Mr. Churchill's Secretary: A Maggie Hope Mystery

By Susan Elia MacNeal

BARRY AWARD WINNER • Heralding the arrival of a brilliant new heroine, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary captures the drama of an era of unprecedented challenge—and the greatness that rose to meet it.

“With any luck, the adventures of red-haired super-sleuth Maggie Hope will go on forever. . . . Taut, well-plotted, and suspenseful, this is a wartime mystery to sink your teeth into.” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined—and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.

Ensnared in a web of spies, murder, and intrigue, Maggie must work quickly to balance her duty to King and Country with her chances for survival. And when she unravels a mystery that points toward her own family’s hidden secrets, she’ll discover that her quick wits are all that stand between an assassin’s murderous plan and Churchill himself.

In this daring debut, Susan Elia MacNeal blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character, Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9780553907568

Reviews for Mr. Churchill's Secretary

[humouress · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(I made notes on this book as I was reading, so let me try and turn it into a legible review.)Maggie Hope, an American, comes to London to wind up her grandmother's affairs and in spite of her reluctance, and the misgivings of those in the prime minister's office, is taken on as a wartime secretary for Mr. Churchill (the only security clearance necessary being her British ancestry). She shares her house with a group of girl friends, and they become embroiled in a plot against the government.This one started off quite impressively; it was fast paced and initially I felt it conveyed the feel of the period - maybe it was all the descriptions of the hats. I was quite pleased that part of the story was set in the War Rooms, which are now a museum because I've been to the War Rooms! MacNeal's description reminded me of the place exactly, down to the 'age darkened walls' and the 'worn linoleum ' (which puzzled me since the rooms were commissioned in 1938, two years before the story occurred).I did find it a bit odd that the main characters in the book, who are middle class working folk, always seem to end up at a party or down the pub, drinking champagne or vodka. Surely those luxury items above all others would have been rationed down to nothing. Other things like food are scarce (everyone has victory gardens to grow their own vegetables) and coffee is horrible because it's so watered down. It feels to me (though I'm no history expert) more like the hectic atmosphere of American prohibition than the dogged determination to carry on regardless of Londoners at the beginning of the blitz, given the constant partying. And there were a few other anachronisms scattered around that also seemed more American than British. There were a few deus ex machina moments and one or two plot holes, but all in all, an entertaining story.3.5****

[tkcs-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5. I enjoyed this book that's similar in some ways to Masie Dobbs. Although it's not as well written as Winspear's series, I still look forward to the next in this series. They take place in London during WW II.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This historical mystery introduces Maggie Hope who is in London to settle her grandmother's estate after being raised by her aunt in the Boston area. She is a college graduate in Mathematics who was accepted to graduate school at MIT. She thought her time in London would be short but, with war looming, the house isn't quick to sell. Maggie also comes to believe that it is necessary for her to contribute to the war effort.Maggie has taken in a number of roomers to help defray her expenses including a school friend from her high school days, and Irish nurse, a ballerina, and two twins who are in the theater. Her school friend Paige suggests that she get a job for the new Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Maggie wants to be a Private Secretary - a position she is highly qualified for, but her gender is relegating her to the typing pool where she spends a lot of time working closely with Churchill.Meanwhile, there is the mystery of the death of the young woman whose place Maggie has taken, IRA operatives working in England in the hopes that they can gain more for Ireland if Germany wins the war, and spies of all kinds. Maggie has secrets surrounding her too. Her aunt told her that both of her parents died when she was an infant. However, she can only find her mother's grave and begins a search for her father. It seems she is the only one who doesn't know the truth about him as her employers know things she doesn't.This was an entertaining mystery absolutely steeped in the time period. From fashion, to rationing, to bomb shelters and air raids, to the constant haze of smoke that seemed to hover over all scenes, the 1940s came vividly to life. I enjoyed learning more about the secret war to defeat Hitler and Maggie's code-breaking activities.

