I requested this book from NetGalley not long after reading The Woman Who Smashed Codes, which told the story of Elizebeth Smith, a code-breaker “who played an integral role in our nation's history for forty years,” including working against Nazi Germany in World War II. Because of this, I had high hopes for The Prisoner in the Castle, a fictional mystery which similarly told the story of Maggie Hope, who was described in the blurb as an “American-born spy and code-breaker extraordinaire,” as it seemed it would be some combination of the former with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

However, this was not that book. I was really hoping for more code-breaking from our heroine (which may have played a larger role in previous books, but seeing as I didn’t read them, I can’t say for certain). Although The Prisoner in the Castle had a lot of Agatha Christie-esque elements – with characters overtly mentioning the author – it didn’t have the same feel. I didn’t feel a strong connection with any of the characters and thus wasn’t as motivated to care as much about their demise, or who was behind it. There were too many characters to keep track of (though that seems also to be an Agatha Christie thing, as in And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express), and they weren’t really all that memorable. The subplot about the previous owner of the castle felt more like an afterthought, and it didn’t really mesh with the overall storyline.

Part of the problem, for me, was the fact that I entered this series on the eighth book. Although the author notes they can be read independently from the rest of the series, it is obviously not recommended due to the lack of character development from previous books. The main storyline about Maggie Hope being held on an island with other SOE prisoners that know too much then start mysteriously dying one-by-one was easy enough to follow, and I thought it was decent overall. However, by starting with the eighth book, I didn’t get a true sense of Maggie’s character, her relationship with the other characters mentioned, or any of the events leading up to her imprisonment on the island.

Overall, The Prisoner in the Castle was a decent read, but it still wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be. I probably won’t be checking out the previous books in the series, but I might consider reading subsequent books.

Trigger warnings for gruesome deaths, sexual violence, and hunting/animal violence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam (Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine) for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

I read this through Net Galley and this was my first Maggie Hope book to read. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery tale, the WWII historical setting, and the descriptive writing. Now I want to read previous novels from this collection.! Highly recommended!

I have heard great things about the Maggie Hope mastery series and I finally had a chance to read the latest installment. World War II is at its peak in Great Britain. Emotions are on high alert and no one can be trusted. Maggie Hope has been sent to Forbidden Island for a special training, or so she is told. Forbidden Island is really the Isle of Scarra, a three square mile island off the coast of Scotland with rugged terrain and horrible storms. Maggie is also not in a special training camp but is actually a prisoner in the ugly, formidable Kiloch Castle along with other individuals of the SOE, or Special Operations Executives. No one knows why anyone else is there which shrouds each prisoner in secrecy and, just like outside the walls of the castle, no one can be trusted.


After a newcomer joins the captives at the castle people begin dying under incredibly mysterious circumstances. Maggie, being the levelheaded woman that she is, chalks them up to mere coincidences, until the deaths become so numerous that there is no way they can be just coincidences. Someone is killing the prisoners off one by one and Maggie quickly realizes that she must find out who the murderer is before she's the next victim.

I really enjoyed this novel and found it an engaging read. The reader finds themselves instantly intrigued and constantly trying to guess the murderer. The writing is so well done that you can see the grotesque castle as well as the beautiful Isle of Scarra, which is actually a fictitious island, but there were some historical gems that were true that really added to the realism of the story as a whole.

The Prisoner in the Castle absolutely made me fall in love with Maggie Hope and I will definitely be reading more novels in the series. If you're in a mood for a good mystery then this is the book for you! I promise you won't regret it!

Prisoner in the Castle Review

So here we are in the eighth installment of the Maggie Hope series, and I swear it just keeps getting better every time! Ms. MacNeal keeps the pace ramped up in this latest book, and keeps the reader guessing till the very end.

Our heroine, Maggie Hope, has been sent to an SOE cooler off the shore of Scotland. In other words, she knows too much. Instead of an asset, she’s now seen as a liability to the Allied war effort. It’s been a few months since the end of the previous book, The Paris Spy, so Maggie has adjusted to her new living situation, even if she’s not happy with it. She is living in an old manor home with several other agents, all of whom have been sent for their own reasons. Within the first few pages of the book, the body count starts to rise. Maggie has to figure out who is the one systematically eliminating the agents, while at the same time, her friends David Greene and DCI James Durgin back in London are trying to figure out where she is.

