Description (from cover):
"For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry, Princess Elizabeth's Spy features the return of the remarkable Maggie Hope, who is out to protect Britain's beloved royals against an international plot--one that could change the course of history.
As World War II sweeps the Continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle--to tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet the upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor quickly proves more dangerous--and deadly--than Maggie ever expected."My thoughts:
This is the second installment in the Maggie Hope mystery series. The first was Mr. Churchill's Secretary, where we meet Maggie Hope, an English-born American who has return to the country of her birth and is doing her part in the War effort in WWII Britain. I encourage you to read the first installment of this series before embarking on reading this one as there is a lot of back story and information that is needed in order to completely grasp the content of this novel. Maggie Hope's dreams of being an MI-5 agent sent overseas to help with the war effort are dashed when she doesn't perform well in the physical part of the training the agency requires. She finds herself then asked to be a math tutor to the young Princess Elizabeth (who later becomes Queen Elizabeth II). Her assignment is to pretend to be a math tutor for the young Princess, but in actuality, she is there to protect her against plots that England's enemies might use to their advantage. Maggie goes off to Windsor Castle where Princess Elizabeth is currently staying and she quickly gains a good rapport with the young princess. Maggie does everything in her power to protect the young royal and finds herself in the middle dangerous plots and treasonous activities. Maggie uses her quick wit and her spitfire personality in order to do everything she can to help save England from being invaded by the Germans.
Maggie Hope is a character to fall in love with. She is reasonable, smart, funny and doesn't let anything get in her way. The reader can't help but like Maggie and cheer her on through all the trials she faces as an MI-5 agent. The plot in this story could use a little work and the "mystery" was a little easy to figure out, but the ending was action packed and left the door open for a lot of adventure in the future. I cannot wait to learn where all the surprises will lead Maggie in the future. The writing could use a little work and I wish some aspects weren't so easy to figure out, but the series is one that can be developed into greatness. The characters have a lot of potential and the plot leaves a lot of doors open for opportunities and I can't wait to see what is next for my newest favorite British spy. This edition was an advance reader's copy and had some errors in dates and typographical nature, but I am hoping the publisher clears those up before the release date or some people will be confused as the dates are not corresponding correctly in places. But other than that, a great read with a fabulous ending that left me wanting more.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Title: Princess Elizabeth's Spy
Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Series: Maggie Hope Mystery #2
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Pages: 384
Genre: Historical Mystery
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