[4leschats · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Maggie's back story is that she was raised by her aunt in the US, but inherited a home from her grandmother. So, she takes a year off prior to starting her graduate studies at MIT to sell the house and fund her education. However, with the war beginning in earnest, Maggie finds that no one wants the old house, so she accepts roommates to help cover her expenses and a job in Churchill's office as a typist. However, Maggie doesn't realize that she may be an integral part of larger IRA and German plots until she solves a coded message that leads her to information about her past and a potential future. A nice mix of historical, spy, mystery, action, and romance for the opening book in this series, but the pacing seemed a bit slow with a few too many coincidental plot points.

[liscarey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Margaret Hope returned to England where she was born, unwillingly, to oversee the sale of her newly deceased grandmother's house. That her paternal grandmother was not long dead was a surprise to her; the aunt who raised her was deeply estranged from her mother and had allowed Maggie to believe she was dead.

It's 1940 and Maggie has something rare and wonderful for a woman in that time: acceptance into the graduate program in mathematics at MIT, after obtaining her B.S. from Wellesley. Delaying her entry for a year to go to England is totally not what she wants.

And then the house doesn't sell, and she's stuck for a while, and starts to make friends. Some of them move into her grandmother's house with her.

As the book opens, a young woman in the secretarial pool in the Prime Minister's office is murdered on her way home. A replacement is needed quickly, and Maggie's connections are just good enough. It's true she wanted a position as a private secretary, doing research that her education eminently qualifies her to do, but it's no real surprise to discover they won't consider a mere woman for such a position. She takes the lesser job, because she's increasingly committed to England and wants to contribute what she can to the war effort.

What Maggie doesn't know is that something far more significant than her gender is keeping her from the coveted post, and nearly barred her from the job she did get. She thinks both her parents died in a car crash when she was a baby. She thinks that one of her housemates, Paige Kelly, is simply another American girl, a Wellesley graduate, who worked for Ambassador Kennedy before he was removed from his post.

And no one tells her that the young woman she's replacing, Diana Snyder, wasn't killed in a simple mugging.

As Aunt Edith tries to persuade her to come home, as determinedly as she once persuaded Maggie to go to England, Maggie decides she's finally ready to face her parents' graves--and makes a startling and unsettling discovery.

This is overall a really well-done book. It captures the delicate balance of the time well with regard to gender relations: older ideas still prevailed to a great extent, but women had the vote, were working in a growing range of occupations, and with the coming of the war, were about to have an even wider range of occupations opened to them, reinforcing trends begun during and after World War One. Gay men need to be cautious, but Oscar Wilde is in the past, and the post-war horror of the persecution of Alan Turing yet to come. The complicated nature of the conflict between England and Ireland is not explored in depth, but enough is included to make sense of some important plot elements.

And if you grant Aunt Edith the right not to properly understand the character of the young woman she raised (trying to order her home without a real explanation of why is a bad mistake), the character development is wonderful. Everyone's motivations make sense for who they are. There are no elements of idiot plot. Even the bad guys have, from their point of view, real reasons for what they do.

Recommended.

I borrowed this book from the library.

[dmmjlllt · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This sucked. It was poorly written and very annoying. -1 star.

[trayceetee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was pretty well written and somewhat interesting... it just seemed to move too slowly for me.

[ct4bergeron · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting mix between fact and fiction. Mr Churchill's secretary follows Maggie Hope who just became Churchill secretary during WW II. It depicts what must have been life in London during that hard time.The story is fun and entertaining.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This new series is set firmly in World War II London with a smart, sassy, gutsy protagonist Maggie Hope. Although she was raised in America, she is British by birth and so is eligible to serve England during the war in a very sensitive and secret undertaking. A graduate of Wellesley, with a degree in advanced mathematics, she abandons her chance to get a Ph.D. in math at MIT in favor of working for the Brits. She presumes her consummate math and code breaking skills will land her a job in that department with ease.Instead, she finds herself consigned to a seemingly menial job taking dictation and typing for Winston Churchill. The adventures in which she becomes involved are James Bondish in their plausibility, but believable enough to make for a ripping good read.I have the second book in this series as an ARC from the publisher, but since my sister graciously gifted me with her copy of this one, I decided to read them in order. Look for a review of #2 before the end of the year. They're well done, and there's enough meat here for at least 2 or 3 more books in a great new series.