Ms. MacNeal once again brings history to life, while also putting her excellent storytelling abilities on full display. Her talent for weaving together fiction with fact is unrivaled, and she does so while simultaneously causing the reader to fall in love with the characters. The story is full of twists and turns, and you’ll think you know...but will you? Everyone is under suspicion here.

My only disappointment in this….I now have to wait for the next installment. If you haven’t read this series yet, you’ve got time to go pick them up and dive in. Seriously. You’ll thank me later.

Maggie Hope knows more than she should - but she won't talk. Sent to an island off northern Scotland to ensure she does not share what she knows. Maggie encounters an eclectic mix of other people who know something they shouldn't as well as someone who will kill to find information to take them home to Germany. This keeps you guessing till the end.

I love the Maggie Hope series! This did not disappoint. So many references in the books have prompted me to look up SOE history and learn more. Maggie is a brave and interesting protagonist. I look forward to the next in the series!

Maggie Hope is back! The Prisoner in the Castle is the next installment in the Maggie Hope Mystery series. I have read many books in the Maggie Hope series and really enjoyed them.

Throughout her travels, Maggie Hope has acquired a lot of knowledge (among other things) and it’s this collection of knowledge that makes her a threat some believe. It's these beliefs which have landed Maggie imprisoned in Killoch Castle on a remote Scottish island.

In The Prisoner in the Castle, Maggie Hope faces one of her greatest predicaments thus far, imprisonment in an isolated castle away from friends and family who don't know where she is. Not only is she imprisoned but others around her are coming up dead. In true Maggie Hope style she has to use all the gifts and skills she has to escape from her prison before she's next.

I really enjoy this series because Maggie Hope is resilient, bright and filled with mirth.

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The swashbuckling Maggie Hope returns! In another of Susan Elia McNeil’s action packed novels set in Britain during World War II, Maggie, and the security threatening information she has learned, has been quarantined in Scotland along with a dangerous group of “unreliable” spies and a killer. As usual, Maggie steps up and takes charge. (Not a spoiler; you already knew she had to come out alive!)

This was a fun read, with the Hope series’ usual historical interest.

THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE by Susan Elia MacNeal is yet another well-written mystery in the Maggie Hope series (see also previously reviewed titles like The Prime Minister's Secret Agent and The Paris Spy). Maggie performs clandestine work for the British government during WWII and in this novel, she is sent to the "cooler" on an isolated island in the north of Scotland. As a kind of "house party," she and several other trained spies are detained together due to various reasons like emotional breakdowns, too much knowledge, violent tendencies and so forth. They are forced to stay at the decrepit Killoch Castle whose past owner was accused of murdering his guests and committing suicide. While spending their days fishing, hunting, eating and drinking, these professional soldiers are frustrated at being forced to sit out the war, but that quickly changes to fear and paranoia as more and more members of their group are murdered in a manner reminiscent of Christie's And Then There Were None. THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE is a bit more of a "cozy" mystery than earlier titles in the series, but Maggie still needs all of her training and some quick thinking to survive in this entertaining, well-researched historical mystery.

Links to earlier reviews of Maggie Hope mysteries:
https://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2014/07/prime-ministers-secret-agent-by-susan.html
https://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-paris-spy-by-susan-elia-macneal.html

Dame Agatha Christie would be pleased, I think. The Prisoner in the Castle pays homage to And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. It's an engaging, twisty locked room mystery. Maggie Hope finds herself trapped with a killer, will she escape the island or will it become her burial place?
Maggie soon discovers that she is a prisoner, completely cut off from the outside world. No phone, no news, no radio, and no family looking for her as they have been told she, and her fellow prisoners are on assignment. Each person has been deemed a liability to the war effort. Then a killer strikes and Maggie must unravel the mystery before she's next.
I enjoyed this entry in the series even though I haven't read all of the previous books. I will be catching up,ASAP. I had the feeling that I would have gotten more out of the story if I had read them all but I can still, without hesitation, say this is fine as a standalone. Until the ninety book comes my way, I will be playing catchup. I'm looking forward to spending more time with Maggie.

It's important to read Susan Elia MacNeal's novels in order! Maggie Hope's story develops throughout WWII but begins with Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Her own progress from secretary to secret agent is unexpected and unusual. If you catch up with Maggie Hope at The Prisoner in the Castle, this 8th book in the series, you find her hidden and isolated in Western Scotland. She's kept with other secret agents and denied communications, correspondence, the news and access to the outside world. We only know that many of these agents are being kept away, possibly punished, and could be too dangerous to release. There is the threat and risk of further prosecution or punishment, particularly as we learn more about Maggie's companions.

