Susan Macneal presents a Maggie Hope mystery, the Prisoner in the Castle. Maggie is marooned on the island of Skarra along with other "security risks" during the Second World War. People start dying, murdered. Whodunit? At the same time, Maggie is needed to testify as the only witness in a spy trial in London. Meanwhile off the coast of Scotland a German U boat lurks. Sinister goings on; nasty politics and murderous attacks. Read and enjoy.

With a Nod to Agatha Christie!

This is the second Maggie Hope novel I've read and my TBR contains the first seven as "must reads." What a wonderful series!

Set on an isolated island, pre-D-Day, this meticulously researched tale snatches you back in time to the glamor and austerity of the 1940s, when the baronial estates are being seconded by the war effort to serve as offices and hospitals and training camps. "Loose Lips Sink Ships" is the motto and several individuals in power have taken it seriously enough to create a prison camp for operatives who know too much. There is a fair amount of philosophy, or, should I say, conflicting philosophies, shared and examined, revealing the core beliefs of the characters and contributing to their actions and reactions. Winston Churchill, for instance, is a larger-than-life presence and yet humanized. This story works wonderfully on myriad and intricate levels as thriller and romance and mystery (back to Agatha Christie). Maggie in many ways resembles the intrepid, adventurous Nancy Drew, but as a highly trained (adult!) SOE operative. I am looking forward to the next episode!

My Review of “The Prisoner in the Castle” by Susan Elia MacNeal, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, August 7, 2018

Susan Elia MacNeal, Author of “The Prisoner in the Castle” has written an intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, riveting novel. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, with a touch of Historical Fiction. This is the eighth Maggie Hope novel in the mystery series, but can be read as a stand alone. The author describes her colorful cast of characters as complicated and complex.

Can you imagine that our Heroine Maggie Hope is imprisoned on a secret island, with other agents for knowing too much information? The powers that be are afraid that certain agents can change the course of World War Two by having too much information, and the solution seems to be to imprison them. Unfortunately one or more of these prisoners is a cold-blooded killer and possibly a spy.

The name of the game for Maggie Hope is to survive, and somehow find help. But who can she trust? All the characters are seem suspect in one way and another, and her loved ones don’t know where she is. I highly recommend this novel for those readers that like a tense, and suspenseful story. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

"Prisoner in the Castle" by Susan Elia MacNeal

I first met Maggie Hope six years ago. Since that meeting, I’ve counted her among my friends and look forward to spending a few days with her each year. During that time she’s moved frequently—from secretarial work in Prime Minister Churchill’s office; to Windsor Castle where she tutored the young Princess Elizabeth; across the Atlantic to WWII-era Washington, DC, and the Roosevelt White House; to Berlin; and finally to occupied Paris.

I was dismayed to find that in the past year, Britain’s SOE (Special Operations Executive), the organization running much of Britain’s wartime intelligence-gathering activities, has held her prisoner on a isolated island off the Scottish coast because she had learned information vital to the war effort.

The island’s inmates are housed in a gloomy, Revival-style castle where the original owner’s questionable decorating choices contribute to the pressing atmosphere. Old newspaper clippings and some time going through old documents in the castle library reveal the sordid history of the original owner, thus contributing to the sense of danger and isolation the captive SOE agents experience. As in Agatha Christie’s classic "And Then There Were None", the tension builds as Maggie’s fellow inmates are murdered one by one—who is hunting down the island’s inhabitants and more importantly, why is this happening? Who is trustworthy and who is a murderer?

Tension builds during a long storm and eventually contact with the mainland is completely severed. The former SOE agents are pitted against each other, wondering who among them is the murderer.

During the final day of the storm, the tension erupts. How will Maggie use her sense of reasoning and mathematical skills, her constant assets, to get out of the sticky situations that develop on this isolated island with a history of violence? Will Maggie escape the seemingly inevitable fate of the island’s residents? Will the SOE ever get a rescue team to the island? Will Maggie live for another day and a chance for another assignment?

There’s only one way to find out. Read the book!

This is the best Maggie Hope novel in a long time, especially because of its tricky plot. Maggie finds herself, for reasons unknown, isolated on a remote Scottish island with several other SOE agents and a caretaker family. There only contacts with the outside world are a monthly supply ship.

