Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and netgalley for this ARC.

Maggie Hope's stories are always thrilling and full of nervous moments. She's the female action star of historical mystery! I can't wait to see how she handles the cliffhanger at the end of this one.

The latest installment in the Maggie Hope series finds Maggie on another mission for the SOE and is undercover in Paris. But in war things don't go as planned and even those that are allies may not be what they seem. Maggie is desperate to complete her mission and return to England but what will be the cost? A quick enjoyable ride that leaves you anxious for the next installment.

I received a ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and the publisher ...this is #7 in the Maggie Hope series and oh my...I think this is the BEST one yet!! I absolutely loved it, couldn't put it down, and I'm seriously crying now because I have to wait for #8 to see what happens to Maggie! Great cliffhanger ending !!

MY Review of "THE PARIS SPY"

I enjoyed "The Paris Spy" by Susan Elia MacNeal. The genres of this story are Historical Fiction,  Fiction, and Mystery.  The timeline of the story is during World War Two, and takes place mostly in Paris, and London.

This is the seventh novel in a series of books. This is the first book that I have read, but I found it easy to keep up with the characters. I don't think it is necessary to read the other books, but I would like to.

The author describes the characters as complex and complicated. There is loyalty and betrayal, and good and evil.  Maggie Hope goes to Nazi-occupied France to look for two women. Maggie is working undercover and is pretending to be Irish and looking at Paris fashions for her wedding. She is staying at the elegant Ritz Hotel that is has swastika banners all over. She gets to meet Coco Chanel, who is staying there.

 I appreciate the research of World War Two activities in Paris and France, and how the emotional upheaval is evident. The author's descriptions of the surroundings , landscape and people is interesting.  There is espionage, double agents, and hazards,

It is a very dangerous time, and other agents are missing, and communication seems to be difficult. Who do you trust? I found this novel to be exciting, captivating, intriguing and enjoyable, and would highly recommend this. I look forward to reading more novels in this series by the author. I received this Advanced Reading Copy for my honest review.

I think this may be the best one yet. And that says a lot, because the entire series is pretty great. In this, Maggie Hope is in Paris to find a missing operative and to hopefully track down her half sister who went missing when they were attempting to extract her. Sarah and Hugh are also working on their own objectives. Plus there is a mole that they need to uncover. Coco Chanel also makes an appearance and that part is especially realistic. The author clearly did her research there. For anyone that is excited to read this when it comes out, let me just tell you that you will not be disappointed. Also, this ends on quite a cliff hanger, so I am looking forward to seeing how Maggie gets herself out of the next mess she has found herself in.

Can't wait for the next one! In the meantime, I plan to read some of the books from author's the bibliography. I love when an historical novel piques my interest this much!

I love novels about spies and espionage during World War II. I have a few favorite authors whose books I MUST have and must read. Susan Elia MacNeal is one of those authors. I have read all of her Maggie Hope Mysteries. Her latest, “The Paris Spy” was another one that I could not put down until I’d read it all. What a rollercoaster of danger, excitement, and historical imaginings! Maggie is clandestinely in Paris under an assumed name to find a friend and her sister, Elise. Something is wrong in the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Agents are disappearing, communication seems to be compromised, but the head of SOE is complacent in dealing with this information. He just assumes that all is well and that the agents are getting careless. Maggie keeps a cool head through the dangers, but is caught in a trap. Although she is returned to England, what happens there will keep me in suspense until Ms. MacNeal’s next Maggie Hope novel has been written. I can’t wait to read it!!

If you read Last Hope Island by Lynne Olsen, a nonfiction book about England surviving WWII, especially in the early years where it was one of the last places in Europe that wasn't overrun by Germany, a good follow up would be this book. In that book you found out that England's undercover spies were not always victorious - in fact they were often hung out to dry and their handlers back in the UK were clueless. As you read this latest entry in the Maggie Hope mysteries you are transported back to this same scenario. At the end of the previous book Maggie has used her connections (in this case with the Queen of England) to be dropped into France as an undercover agent. She is seeking to find out if one of their agents has been compromised in Paris but, more importantly to Maggie, she is hoping to locate her step sister Elise who she thought was being rescued from a concentration camp in Germany. Elise did not want to be rescued by Maggie and dropped out of sight in France.
Using the cover of a deceased (and 'neutral' Irish) friend Paige, Maggie is supposedly in Paris to shop the remaining couturier fashion houses for her trousseau. Staying at the Ritz (albeit on the top, usually servants floor) Maggie is drawn into the German high life, including accompanying Coco Chanel to the ballet. It is scary living in Paris in those days and Maggie realizes that anything could go wrong and it does. As in the other books Maggie is resourceful and as the book comes to its conclusion, she will need all of her resourcefulness to continue to serve Britain (even when Britain is not quite sure how to serve itself).

