From the publisher of The King’s Justice
Could a stolen violin be linked to a serial killer terrorizing London during World War II? Only secret agent extraordinaire Maggie Hope knows in this riveting mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.
London. December, 1942. As the Russian army repels German forces from Stalingrad, Maggie Hope, secret agent and spy, takes a break from the Special Operations Executive division to defuse bombs in London. But Maggie herself is like an explosion waiting to happen. Shaken by a recent case, she finds herself living more dangerously–taking more risks than usual, smoking again, drinking gin and riding a motorcycle–and the last thing she wants is to get entangled in another crime. But when she’s called upon to look into a stolen Stradivarius, one of the finest violins ever made, Maggie finds the case too alluring to resist.
Meanwhile, there’s a serial killer on the loose in London and Maggie’s skills are in demand. Little does she know that in the process of investigating this dangerous predator, she will come face to face with a new sort of evil…and discover a link between the precious violin and the murders no one could ever have expected.
My review
Unfortunately, this series took a turn to the dark side of human frailties in the last book that carried over into The King’s Justice. Maggie’s mental state has begun to drag down the series. Hopefully, this will turn around in future books because this is generally a great series with lots of information about World War II and what it took to win.
As usual, the writing is excellent, characters are believable, and dialogue is realistic. With the rich setting of WWII Great Britain, this series is a true winner. MacNeal’s ability to describe the setting of the war and the time period is exemplary. While this is a good story with a strong ending in which Maggie’s mental state improves, the darkness Maggie goes through to get to that ending may turn off readers who read about and loved the strong character we knew as Maggie Hope.
Learn more about Susan Elia MacNeal and The King’s Justice at www.susaneliamacneal.com. Want more book news? If so, click here to read my Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.
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