When folks start turning up dead, Maggie starts to investigate.

With echoes of other famous novels and short stories MacNeal puts together a great page-turner of a book. If you are fans of the series, you'll love it. If you are new to them this is a great entrance.

A group of agents in World World II are secreted away on an isolated island, made prisoners because they know too many secrets. Maggie Hope is desperate to get back so she can help the war effort, but soon she finds herself desperate to stay alive as her fellow island inmates begin dropping dead.

This book had so many homages, big and small, to Agatha Christie and And Then There Were None, and I loved it! It was so fun finding them all, and made me really happy.

The mystery is twisty, and the setting and murders make this a creepy suspenseful page turner. I found myself invested in the characters and what was going to happen to them, especially Maggie. I also really liked the side plot about a series of murders that took place on the island years ago.

This is just a personal preference, but I wasn't as interested in the spy storylines. I think this was because the mystery storyline was so captivating that I wanted to stay with it.

This was a fun, scary, eerie, suspenseful, clever read that used its Agatha Christie references really well.

I requested this title because it intrigued me and the cover illustration is wonderful. (Yes, I sometimes choose a book by its cover.) For those who love historical mysteries, I recommend starting with the first book in the series although THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE can be read as a stand-alone. The Prisoner in the Castle is the eighth and latest installment in the Maggie Hope series.

FIRST SENTENCE: "Always remember when you're on the run, instinct will take over - and if you're not careful, you'll become nothing more than an animal."

THE STORY: Set in WWII, Maggie Hope is a British secret agent who has been banished to a remote Scottish island with a handful of other SOE (Special Operations Executive) prisoners. Killoch Castle, a large and ugly 1900 shooting lodge has become their home. Prohibited from letting friends and family know where they are, boredom reigns until a huge winter storm approaches and people begin to die.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I always mean to read during dialysis but often find myself watching television or wasting time on social media so it took me a few days to commit to involving myself in The Prisoner in the Castle. After recently swearing off more violent stories, reading a tribute to Agatha Christie was such a change. Murders happen but the puzzle is the emphasis.

The opening chapter gets your heart racing before introducing Maggie into the story.

I loved the remote Scottish island, the quirky characters, and the historical tidbits that flesh out the story. Although written in the third person Maggie's thoughts are scattered throughout endearing her to the reader.

Mick Wiggins is responsible for the amazing cover for this book. He has captured the character of Maggie and her situation in a beautiful rendition of despair and cold.

BOTTOM LINE: If asked, I never say I read historical fiction although I have made many exceptions. Susan Elia MacNeal is a great storyteller. Definitely recommended but start with the first book in the series!

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam (August 7, 2018)
ISBN-10: 0399593829
ISBN-13: 978-0399593826

DISCLAIMER: I received a free e-copy of The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal from NetGalley/Bantam for my honest review.

Susan Elia MacNeal is an American author, best known for her Maggie Hope mystery series of novels, which are set during World War II, mainly in London, England. (Wikipedia)

Killoch Castle, once a shooting lodge of Sir Marcus Killoch becomes a prison for eleven members of the Special Operations Executive. The castle is located off the western coast of Scotland on a remote island known as the Isle of Scarra, sometimes called Forbidden Island. The prisoners are all damaged spies of the SOE - “The hush-hush organization created by Winston Churchill to ‘set Europe ablaze’ and conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance behind enemy lines in occupied countries.” This organization was also known as “The Baker Street Irregulars” or “Churchill’s Secret Army”.

Inasmuch as this is a Maggie Hope Mystery, the focus is on the crime solving abilities of the main character. Of course she is one of the prisoners and of course bodies start falling around her and of course this likens onto Agatha Christies famous Mystery “And Then There Were None”. In addition to the familiarity of the mysteries there are references to Sherlock Holmes and a bit of The Godfather thrown in.

Loads of characters are strewn throughout the pages. DCI James Durgin is the stalwart policeman who has to find Maggie to testify against a murderer or see him go free. Peter Frain, the head of MI-5, a friend of the DCI and a former employer of Maggie Hope is enlisted to help find her. Maggie has her detractors as well and the protagonists and antagonists go back and forth with the old Bulldog sure that Maggie will land on top.