When a young debutante/secret agent joins the group, there are sudden suspicious deaths on the island. Violent deaths, poisoning, etc. it is clear that a murder is among them. Maggie and her companions must find the killer and survive.

Fortunately, Maggie has made loyal friends and two of them are determined to find out where she is being kept and help her return to London. The question is whether they will find her in time and if she will be allowed her freedom.

The Prisoner in the Castle refers to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. It also shares the same situation - guests trapped and isolated find that they are slowly being picked off by a murderer. The Prisoner in the Castle combines the suspense of Christie's classic with Maggie Hope's particular dilemma. It's a satisfying addition to the series.

This is a darker Maggie Hope, a spy deemed too dangerous by her own side, cast off on an island with other spies who are similarly sidelined. There is a Nazi spy in the midst, a cast of characters, and one dead body after another. This Maggie is a long way from the mathematical genius who inherited her English grandmother's house and came to England with hope and curiosity. Yet the book also is a bit of a relief from Maggie as Superwoman, a theme of the last several books in this series. She is troubled, can't sleep, worried about her life, and truly sad. Yet Maggie Hope doesn't give up and won't quit on herself or her adopted country. She is tough, smart and vulnerable, yet refused to back down. The book is an obvious, but loving, tribute to Agatha Christie's tale of death on an island, and the culprit is surprising (or it was to me). There is a deeper mystery about the man who built the castle and his nefarious ways that author Susan Elia MacNeal weaves in seamlessly. A few more dead bodies than I like, but the interplay among characters and the sense of desperation made this a book I read in one fell swoop. (I received an ARC on NetGalley. Opinions are mine.)

Susan Elia MacNeal does not disappoint with this latest installment in her Maggie Hope series! 'The Prisoner in the Castle' is clever, full of suspense, and draws you in from the very first page. One of the darker story lines in the series, MacNeal nevertheless manages to include a fleet of quirky characters, as well as plenty of witty dialogue. We reunite with some old favorites and meet a whole new cast of friends. Maggie is in fine form (per usual), but we also get to see a more vulnerable side of her as she encounters one of her most psychologically terrifying scenarios yet. If you're already a fan of the series, this new addition is pitch perfect--if you've never read any of MacNeal's books before, let this be a recommendation for you to do so as soon as possible!

I’m a real fan of this series and have read all but one of the books. How I missed the last book is beyond me but I will be rectifying that shortly.

A quick word to say that while this book can be read stand-alone, I suggest reading the series in order. The series follows events of WWII and provides a good history backdrop to the fictional account of Maggie Hope, English spy. Even missing the last book was enough to make me wonder about what had just happened to place Maggie where she is in this story.

Maggie and some fellow English spies are being held (by their own government) on an island prison just off the coast of Scotland. When some suspicious deaths occur, the spies start turning on their own. Maggie keeps her head and tries to figure out the logical play of events. Since Maggie is a mathematician, logic plays a large part of her persona.

The past looms large with the history of the island reasserting itself in current events.
I will be looking forward to more books in this series in the future. I’ve enjoyed not only the progress of the stories but also the growth of the author as she has honed her skill from book to book.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Maggie's been relocated to a remote Scottish island, in theory used for training but in reality it's a prison for those people too dangerous - or too risky for the war effort - to leave.

So there she is, suddenly in the middle of what reads more like an Agatha Christie adventure, except that all the spies must investigate themselves. There's one obvious suspect, but really, it could be anyone... And unknown to Maggie, the Blackout Beast may walk free from court without her testimony, but no-one in the police force knows where she is, and those in SOE who do know aren't talking. Will the murderers escape justice? Will Maggie ever get to leave?

It felt like a change of pace from the previous books, but this worked well for the setting. I was kept guessing, right till the end, and the resolution felt generally satisfying.

