A Beautiful Spy: From the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller

Written by Rachel Hore

Narrated by Sandra Duncan

From the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller comes a thrilling story about a woman with an extraordinary life, based on a true story.
 
Minnie Gray is an ordinary young woman.
She is also a spy for the British government.
 
It all began in the summer of 1928...
 
Minnie is supposed to find a nice man, get married and have children. The problem is it doesn’t appeal to her at all. She is working as a secretary, but longs to make a difference.
 
Then, one day, she gets her chance. She is recruited by the British government as a spy. Under strict instructions not to tell anyone, not even her family, she moves to London and begins her mission – to infiltrate the Communist movement.
 
She soon gains the trust of important leaders. But as she grows more and more entangled in the workings of the movement, her job becomes increasingly dangerous. Leading a double life is starting to take its toll on her relationships and, feeling more isolated than ever, she starts to wonder how this is all going to end. The Russians are notorious for ruthlessly disposing of people given the slightest suspicion.
 
What if they find out?
 
Full of suspense, courage and love, A Beautiful Spy is a stunningly written story about resisting the norm and following your dreams, even if they come with sacrifices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK
• Release date: Feb 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781471187209

Rachel Hore

Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she taught publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia until deciding to become a full-time writer. She is the Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of ten novels, including The Love Child. She is married to the writer D.J. Taylor and they have three sons. Visit her at RachelHore.co.uk and connect with her on Twitter @RachelHore.

Reviews for A Beautiful Spy

[Connie Hough · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was interesting for the most part but a bit to long

[elkiedee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the late 1920s, a secretary is recruited to put her skills to good use helping to find out what some Communist Party activists are up to.. Her new role will dominate her life for years to come. My political views are very different from those of Minnie Grey, the novel's heroine, but I enjoy stories about secretaries who are a bit more than they seem, and this was quite an entertaining read. I was also interested by the author's exploration of how lonely the life of a single female spy in her era must have been, and the mundane and even rather dull side of such espionage is also portrayed.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am currently watching Ridley Road on PBS and I keep flashing back to this book which sort of deals with the same subject matter. The one big difference is the time period. This book is set during the 1930s whereas Ridley Road takes place during the Swinging 60s. Despite that 30 year time difference it seems the British government's concern about fringe political movements warrants sending in untrained people to infiltrate them.Minnie Gray was brought up by her widowed mother in a middle-class town in rural England. She worked as a secretary and, for a while, dated a nice young man but she aspired to more. When a woman she knew intimated that she might work for the secret service if she moved to London, Minnie was intrigued by the possibility. After some time she was contacted by a government official who asked her to infiltrate the Communist Party. Bit by bit Minnie was able to do so but the deeper she got into the Party the more nervous she became. She even had to take a trip to India to hand over money to the Communists there. When she was asked by one of the members of the Party to set up a safe house she was very reluctant to do so but her handler was able to persuade her. The house was used to photograph documents which Minnie was able to determine were plans for a naval vessel. Surely this evidence would be enough to ensure arrests and convictions? Minnie finally was released from her undercover activities but it almost sent her into a complete breakdown.This novel is based upon the life of a real woman, Olga Gray, who did spy on the Communist Party in the 1930s. During World War II she met a Canadian airman and married him. They moved to Canada after the war and she was quite happy to get away from Britain.

[Sheila Godis Myking · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I kept waiting for the story to get good. I didn’t live the voice and I very much disliked how you could hear the reader breathing.