There are sub mysteries to be sorted out, a bit of romance afoot and it’s all very down to the wire. This book was just the thing for a plane ride. I especially loved the accurate descriptions of the Scottish coast and her remote islands.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books/Random House for a copy.

I especially enjoyed this current Maggie Hope book. Being a fan of Agatha Christi this book will go to the top of my favorite mystery books. Maggie is exiled with other spies on a remote island. As time past, spies are being murdered. An excellent mystery thrill. Also, was nice to see Maggie in a different setting.

The Prisoner in the Castle is in the Maggie Hope series, and the first one I have read. It certainly won't be the last! MacNeal's descriptive writing puts you on the island, in the castle with all the smells, weather, and tension of this story. A perfect, albeit harrowing, escape to Scotland. Everyone looks guilty, except Maggie. The reveal is done in a 'perfect storm' fashion, and even with all the clues is a surprise!

The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal is a 2018 Random House publication.

A classic ‘locked room’ mystery in a house full of spies!!

I will confess this installment in the Maggie Hope series was not at all what I was expecting. However, I found it was a nice change of pace after enduring some gut-wrenching emotional punches in the last few chapters of the series.

If you like golden age or ‘locked room’ mysteries, Ala Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’, you will love this one.

The story begins with Maggie being exiled to Scotland because SOE believes she is a liability, due to the bombshell military secrets she discovered. She is secluded away in an old Scottish castle along with other agents, who find themselves exiled as well, for various reasons. But, one by one, her fellow ‘guests’ are being murdered and Maggie is stumped, unsure who to trust, because, of course, they are all suspects.

The traumas and consequences of the war are not forgotten, but Maggie is not on an official assignment in this installment. But trouble followed her anyway. She's barely arrived when the first murder occurs. Meanwhile, Maggie’s friends and allies back home are beginning to suspect she may be in trouble. But, will they arrive in time and can they convince the SOE to release her?

Once it became clear that this book would be a bit of a departure from what I’ve come to expect, I was a little puzzled. I had expected some diabolical plot, but never imagined anything like this!!

But, it is hard not to be drawn in by the new spin on Christie’s classic. Before long, I caught myself playing along with the guessing game. Who would be the next victim? Who was the killer and what was the motive? A good old -fashioned mystery is always fun, but what about Maggie’s role as a spy? What does this story have to do with the war or Maggie’s mission? Well… let’s just say there is
A LOT going on at Scarra Isle.

MacNeal did a magnificent job of creating taut, edge of your seat suspense, starting with the location, and adding in a spectacular storm, and of course keeping the residents trapped, without any means of escape, with a deranged killer. Suspicion and paranoia reach the appropriate level of hysteria, building and building to the ultimate crescendo. This is not an exact copy of Christie’s novel, just to be clear. It has a fresh twist and is unique to this series, and not just some random intermission.

Yet, this installment is a bit unconventional, and unless you just want to enjoy a fresh twist on a classic golden age mystery, I wouldn’t recommend this one as a stand-alone. However, if you are a fan of this series, be ready to see Maggie’s detecting skills put the test in a way she never imaged.

Maggie will have more trials to face in the upcoming installment, if nothing else, but I think perhaps her dangerous knowledge that everyone thought would endanger war strategies, was blown out of proportion, and isn’t so dangerous anymore. A new assignment will most likely await her- and I’ll be there cheering her on!!


4 stars

A Scottish castle, an isolated island, and murders are happening amongst the guests. A WWII take on a Christie classic. This story was extremely well crafted with plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings to keep me glued until I finished the book. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

At the end of the last book, Maggie Hope had been sent to Forbidden Island after a mission gone horribly wrong and after the discovery of a major war secret. At the beginning of this book, a society recruit with a penchant for killing is sent to the island as well. Basically, everyone on the island has been sent because they're a broken toy. And it ends up that with an island of broken toys, it can turn into an Agatha Christie mystery very quickly.
I really enjoy Ms. MacNeal's stories and this one did not disappoint.

This book came out August 7
Four stars

An inescapable island dooms all!

