Maggie Hope is an American-born secret agent working for the British government during World War II. However, she’s been sidelined at a secret facility on a remote island in Scotland, essentially a prison for agents who know too much or are compromised in some way. Maggie is frustrated about not being able to help the war effort, but the frustration gives way to fear as agents slowly begin to be killed off one by one. Back in London, DCI Dustin is searching for Maggie as she is the only living witness who can testify against a serial killer she helped capture, and without her evidence, he may walk free. Can he track down Maggie, and can Maggie figure out who the killer is before it’s too late?

This was my first experience with the Maggie Hope series, and I assure you it won’t be the last! I don’t know if it’s because I only read cheesy Christmas romances for the past couple of weeks, but I absolutely inhaled this book! It was so hard to put it down! Maggie is plucky, brave, and smart, a perfect heroine to follow through the action. The historical fiction aspects were very interesting. And this very much had an Agatha Christie “And Then There We’re None” vibe, and seeing as how that’s one of my favorite books, naturally I loved that. There was a bit of language, including a couple of f-words, but overall nothing was too graphic. Time to check out how Maggie’s story begins! Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

Reading this book, FINALLY, reminded me just how burnt out I am of Maggie hope. I do thank the publisher, author, and NG for this copy in exchange for my review, but I just cannot praise it as I may just be over this whole sub genre of WWII historical fiction. There was nothing wrong with this book, and it had a natural fit into the series, it’s just no longer my cup of tea, and I most likely will no longer buy from this series

This book is part of the Maggie Hope Mystery Series. November 1942, Maggie is trying to stay alive as other agents around her are sent to their deaths. Can she keep herself alive while others are dying? This was a great historical fiction novel.

I haven't read any of the Maggie Hope mysteries before, so diving in on this one was probably a bad choice. I didn't love it. There were so many side characters with major roles in the story, but I struggled to keep track of them all. The story was well structured but I just couldn't get into it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
Another in the Maggie Hope series. This one outshines most of others. Consuming from beginning to end.

Unlike a lot of other readers, I haven’t read any previous Maggie Hope books and this is the eighth in the series, so I came with no knowledge of the character or the previous WWII adventures she'd had. That left me scrambling a bit as I tried to piece together Maggie’s relationships with people back in London and how her backstory fit into this one. But that was a minor complaint and really, just left me hungry to read the previous novels.
I love locked-room mysteries (in this case a remote castle on the western slopes of Scotland) so that added to my enjoyment as I tried to figure out who among the eleven British SOE agents sequestered there (because of what they knew) was murdering the others one by one. (and yes, it’s similar to Christie’s And Then There Were None in that respect). I did find myself questioning early on the premise that the British government would actually imprison valuable agents in the middle of a crucial war, only to find in an author note at the end that yes, this type of facility actually did exist.
The plotting was spot-on, although in the early stages, I had a bit of trouble keeping all the various characters straight. And the settings—both the horrendous weather that keeps help from arriving and provides serious obstacles to Maggie communicating to her possible helpmates, as well as the creepy Scottish castle with its turrets, taxidermy heads, and hidden passages—lent an added layer to the mysterious goings-on. The most enjoyable part of the book was trying to figure out the “who” but the backstory of the previous residents of the castle lent an interesting air of foreboding to the remote setting.
I would definitely read earlier books in the series as Maggie Hope seems to be a resourceful, intelligent, and empathetic character, who reminded me of Maisie Dobbs, one of my favorite heroines. Plus I’m a sucker for WWII stories of female bravery and ingenuity.

Typically I'm not one to jump into the middle of a series. But so many friends love this series that I thought, why not? I was a bit disappointed, but it could have been the hype. This was much more a "locked room" mystery than a spy novel. The author did reference "And Then There Were None" (though, by it's original title) relatively early on and then seemed to follow that recipe.

I think if I'd started at the beginning of the series maybe I would have felt differently. I was entertained, just disappointed after all the rave reviews for Maggie Hope.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Another great installation of the Maggie Hope series. Full of action, mystery, intrigue, etc. Once I started reading, it was impossible to put down. I can’t wait for the next book.

I was on the edge of my seat while reading this. It had a similar vibe to And Then There Were None. A great mystery! Really enjoying this series. One of my favorite historical mystery series.

Such an amazing, fantastic series. Each book is better than the last. So many great characters. You feel like you’re right there with them.

I agree with several other reviewers. I should have read the first seven books in this series first. But the opportunity to receive this book as an ARC from NetGalley and not realizing it was part of a series had me attempting to read the book.