The Paris Spy (Maggie Hope Mystery #7)
by Susan Elia MacNeal (Goodreads Author)
108416
Nancy Cunningham's review Jun 27, 2017 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: netgalley

This is the fourth Maggie Hope novel that I've read and it affected me in a way that the others did not: this book illustrates the complicated morality present in politics and warfare.

I am a fan of series fiction and read the other stories in this series as light entertainment. This book certainly doesn't have the pretense of being much more than that, but the subject matter (Paris during the German occupation) easily introduced the light, dark, and grey that is present on both sides of any conflict.

There are brief sections of the book that seem like boilerplate history texts (albeit elementary ones) of WW2, but the storyline also included the moral challenges presented to the British spy agencies--and, the Prime Minister. Is it appropriate to knowingly (and recklessly) risk lives to save a greater number? This book asks that question, and our heroine takes a strong stand.

I enjoyed this book more than the others in the series because it did address these questions. Even on a sultry summer day, it is good to be reminded of the sacrifices made for our country's freedom.
Net galley provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Erica Calvert, an undercover agent with Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) team, is captured in Nazis-occupied Paris and “held for questioning,” a.k.a. beaten and tortured, for information about her mission. After Erica goes missing, fellow agent Maggie Hope is deployed to Paris to locate Erica and connect with the other SOE agents who are laying the groundwork for the Normandy invasion.
The Nazis already know that an allied invasion is coming, they just need to determine how and from where. To gain the advantage, they exploit SOE intel and communications through the help of a mole implanted inside the SOE. It’s up to Maggie and members of the Resistance to avoid capture and complete Erica’s mission to deliver information vital to the Invasion.
MacNeal’s 7th Maggie Hope Mystery is her most gripping yet. Her accurate portrayal of Nazi occupied Paris captures their outrageous cruelty and obscene decadence. Readers can sense the tension of Maggie’s and her cohorts’ constant peril as they hide in plain sight, moving among the deadly Nazi elite. And all the while an unknown, traitorous informant threatens their very existence. Suspenseful. Breathless. Disturbing. Unforgettable.

The Paris Spy: A Maggie Hope Mystery
by Susan Elia MacNeal
Random House Publishing Group
Aug 2017

This seventh entry in the Maggie Hope series is a strong one.  We see the heroine maturing in both her professional life and her personal one.  With what has at times been an irritating protagonist, this book's story line brings a welcome glimpse of a intelligence office who is both increasingly confident and self-aware.

What's different about this book 
At the end of the sixth book in the series, The Queen's Accomplice, the author leaves the story in mid-air, literally, as Maggie Hope flies off to France for both personal and professional purposes. In contrast to some of the earlier Maggie stories, this latest title shows Maggie increasingly grappling with the moral and ethical issues of the war she and her friends and country find themselves in -- yet Mattie seems less needy, less reactive, and more introspective.  Again, the book ends with a cliff-hanger ending, and once again, the reader is left wondering how Maggie will make it out of the latest trap. A trap she is in, ironically, because of her mature and self-aware choices.

What I'll do now that I've read it 
The Maggie Hope series has built a strong readership with my library patrons, and this latest will fill a nice gap in the tapestry of England and Europe in the throes of WWII.  I look forward to providing this title to my own patrons -- I notice there is a considerable hold list already for the book not to be released for another 8 weeks or so!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Maggie Hope, a former secretary for Winston Churchill, is sent to wartime Paris to discover the disappearance two women. Erica, a spy who has vital information for the upcoming Allied landings and the Maggie’s half-sister, Elsie. Under the personae of an Irish woman shopping for her trousseau, Maggie is ensconced at the Ritz, where she meets legionary fashion designer Coco Chanel. Chanel, who lives at the Ritz, introduces her to the Nazi elite, who have taken over half the hotel.
The offensive excesses of the Ritz are in strong contrast to the fear that gripes France and Maggie’s fellow agents, who face danger from the Gestapo and a British double agent. This is not a breezy mystery, it is an absorbing thriller that takes readers to sad and terrifying ends. What Maggie lacks in cunning spy craft she makes up for in spunk, as evidenced by the climactic ending.
This is the seventh book in the series and, as with the others, the author has taken great care to replicate the wartime atmosphere with historical accuracy and detail. I especially appreciate the bibliography at the end of the book.

I had not read the prior books in this series but I will now. I've been reading a lot of non-fiction about WWII and love mysteries, so this is a wonderful find. I look forward Maggie's next assignment.

As a long-time fan, having read all of the series so far, this next one lived up to its predecessors. I couldn't stop reading until the end, which for me is the best kind of reading. The book can certainly stand alone without reading the others in the series, but I would recommend reading the series in order, just to get the back stories and backgrounds of the main characters. All in all, I enjoyed Maggie very much in this one and I appreciate a strong, honorable female protagonist. I am already looking forward to the next book!

I cannot get enough of this series so when I saw this latest installment on Netgalley I just had to request it. No matter what is happening in my life I am always up for reading about Maggie Hope. This time Maggie is in Paris trying to find a spy that she believes might have been compromised and also trying to find her half-sister Elise.

While this was was not as dark as some previous books in the series this is still pretty dark and filled with heartbreak for Maggie and readers. As with the other books in the series this follows not only Maggie but other characters. You really grow close to the agents in Paris the more that you read and can't help but feel despair at what happens to certain characters.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the growing relationship between Maggie and her sister. They were able to really bond in this book and I hope their relationship gets a chance to grow even further in the future.

I was not expecting the ending and it has left me dying to know what happens next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

A good Maggie Hope mystery taking place in France, to this one seemed a little flat and the ending I thought was unnecessary. Now I have to wait for the next book too see what happens, I always thing that is a cheap trick.

I've read all of the Maggie Hope books and this was by far my favorite! It was exciting, and heartbreaking, and suspenseful all at the same time. Maggie is in Paris, on a personal quest to find her sister and gets drawn into a life threatening plot to take down SOE. I needed a scorecard to keep track of all the German officers, and what their roles were, but each was more evil that the next. Unfortunately, lives are lost and there is no one to trust, and Maggie is betrayed. Her courage in escaping and helping those less fortunate to safety makes for an enjoyable read with a cliffhanger ending. Don't miss this one!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I loved The Paris Spy! I've read all the Maggie Hope mysteries, and each one is different and interesting in it's own way. In this, the seventh installment, Maggie is working for the British SOE undercover spy service. She goes to Nazi occupied Paris to get information vital to the Allied invasion of Normandy, and she wants to find her sister who helped smuggle Maggie out of Berlin.

To get around Paris without being picked up, Maggie poses as an wealthy Irish bride looking for her trousseau. She has to find the agent with vital invasion information that SOE sent over earlier, but she seems to have disappeared. Maggie believes her sister Elsa is in Paris, but has very few ideas on how to find her.

The historical details about WWII England and France are well researched and fascinating, as they are in all of Susan MacNeal's books. The sense of danger is very real, and it's difficult to imagine what life was actually like for the residents of that beautiful city during the occupation.

The book is very entertaining and I read it in one sitting. The ending leaves you in suspense for the next book in the series, which I"m looking forward to reading!

I highly recommend The Paris Spy, as well as all of the prior books in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Maggie Hope has been Churchill's secretary, a tutor for Princess Elizabeth and an agent for the Special Operations Executive. She now finds herself in Paris as England begins plans for D-Day. Posing as an Irish bride-to-be preparing her trousseau, her true mission is to find her half-sister and a missing SOE agent.

Erica Calvert was sent into France to take sand and soil samples to help determine the landing areas for the invasion. Captured by the Germans, her radio is being used to send false reports back to England. Maggie must discover Erica's fate and help retrieve the samples to send them back to Churchill.

From the war rooms of London to German headquarters in Paris, Susan Elia MacNeal has provided an atmospheric tale of deception. As Maggie travels the streets of Paris you can feel the oppressive atmosphere of the occupation. With plans for the invasion underway, there is a sense of urgency throughout the story.

This is the seventh book in the series and while this is an engrossing story on its' own, an acquaintance with the previous books helps to identify several of the characters and their stories. A surprise twist at the end will leave you anxious for the next installment of this series.

The Paris Spy is part of a series set during WW II; The cover illustration for this latest entry is appealing but does not not reflect the gravity of Maggie and her fellow SOE operatives' risky lives. This book is NOT a cozy mystery; the scenes with interrogation and torture were difficult to read.
I recommend this book. The Paris of the occupation was well drawn and there was an interesting mix of fictional and historical personages, including Coco Chanel. I connected with the characters and worried about their safety.
Occasionally, the plot relied on coincidence and was not completely believable. Nonetheless, I rooted for Maggie and hoped for her mission and England's success as D-day comes closer. I would definitely read other books in this series; the books do not have to be read in order to be enjoyed as some backstory is provided.