[iambookish-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Boy, I sure do love receiving giveaways from goodreads, especially when they are as enjoyable as this novel.
I was reading two books set in 1940's England right before WWII and they were both very good. This book is set in London and has our main character, Maggie Hope, working as a typist for Winston Churchill at NO. 10.
Not only do we get a fictionalized version of the beginnings of England's entry into the war, but we also get a fast paced thriller to make this book a real page turner.

[flashflood42 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fine reader Wanda McCaddon brings Churchill, his private secretaries, his intelligence agents as well as Maggie Hope (born in England but raised by her gay aunt in US), an attractive, intelligent, mathmatically brilliant young woman who becomes Churchill's secretary. The political mystery is involved and involving Bletchly and pro-Nazi goups as is the personal mystery surrounding Maggie's parents. There is a romance to top it all off as well as a bevy of attractive young women working in their own ways on the war effort. Nothing is quite as it seems. A fun read.

[jimgysin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you're looking for a competent and intelligent young female protagonist in a WWII setting, look no further than Maggie Hope and this series debut. Maggie gets a Whitehall gig when she replaces another young girl who was the victim of a fatal mugging. Or was there more to it? It's up to Maggie and her flatmates and some workmates to figure it all out, and it's all made easier when Maggie's competence quickly gets her close to the prime minister. There's also time for some backstory regarding Maggie's late parents and how their fates play into what is going on. All in all, a really good debut, and my only beef is the heavy-handed and too frequent reminders (early on) that women in that era tended to have limited career options. Not exactly a news flash, but the author seemed compelled to beat the point to death for a while.

[novelchatter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this book! Susan Elia MacNeal has crafted a smart, fun and inquisitive character in Maggie Hope. Maggie's an American student, on her way to study at MIT. Maggie's been raised by an aunt after the deaths of her parents in a car accident in London. When a grandmother she's never known dies, she inherits her grandmother's London home. So off Maggie goes, at the beginning days of WWII, to see about selling the home. Because of the war's onset, Maggie is trapped in London. She's unable to sell the home and quickly goes about renting out its rooms to a quirky and interesting group of supporting players. Susan Elia MacNeal opens the book with the death of a young woman. I love it when the action starts before you turn too many pages. Make no mistake, this isn't a fluffy piece of historical fiction, or maybe more precisely, a fictional historical mystery. Trust no one you meet in Mr. Churchill's Secretary, as not all are whom they seem to be and Maggie comes to realize that her world and the people in it, aren't always who and what she thought they were. Susan's character Maggie, reminds be just a teeny bit of the "Maisey Dobbs" character, in that they are both incredibly smart, young and are a bit miffed that because they are "female" they are limited in what the world around them allows them to do. Maggie Hope is her own modern woman and she fights to claim her own place in the world, even if it's not quite the way she expected it to be.Susan Elia MacNeal's research is incredibly detailed and accurate as needed historically. The story unwinds at a good pace and that makes it a very easy and enjoyable read. For me, the book moved quickly and smoothly and the characters and settings were perfect for me to suspend my disbelief. I'm excited to learn that there will be four more Maggie Hope books for us to enjoy, the next two will be, in order, Princess Elizabeth's Spy out this fall and then Hitler's Nightgale and a fourth that's still unnamed. I give Mr. Churchill's Secretary 4 out of 5 stars! It's great, just read it!**I received this book through a GOODREADS early reader giveaway from the publisher, and this is my honest review of the book.

