*****
Susan Elia MacNeal's website is www.susaneliamacneal.com
Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal. Random House. 2012. ISBN 9780553593624
(paperback), 384p.
4 comments:
I enjoyed reading both books in this series and I cannot wait until the third one in the series is released. A charming historical mystery.
Kimberlee
http://girllostinabook.blogspot.com
Oh, no! More books for the TBR!!
I just finished Mr Churchill's Secretary and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's such a fascinating period of history. The author does a great job intertwining historical notes with a well-written mystery. I'm looking forward to the next book as well as the new book release in May.
This review made me really interested in this series---I like books that are accurate in their history depiction.
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