Maggie Hope finds herself in a dire situation in friendly territory. Sequested on the remote Scottish island of Scara (aka 'the cooler' and the 'Forbidden Island') by the Special Operations Executive for nebulous reasons, along with other rogue agents, things take a sinister turn. Meanwhile Maggie's friends think she's on another mission. No one is aware of Maggie's incarceration. No one is looking for her, until Maggie's needed as a witness for a court case, and even then information is not forthcoming from SOE. Her friends have to take other routes to suss out what's become of her.
Meanwhile, the inhabitants (a rather motley crew, incarcerated for good and not good reasons) of the island begin to meet with foul play. The island becomes a death trap, and there is no way to leave. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's 'Then There Were None', the tension ramps up as Maggie and her companions are left not knowing who to trust and what the end game is.
Another macabre story about the island and it's previous owner underscores the seclusion of the island, adding grist to the mill as the current inhabitants look to surviving.
I enjoyed this further Maggie 'dare doing' but was not as taken with this Hope novel as I have been with previous titles.

A NetGalley ARC

THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE, the eighth installment in the excellent Maggie Hope Mystery Series, is a worthy homage to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, and it deviates enough from the original work to stand on its own merits.

Maggie Hope finds herself virtually imprisoned, though a somewhat comfortable prison, with other SEO agents who know too much, on an island off the west coast of Scotland. They are expected to ride out the rest of the war isolated, determined to be a danger to British national security and the greater war effort. When the commanding officer suddenly dies, everyone assumes it is of natural causes. Even when an “inmate” also dies shortly thereafter, it is not obvious that it is foul play. That is, until the body count continues to rise. In a castle full of secret agents, all trained to kill, who could possibly be behind the murders? Maggie and the other agents find themselves walking on eggshells waiting for the next offense to occur. As the tally rises, the danger is palpable, and Maggie does what she can to get to the bottom of things.

Even though Maggie is not on the front lines of WWII in this installment, there is more than enough danger and plenty of intrigue to make a compelling read. There are a few clues, red herrings, and unexpected twists along the way to keep readers guessing. I do, however, wish there had been more active investigating for Maggie to do. Most of the information she came across seemed to be by accident. The agents are all interesting in their own rights, and I enjoyed learning a bit of their back stories as the story progresses. The plot moves along a steady pace, and the writing is descriptive and clean.

I greatly enjoyed my time with Maggie and look forward to many more adventures with her.

I received an ARC of this title through NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

The Prisoner in the Castle is a great spy thriller/murder mystery. The characters are, for the most part, quirky egocentric spies who have been derailed to the "cooler" during WWII. Maggie Hope seems like one of the few who can "stay calm and carry on." The story kept me on edge with lots of false starts and accusations, and interested with new information to apply at each turn. I really enjoyed it! This is the first book I have read by Susan Elia MacNeal, and I will definitely be reading the other Maggie Hope mysteries!

In a homage to Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None, comes the eight installment in the Maggie Hope series. And it's a good one.

It's November 1942, and for almost five months now, SOE agent Maggie Hope has been held as a sequestered prisoner in a castle on the deserted Isle of Scarra in Scotland. Sure, she has freedom to move around around the castle and the island, since no one lives there but their jailer Captain Evans and the McNaughton family that helps out in the castle, but it also means no phone calls or letters or communication of any kind with the outside world. And Maggie isn't alone on the island. In fact, there are nine other agents, all sequestered because they, like Maggie, know high level wartime secrets that the Special Operations Executive believes they might inadvertently let fall into the wrong hands.

The agents are well taken care on the island. Once a month, a boat arrives with their Jungian psychologist Dr. Charles Jaeger and whatever supplies are needed, but staying only a very short time.

Into this already sinister setting comes SOE agent Camilla Oddell, sent to the island after killing another agent during a training drill. Naturally, once the first body is discovered, that of Captain Evans, she immediately comes under Maggie's suspicions. But why? What would be her motive? Breaking into Captain Evans' office, the agents use his radio to call Arisaig House, command center for SOE agent training, but before they can come to get his body, another death is discovered.

As more agents are murdered, it becomes clear to Maggie that the murderer is one of the agents. When a severe storm hits the island, lasting for days, and making it impossible for a boat from Arisaig House to come, Maggie realizes that there is also a German spy, who could be living in the castle or hiding elsewhere. Can she discover what is happening before she becomes a victim?