[melopher_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If it weren't for the fact that I recently had to read The Last Time I Saw Paris, I would have given Mr. Churchill's Secretary an even lower rating. As it is, however, having experienced something comparable in setting/genre but at a much lower level in quality, this one didn't seem half as bad.True, the writing was painful at times, and didn't fit the period setting. The characters were caricatures. There were plot points that were never tied up and many others that were tied up too neatly. The jumps in location were frenetic and hard to follow, even upon rereading.So it was a little bit of a mess. But it wasn't a dreadful slog. It was more like watching a sitcom after having been accustomed to independent film. Lower quality, but can be fun if the timing is right. I won't be reading anything else by MacNeal, but it was enjoyable enough and kept me reading.

[mary_beth_robb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A few too many climaxes before the end.

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story of Maggie, a young woman born in England but sent to the US when her parents were killed in a car accident. As a young adult she learns that she has inherited her grandmother's house in England so she goes back to the country of her birth to see what to do about the family home. She finds herself there at a difficult time, with neither the wherewithal to fix up the house or sell it. She ultimately takes in some friends as roommates and ends up with a job in the secretarial pool in the office of Winston Churchill. This is a job far below her skill set as Maggie is a brilliant mathematician - quite unusual for a woman at this time. As she is doing the ordinary she uses her math skills and finds herself breaking a code that alludes to an assassination plot against Mr. Churchill! Maggie finds herself knee deep in espionage and danger.The book was fun and I enjoyed Maggie as a character but there were various historical flaws along the way that broke the overall flow of the novel. When involved in a book and I read something that doesn't belong it's like a big crash in my head and it is quite jarring. Whether it be a modern dialog usage or giving a woman a degree she could not have obtained at the time it just ruins the mood of the book. As to characters, as I said I did love Maggie but some of the others weren't as well developed and Winston Churchill was almost a caricature instead of a character which is a shame because there is so much historical record about the man. Even though he is almost ancillary to the plot he didn't have to be portrayed quite so one note.I feel that Maggie is going to return to have more adventures and I would certainly join her again - but I would borrow rather than buy.

[leslieholm-47788 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! A real 'page turner' as they say. Set during WWII in England, there's mystery and intrigue; even spies. The heroine is, as the title says, a secretary for Winston Churchill. Not terrible realistic as no secretary would have had the time or the resources for the things Ms. Hope accomplished, but a lovely foray into an excellent mystery. Fingers crossed the second one is as good.

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the well written period setting, and I liked the outspoken and intelligent narrator. I found some parts hard to believe, and I found some parts depressing as hell. Not sure I'm interested in Maggie's future drama, not because it isn't a good book, just not sure it's the right kind of book for me.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

London, 1940, Maggie Hope has graduated top of her college class and is ready to make her mark in the world. She has strong mathematical skills and a sharp mind, but finds that it doesn’t get her any further than being haired as a typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Seems the men get all the top jobs —" it’s a man’s world.” She does get a top position for a typist as personal secretary to Winston Churchill. Long hours typing as Churchill dictates. This gives her a high security clearance and a view to what really goes on behind the scenes of World War II.Maggie finds herself drawn in to more critical work when it is discovered her proficiency in code cracking is as good, or better, than some of the men. Somehow important secret information is getting into the hands of the enemy and it must be stopped. There is also the matter of solving the constantly changing code the enemy uses to communicate.Dealing with the heavy bombings and rationing, while Maggie and her friends work in support of the war effort, Maggie earns the respect and recognition from the men who thought of her as “just a typist.”I enjoy MacNeal’s writing style and the tempo of the book. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

[addunn3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An American girl in Britain solves a deadly plot to assassinate the prime minister. Similar to Maisie Dobbs series, but, based on this one, maybe a little more interesting.