It is obvious that I would have enjoyed the book better if I had read the other books in the series. However, I did enjoy the mystery and getting to know Maggie Hope enough that I may go back and read the other books.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I completely forgot to review this book, which is ironic because I think it's my favorite one of the whole series!
A locked-room mystery is my kryptonite, and Susan Elia MacNeal wrote one worthy of Dame Agatha Christie.

I can't wait for the next book in the series, coming out this year. 5/5 stars!

This was a great additon to the series! We follow Maggie who is being held prisoner on an island full of spies. Once the other spies start turning up dead, Maggie has to solve the mystery before she becomes next. This novel echoes Agatha Christies "And Then There Were None" so if you like that, you'll love this.

I love the Maggie Hope series, but this was not my favorite of them. There were way too many people to keep track of, and the story was very slow and predictable. I'm looking forward to the next Maggie Hope book though, hoping Ms. MacNeal gets back into her groove!

Susan Elia MacNeal crafts great characters and great plots but also gives such a great peak into history that these novels are a lovely form of entertainment.

I am reading everything I can find by this author now. The book was well paced and I enjoyed the protagonist, a smart and empathetic, breath of fresh air,very much. Will be looking forward to more in this series.

An "okay" read that, for me, is a bit of a miss; it's got most, if not all of the hallmarks, of a wonderful Christie/39 Steps/Alan Furst crossover (and maybe that's the problem?) that ends up gesturing towards its influences instead of fully exploring or committing to one thread. There are a lot of *things* going on here, and some of them are like, "What? Is that even physically possible?" - there's some business with a deer that I found especially ridiculous. Anyway, I think I'd read the next Maggie Hope mystery, if only to see if a more-focused location would increase my enjoyment.

Early in WWII, the British is training special agents to send into Europe.  Some of them wash out but are too deep into the training to be allowed to just walk away.  So they are sent to a private island with a big house and no way off.  They develop a strange relationship.  People start turning up dead and no one feels safe.  They wait for the weekly visit and those people turn up dead also.  

Eventually, there are only a few left and Maggie Hope is working on turning up the culprit.  

This is a good read that takes many twists and turns.  If you enjoy reading twists and turns, this should please you.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this eighth installment in the Maggie Hope series, in which Maggie is back from her most recent spy mission (Paris, this time) and has been sent to convalesce on a restful Scottish island with other like-minded/employed individuals - or has she?
Former spies, just like Maggie, are dying one by one on this remote Scottish island - from which there is no escape. Maggie must solve this mystery before she becomes a victim herself - as well as find a way home in the end.
As mentioned, this novel was a welcome change from its predecessor, in which Maggie was spying on the Germans in Paris. I'm definitely not a fan of the jaded, angry woman Maggie becomes when she's undercover, thus, it's always a happy day for me when she returns to her gentle, serious. brilliant self - and gets ready to kick some serious butt. And butt she does kick, my friends!
I read this book as part of a Readathon, and so read it in just a few hours - it was a perfect novel for such a task, as it moved quickly and kept me well-entertained throughout. Maggie Hope - my hero!

Maggie, who originally started out as Churchill's Secretary and is now a Major and has completed some harrowing missions but now is under house arrest of sorts because she knows who is willing to sacrifice British agents to keep a secret. Detective Chief Inspector James Durgin who was introduced in the Queen's Accomplice, is the only one asking where Maggie has disappeared to under the guise of needing her to testify in the Blackout Beast serial killer trial. David Greene, Maggie's good friend and Churchill's personal assistant teams up with Detective Duggan in asking what happened to Maggie. The house full of detainees is complex and they each have their issues. Then there is the household staff who who have their own secrets.

The setting of a remote Scottish island is pure Gothic gold. It provides the chilling atmospheric backdrop for multiple murders. The most important part is that the author knows how to maximize the setting for a Hitchcock-like ratcheting of suspense.

The plot uses the framework of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" with the added tension of WWII and each resident is a trained British Agent under house arrest for any number of reasons, plus one may be a double agent. There have been many re-creations of Christie's classic, but this novel took the concept to a whole new level.

The killer reveal/confrontation is nail biting thrills and chills. The author has made such gripping reveals a trade mark and she never fails to have me at the edge of my seat. Well played, yet again. The pacing is a little slow at the beginning to setup the conditions on the island and introduce the house full of incarcerated guests. But the first murder is soon discovered and the pace doesn't let up from there.

For the eighth book in the series, Ms. MacNeal knocked this out of the ball park. I can see this as a blockbuster movie easily.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.