Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

I loved getting to know Princess Elizabeth, a.k.a. MacNeal certainly has a talent for developing characters, even those based on real people. Churchill’s Secretary, Maggie is feisty and strong, but this time around, she also shows her sensitive side, and the way she fumbles her way through Camp Spook makes her feel real.

Maggie navigates grief and danger with grace, and I just love how she is not afraid to speak her mind, particularly when it involves men in positions of authority who don’t value or respect women.

Susan Elia MacNeal’s novels may be set during a time of fear and devastation, but they are delightful and riveting. While Maggie sorts out the mystery, she also must figure out how to build a relationship with her father, deal with not knowing whether the man she loves is alive, and contend with her feelings for a co-worker. A lady-in-waiting is murdered, and decrypted German code is found in one of her books. Maggie is a bit disappointed that she will be serving as a math tutor while undercover, rather than being dropped into France or Germany, but she soon finds that danger lurks on the castle grounds. Because this plan may involve kidnapping Princess Elizabeth so she cannot become queen, Maggie is assigned to Windsor Castle, where princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are living to avoid the bombs falling on London. The Nazis have a plan to put the Duke of Windsor, who abdicated the throne to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, back on the throne once they invade England.

She has proven that her intelligence, math and problem-solving skills, and ability to handle herself in dangerous situations make her an asset to the war effort, and she is now a spy with MI-5. In Princess Elizabeth’s Spy, Maggie Hope is no longer a typist for Winston Churchill. There are no spoilers in my review of this book, but proceed with caution if you haven’t read the first book, Mr. Princess Elizabeth’s Spy is the second Maggie Hope Mystery, set in World War II London. “Oh, my dear Eliza Doolittle - we have a long night ahead of us.” “Hello?”ĭavid smacked himself on the head. Frain had forgotten about royal etiquette lessons. “All right, impromptu quiz - what do you say when you meet the King and Queen?” “Not much beyond the historical, I’m afraid,” Maggie said. “You grew up in America, after all - exactly what do you know about British aristocracy?”

Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal