This is the first Libby Clark mystery for me. There's a better mystery in the bones of this quick read. Libby is a fine character but the issue of sabotage at Oak Ridge during 1945 could be explored more deeply and not resolved so quickly as it is here. This is a quick read and if you might enjoy it more if you aren't familiar with Oak Ridge's history. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is the first book of Diane Fanning that I read that was not true crime. I really liked this book. I liked the characters and the plot. It was a quick easy read and I am looking forward to reading more of the Libby Clark series.

Book about a female scientist working at Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project? Yes please!
Oh, it's part of a mystery series. Not really my genre, but I'll try.

This book has all the elements of something I should love, but I definitely did not love it. The main character, Libby, is such a Mary Sue I can't stand it. I can't believe that someone would have been able to get away with as much as she did without consequences. The characterizations of the men in this book were sorely lacking. I couldn't differentiate between the different members of the Walking Molecules because there weren't any! The mysterious sabotage was very elementary and seemed to be resolved too easily. I expected to get more of a reason why it was done, but all I got was a huge gaping plot hole about how it was accomplished.

For the record, I did go back and read the first two books in the series. I didn't think either one was very good, but I gave this one a shot because sometimes it takes a couple of books for a series to warm up. Unfortunately, this series remained tepid. This ending seemed to indicate this is the last book in the series, and I say thank goodness for that.

After reading Sabotage in the Secret City by Diane Fanning, I was very confused. on what exactly the book was aiming to present. At times there was a lot of intrigue and some mystery. There seemed to be a good plot idea at times, but overall there were too many moving pieces. There seemed to be almost 3 different plots going on at the same time, all related but not connected enough to make it make sense. I am still not sure what the "message" of the book was supposed to be. I think with a few minor tweaks and a more solid ending, the book could be really hard hitting.

Thank you to Severn House Publishers and Diane Fanning for providing me with an advanced reading copy.