Maggie Hope is back! This series is a perfect mix of period (WWII) intrigue, a smart, realistic hero (Maggie) and fascinating, complex plots. Readers have seen Maggie through many different jobs and dangerous situations in England and elsewhere, as she navigates the war era as a woman who is much smarter and more capable than many of the men running the action, and, though frustrated in many instances, who is able to insert herself into problems and succeed. In this story, Maggie is reaping the results of too much knowledge about some bad actors and their poor war decisions. She is stuck on a remote island off the coast of England, a virtual prisoner, to sit out the rest of the war. When her misfit colleagues in the same situation start dying, Maggie tries to figure out what is going on before she gets killed! Fans will love this new story that is full of action and suspense. World War II buffs will find, as always, fascinating nuggets of information. All in all, a great treat for mystery fans!

WWII Spies Held on an Island Die One-By-One

Being a prisoner on the Island of Scarra on Scotland’s northern coast, was not the way Maggie Hope envisioned spending the end of WWII. The island was owned by an eccentric millionaire, and the castle where the spies are held is magnificent, if eerie.

Maggie knows too much and the secret service no longer trusts her because she refused an assignment that would have required her to send unsuspecting recruits to their deaths in the war zone. She and the other spies are being kept on the remote island to assure they keep their secrets.

The captivity is just boring in spite of the amenities offered by the castle, until one-by-one the spies begin to die. As the deaths mount, the island is cut off by a raging storm and Maggie must find the murderer to save the other prisoners.

This is a take off on Agatha Christie’s “And The There Were None.” The plot works very well on a remote island cut off from help. It will keep you guessing who the murderer is.

Maggie’s character is well developed. She starts the book enclosed and upset because of being incarcerated, but as tension mounts her skill at organizing the prisoners and keeping them as safe as possible comes to the fore.

I highly recommend this book. If you have read other Maggie Hope books, you’ll enjoy this one. If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, you will find the plat engaging.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

If you have a suspicious nature like mine, it won't be all that difficult to narrow down the field of suspects in MacNeal's homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but it's still a fun read, and anyway, the best mysteries are about more than merely deducing the identity of a killer. The Prisoner in the Castle satisfies on so many levels, such as... The way MacNeal weaves historical facts into her narrative. The way she breathes atmosphere into her Hebridean setting. The way the action sequences in her book have your eyes glued to the page. And I could go on. In fact, I think I will.

The main strength of this book (and the entire series) is the character of Maggie Hope herself. Longtime fans have seen her grow from a clerical position at Bletchley Park to Winston Churchill's secretary to secret agent, and each step is believable. Maggie Hope is extremely intelligent and extremely dedicated. She can think on her feet, and she doesn't know when to give up. The high-powered ending of The Prisoner in the Castle shows how tough and resourceful Maggie is. Femininity is far from being a disadvantage, as many women actually proved during World War II. And-- lucky for her-- she's gathered friends around her who care deeply for her and who also refuse to take no for an answer. In war as in life, we all need friends.

If you're new to the series and simply cannot face going back to the beginning (Mr. Churchill's Secretary), you can begin here, but Maggie is such a wonderful character, I do hope you will reconsider. Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series is one of my favorite historical mystery treats. Neither woman disappoints.

This feels like It is a nod to the "murder on an island" that Agatha Christie did so well. Maggie has to figure out who is killing everyone before she’s next. Everyone on this island is a spy with their own secrets so who can she really trust. It's a great mystery, a who done it that absolutely works! While you don't have to read the other books in the series. I would suggest you do. It just gets better and better. Yea Maggie!!

3.75 stars

This latest entry in the Maggie Hope mystery series pays homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, famous for isolating a group of people on an island and then having a murderer pick them off one by one.

Clandestine operative Maggie has been exiled because she knows too much about the impending D Day operation and they can't risk having her fall into enemy hands and revealing anything under torture. She is sent to an obscure small island off the west coast of Scotland where she and other problem spies are hold up in a grim and gray castle. Almost immediately there begin to be unexplained deaths. The first couple might be accidental, but as the body count rises it's obvious someone is out to kill everybody on the island.

Meanwhile, back in London, Maggie's "friend" at Scotland Yard is desperately looking for her so she can testify in a murderer's trial -- and the culprit might go free without Maggie's testimony. All the funny buggers at MI5 and MI6 are less than cooperative about revealing her whereabouts. They have also discovered that a German spy is operating in the vicinity of the Scottish island which puts some major time pressure on finding them.

MacNeal's descriptions of the island and its natural setting is very well done. If you haven't read any other books in the series, some of the background might be a bit murky. As always, there's a bit of woodenness in the dialogue and some fairly unbelievable plot contrivances, but there is a great deal of timely suspense in the narrative that keeps you reading.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest opinion.