[bookchickdi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Susan Elia MacNeal set her Mr. Churchill’s Secretary in 1940 London. Maggie Hope is a young American woman, all set to attend prestigious MIT in Massachusetts when she is called to London to oversee the sale of her late grandmother’s home. With the looming war, Maggie is unable to sell the house, so she stays in London and finds work as a secretary for Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Maggie had her sights set on working in British intelligence, using her education in math to help break German codes, but as a woman that avenue is closed to her.There is a mystery to Maggie’s life. For some reason unknown to Maggie (or the reader), British intelligence is keeping tabs on Maggie. At the same time, she discovers something about her dead father that puts her in the middle of a dangerous situation.Mr. Churchill’s Secretary is a fast-paced and well-researched novel. McNeal reveals in a Historical Note at the end of the book that she came upon the idea while touring the fascinating War Cabinet rooms in London, and researched the women who worked there. (Don’t skip this interesting section.)Maggie is a wonderful character, and several times in the book, MacNeal had me audibly gasping as she put Maggie in some tight situations. If it was a movie, I would have spilled my popcorn many times.MacNeal plunges the reader into wartime London, and you get a real sense of what it was like to live with the terror of bombs descending on the city where you live. MacNeal has six more more books in this terrific series, with a seventh due this August, and I can’t wait to read them all in succession.

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2012, Random House, Read by Wanda McCaddonPublisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.comLondon, 1940: Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined.My Review:Maggie Hope is English by birth, but, having lost both parents (or so she believes) at a young age, she has been raised in the US by her aunt, Edith. When her grandmother dies and leaves her the family home, she must return to London to sell it. But it doesn’t sell – so Maggie takes in some roommates to help keep the old place afloat and settles in to make the best of things. I love that she is an exceptional mathematics student and heading to graduate school in 1940. In London, it is, of course, a troubled and deadly time: frequent bombings set off air raid sirens, sending the multitudes underground. Once inside the prime minister’s office, Maggie has access to the War Rooms, where she is exposed to the machinations of war: battery, mobilization, spies, murder, and intrigue; and where she will decode the intent of a menacing faction planning to assassinating Churchill. MacNeal has obviously researched the era meticulously and provides wonderful insight into the character of Winston Churchill. The Prime Minister’s Secretary has all the makings of a great story, but I think the plot line needed to stop short of Maggie’s hidden family secrets. For my part, this introduced unnecessary clutter into an already intriguing plot. The discovery that Maggie’s dead father is not dead, and his re-introduction into her life raises the questions of his motivation for disappearance, his decision to desert her, her capability to eventually forgive – and the story was strong enough without all of this complication.The Maggie Hope series popped up on one of those Recommended for You bulletins while I was reading the Maisie Dobbs series, which I loved – so I wanted to explore. Based on this first installment, I don’t think I’ll like the series as well as Winspear’s, but I liked it well enough to listen to another.

[bcrowl399 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to love this book. The mystery part of it wasn't very mysterious. The author tried to create moods but frequently missed the mark. I plowed through about half of it and felt compelled to finish but it wasn't really worth the effort. However I did learn that there is another book I want written by a real secretary of Mr. Churchill. I'm thinking that book will be worth the effort.

[crazeedi73 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book had a bit of a slow start, but was easy to get into. I would say this is a light read, not excellent but readable. 3.5 to 4 stars

[vivienner_3 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Abandoned! I wanted to like this book. Instead, it was unbearable and promised to continue like that. Many American mystery writers have trouble placing their novels in England. To try for another era, especially one that is well-known, was disastrous.

[antt-4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a good read, but something regarding the plot/story line and history just didn't quite gel for me.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

British citizen Maggie Hope was raised in America, but when circumstances force her to return to England on the eve of World War II, she finds herself unable to leave until she can find someone to buy her grandmother's old Victorian house. She was taken to America as a baby by her Aunt Edith following the death of her parents in a car crash. Back in Boston, her aunt pleads with her to return and pursue her doctorate in mathematics at MIT. Instead, Maggie is persuaded to take a job as a secretary for Britain's new prime minister, Winston Churchill, when first secretary is murdered in what appears to be a random mugging. That seemingly random mugging is part of a plot to kill Churchill, engineered by a group of Nazis and IRA agents. Ireland is neutral in the war, but given their history with Britain, many Irish were hoping Germany would win the war. While these Irish-German agents are definitely the villains, the author gives us enough background to understand why the Irish had reason to hate the British.