Meanwhile in London, the trial of the Blackout Beast (See The Queen's Accomplice, Maggie Hope #6) begins, and in a surprise move, Nicolas Reitter, the accused murderer, pleads not guilty. Now, the case will go to trial and Maggie is the only living witness. Detective Chief Inspector James Durgin, who has more than a professional interest in Maggie, must now try to find the sequestered agent, or Reitter will go free.

Yes, for a "locked room" or rather a deserted island mystery, there's a lot going on here. MacNeal has imbued this novel with an interesting, eclectic cast of characters, all reflecting the kind diverse backgrounds of the real agents in the SOE, and then some. Readers get a real sense of each one, even those that don't last very long.

And this is a novel where the setting plays a much of a role as each character. Killoch Castle, where they all live, has a really storied history of its own. Built in 1900, it is a large and ugly Tudor style structure, a mix of "Victorian and Edwardian excess," and populated by a large collection of taxidermied wild animals. It had been the hunting lodge of a wealthy man with a big ego named Marcus Killoch, reputed to be quite the playboy in his day, but who is said to have killed ten of his invited guests one night, and then himself.

There certainly seems to be parallels between Killoch's murders, the murders of SOE agents, and Christi's And Then There Were None, but like all good mystery writers, MacNeal gives The Prisoner in the Castle her own spin.

I enjoyed reading this novel as much as I have enjoyed all the Maggie Hope mysteries. This one was very different, in that Maggie is very frustrated at not being able to use her training for the war effort (be careful what you wish for, Maggie), and yet it was still war related and exciting. And I have to admit, I was surprised by who turned out to be the killer and who was the spy. And they weren't the only surprises. And a surprise ending is always a good thing in a mystery.

This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was a EARC received from NetGalley

Maggie Hope just cannot catch a break. In her latest adventure, she finds herself a prisoner of SOE and MI6 because she knows too much. She and other highly trained agents are being held in relative comfort on a remote island in the Hebrides. That there was such a "cooler" in a remote part of Scotland is historical fact. One can only hope that the agents who were actually held did not have to deal with a murderer picking them off one at a time (a la Agatha Christie's And Then There Were Nonce, which gets a shout-out (under its original name) at the beginning of the book), or a Nazi spy. You would think that with all that going, there would be a lot of tension in this book, but you would be wrong. Someone dies, they all gasp, but remind themselves that they are not only British (stiff upper lip, old thing) but also trained agents, so they must just soldier on. We hear Maggie's interior monologue that reminds us that she's so scared and just wants to go home, and that she's a trained agent and can handle this, and she steps forward and takes charge of the situation and tries to calm everyone else's fears (frankly, most of the others don't act like trained agents). And then someone else is murdered and they all repeat the process. Oh, and there's a couple of really enormous red herrings.

This is definitely not the strongest book in the Maggie Hope series, but, as always, I look forward to seeing what MacNeal gets Maggie up to next.

This title just didn't hold my interest. The introduction was intriguing, but the setting felt too cliched.

Then next Maggie Hope story is here! I love this series, which is WWII mystery series centering on a young and daring spy, Maggie Hope. I used to think of them as cozies, but they really aren’t. They are more of a historical mystery. I learn so much about women’s roles in WWII while reading them!

This one reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Everyone is dying, one by one, and Maggie must find the killer.

Here’s the description from Net Galley – thanks for my review e-copy! Happy Pub Day!

Description
A series of baffling murders among a group of imprisoned agents threatens the outcome of World War II in this chilling mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.
World War II is raging and former spy Maggie Hope knows too much.

She knows what the British government is willing to do to keep its secrets.

She knows the real location of the planned invasion of France.

She knows who’s lying. She knows who the double-crossers are. She knows exactly who is sending agents to their deaths.

These are the reasons why Maggie is isolated on a remote Scottish island, in a prison known as Killoch Castle, out of contact with friends and family.

Then one of her fellow inmates drops dead in the middle of his after-dinner drink . . . and he’s only the first. As victims fall one by one, Maggie will have to call upon all her wits and skills to escape—not just certain death . . . but certain murder.

For what’s the most important thing Maggie Hope knows?

She must survive.