Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Spies, Intrigue and Romance in Windson Castle during WWII: Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia Macneal


Maggie Hope is now a full fledged spy. She made her appearance as Mr. Churchill's Secretary in the first book in this series. Although she flunks out of spy training, Mr. Frain is there to use her talents as a spy in the Windsor castle household. Frain and his MI5 colleagues are concerned that the Nazis plan to assassinate the king, abduct Princess Elizabeth, and put the Duke and Duchess of Windsor on the throne.

Maggie, understandably, isn't thrilled in moving from a secretarial position to becoming a governess, but she agrees. She enters the castle under the pretext of teaching Princess Elizabeth maths and becomes a friend and confidant of the two princesses. In the spy business Maggie is not only a novice, she lacks understanding of people's character and motives. Her subsequent success in solving the mysteries in Windson Castle is astonishing to say the least.

The book is a quick, easy read. It's slow in many parts. The opening where Maggie flunks out of spy school is particularly boring. Although a murder takes place at the castle, Maggie isn't equipped to handle the investigation, so she waltzes around the outside wondering about people, she agrees at the end, she doesn't like.

I can't recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction. It's too light on historical detail and too heavy on the way the castle looks. However, if you want a light romance and a glimpse of royals, you may enjoy this book.

I reviewed this book for the Amazon Vine Program. 

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