Mr Churchill’s Secretary intrigued me from the first few pages. The author has obviously done a lot of research and the book is well-written. I was a little confused because there were so many characters, but I did enjoy the unexpected twists and clever aspects in the story. I thought it was a captivating, post-feminist picture of 1940s England. The book also presents a charming, personal look at Churchill, who comes to admire Maggie in spite of the fact that he firmly believes it was a mistake to give women the vote or any real responsibilities. Mr Churchill's Secretary is the first in a series of books and I look forward to reading the rest.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Churchill's Secretary is the story of English-born but US-bred Maggie Hope. She's returned to London in the very early days of WWII to sell her inheritance: her grandmother's house. When it doesn't sell, she decides to stay in London to live, forgoing her post graduate studies at MIT to do her part in the war effort against Hitler. In spite of her brilliance in mathematics, she's hired on only as a typist, but as a typist for Winston Churchill himself, putting her in the direct path of the most classified information of the day. While I was immediately sucked into the early-WWII-London setting, the story itself started off slow for me. The immediate crime's (it takes place in the Prologue) ties to the rest of the story aren't really apparent for fully the first half of the book. I knew there was a link, I just didn't have the slightest hint about what the link was. I like Maggie; she's a rather even-keeled character, neither dull nor outrageous. She's meant to be a brilliant mathematician, but this brilliance isn't overt in any way. The people who surround her are mostly three-dimensional, well thought-out, and interesting. A couple could have been better fleshed out, but as they played minor roles in the overall story, their lack of depth is a trivial thing. As I've already mentioned, I was completely engrossed in the setting; WWII London right before and during the bombings. I won't go so far as to say I could smell the smoke and feel the grit, but I was definitely caught up in the atmosphere and the tension of the time that the author tried to convey through her writing. One particular scene focussing on the anti-Semitic opinions of the minority made me sick to my stomach and made me thankful for an upbringing that didn't include exposure to gross generalisations about an entire people, hateful or otherwise. About half-way through the book, the pacing picked up. Things started happening, Maggie finally starts playing with codes, clues start coming together. At this point I was unable to put the book down, I wanted to find out what happened next. The author spent the first half of this book setting up a complex plot line and mystery and the second half had everything coming together rather all in a rush. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm ordering the next one right away. This time period is the one I most enjoy reading about and I'm eager to find out what happens next.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book set during World War II. If Bruce Willis was female and about 20 years younger I could see him in the role of Maggie Hope. The story is certainly action-packed.Maggie Hope was raised in the US but she is a British citizen so she could be hired as a typist at No. 10 Downing Street. She came back to London to sell her grandmother's house but the rambling house needed lots of repairs and then war broke out. So Maggie is staying in London and helping out with the war effort despite her aunt's urgings to return to safety in the USA. Maggie is a brilliant mathematician but as a woman it is her skills with a typewriter and a stenographic pad that are in demand. In addition to the Germans bombing England the IRA is also planting bombs. There is some mystery about Maggie's background but Maggie knows nothing about it but she seems to be linked to the IRA somehow. As she pieces clues together she come closer to danger. However she is also a young, beautiful woman and she manages to go out drinking and dancing often. I can hardly wait to read the next Maggie Hope adventure.

[pmaurer_11 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Took forever to get to the story, about a young girl in London, who goes to work for Churchill. Lots of fluff about young people in London during the early days of the war. Some question about her father being dead, and an aunt back in the US, unwilling to provide her with much background on what really happened. Mixing in the war, Bletchley, and Churchill felt really forced. Doubt I'll read another in this series.