This is a charming, first-in-a-series mystery featuring locksmith and sometimes thief Electra McDonnell. It hit all the right notes: intrigue, danger, personality conflicts, the possibility of romance. I was actually so caught up in the story that I didn't guess the identity of the 'bad guy'.

My only complaint is that the "stiff-upper-lip", "keep calm and carry on" message that permeated the book got a bit Pollyanna and annoying. Yes, it was WWII London, but the bombing hadn't even started. Londoners weren't there yet. It struck a mildly unrealistic note and was distracting.

Other than that, this was an excellent start to what I hope becomes a prolific series. I want more Electra!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

A Peculiar Combination was a quick and fun read with a cast of intriguing characters and a well paced mystery set against the backdrop of WWII London. Ellie McDonnell and her family are a team of thieves, stealing from London's upper crust to make ends meet. When a caper goes wrong, they're apprehended by the government and recruited to help them ferret out a German spy in their midst.

Ellie was a delightful character to put myself in the shoes in, her temper and quick wits made sure the story didn't drag at any point. Her relationships with each of the side characters is incredibly nuanced, and I can't wait to see how they will develop in future books.

Ellie McDonnell is drafted into the British Intelligence effort when she and her Uncle Mick are caught trying to break into a safe in a supposedly empty house. British Intelligence in the person of Major Ramsey has a need for a safecracker.

There is a scheme to substitute false plans and false intelligence to send to the Germans but first they need to recover the papers. Ellie is willing to do her bit for king and country but she really doesn't get along with Major Ramsey who seems unnecessarily rigid and secretive.

The original plan goes awry when they find the safe empty and the body of the suspected traitor with his throat cut. Now they have to discover where the papers went and who is involved in the possible treason. Ellie finds herself attending a society party potentially filled with traitors along with Major Gabriel Ramsey. She's supposed to be his new girlfriend which is an uncomfortable situation since his old girlfriend is also at the party and is also one of the suspects.

This was an enjoyable mystery with an interesting World War II setting. Ellie is an interesting character and so is Gabriel Ramsey. I look forward to further adventures.

This was a fun and original read. A locksmith and his niece/apprentice have a sideline in safe cracking. They are pretty good, so good that the intelligence service in WW2 London wants them. The story flows from there - the ]criminals with their own code working with the upright British officers to thwart Nazi spies. What fun! The characters are delightful.

What a wonderful, evocative start to what will surely be an exciting series! I enjoyed this book and it's intriguing cast of characters as well as the way the author painted the setting. Definitely one for fans of historical mysteries!

Parnassus Books Staff Recommendation (June): Weaver has written a pitch-perfect opener for a new historical mystery series set in WWII London. When Ellie and her uncle get picked up after a little late-night larceny, they’re offered a choice: go to prison, or help stop a traitor working with the Germans. I’m already looking forward to the next adventure of Ellie, her family of patriotic crooks, and the upright (and uptight) Major Ramsey.

The first-person narrative is told by Ellie McDonnell, an attractive young woman living in London in the early days of WW2. Ellie’s uncle Mick is a locksmith, and when times are tough they do a bit of nighttime safecracking and burglary. She gets a bad feeling one night when they are on a burglary job, and she’s right. It’s a setup and the duo are quickly arrested by the secret intelligence service, which gives them the choice of jail or putting their skills to use in a burglary job intended to expose a traitor.

They choose use their criminal skills in service of their country but, instead of the goods, Ellie and her new boss, Major Ramsey, find a murder victim. The safe they were to crack is open, and the plans they were to recover before they could be turned over to the Nazis are missing. The quest to recover the plans now becomes urgent and Ellie remains part of the team, despite the handsome but stern Major’s reluctance to put her in harm’s way.

This tale is a mix of adventure, espionage and a dash of romance. The characters are well-drawn and mostly likable. It’s easier than it should be to figure out who the traitor is, so I wouldn’t say this is a great choice if you’re looking primarily for an espionage tale. But if you’re looking for a quick read of escapist fiction, this should fit the bill.

I loved this book so much! A Peculiar Combination is an historical fiction mystery set during WWII. The writing in this book just flows. It's truly flawless. The story is well-crafted and fun to read, and this book starts out the new series very well. I loved the characters so much, but more than that, I love the plot and the story! It's rare for me to fall in love with the story, but there you have it. This book has it all- spies, murder, and some romance too! The twists were well-written and entertaining, and I enjoyed the main character's gutsy determination. I thought the skills that Ellie brought to the table were truly unique and so so cool! Thank you so much for the ARC of this book because it was delightful!

London, 1940
When Electra "Ellie" McDonnell and her Uncle Mick get caught stealing from an unoccupied house, they are not taken to the police station but to a government agent, Major Ramsey. He has a proposition for them. He needs a safe opened and if they do, they will not be charged. But when the Major and Ellie arrive at the location, they find a man dead and the safe and papers, gone. So other plans were needed to find out who was the traitor or traitors, out to sell government intelligence to the Germans.
A quick and enjoyable spy thriller. A lively cast of characters, a possible romance or two and maybe further adventures for Ellie McDonnell and Major Ramsey.
Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this e-galley of "A Peculiar Combination".

"'Don't scream,' he said in a low voice. It was a stupid thing to say. If I was going to scream, I would have jolly well done it already."

What a fun read! A Peculiar Combination is actually the perfect combination (please pardon the pun) of mystery, history, romance, and humor.

Near the beginning of World War II, Ellie and her locksmith uncle make ends meet by breaking into upperclass homes in London. When they're caught in a sting operation by government agents, they're offered freedom in exchange for breaking into the safe of a man selling secrets to the Germans. It seems like a simple job: swap the real documents with fake replacements, but the plot thickens when the man is found murdered in his home. Against her better judgment, Ellie is drawn into a web of secrets, spies, and intrigue. Simultaneously, she finds herself drawn to Major Ramsey, a stern, infuriating yet attractive government officer managing the operation.

Unlike the safes that Ellie cracks, the central mystery here isn't terribly complex. There's a murder and a list of likely culprits, but the plot is more of an adventurous romp. The book opens somewhat slowly in order to introduce us to Ellie's family and friends and to set up her involvement in Major Ramsey's war work. Once the murder is discovered, things get rolling and it's all fun from there. Without giving too much away, there's a sequence when Ellie engages with the various suspects to extract information from them, and it's funny and witty in all the right ways.

In fact, there's plenty of wit to be found throughout the book. As someone who is always up for a well-done "hate to love" arc, I especially enjoyed the interactions between the gregarious Ellie and the serious, uptight Ramsey as sparks start to fly. Their dialogue as well as Ellie's frustrated internal monologue often made me smile while reading. Intriguing details of both characters' pasts are hinted at (especially in regards to Ellie's parents) and will no doubt be increasingly brought to light in future installments.

While A Peculiar Combination is not a detailed historical novel nor a complicated mystery, it is a very entertaining lighter read for those who like fiction set during wartime London and cozy mysteries. Though set in earlier time periods, the Bess Crawford mysteries by Charles Todd or The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie would be good pairings.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

A Peculiar Combination is, in fact, a Perfect Combination!

A Peculiar Combination perfectly combines intrigue, romance, and suspense. Intrepid Ellie and her irascible uncle Mick are locksmiths by day and burglars by night. The book is set in London in the early days of the second world war as London is bracing for the blitz. Mick and Ellie set out to rob a home but something seems off to Ellie. Her instincts prove spot on and, for the first time in their careers, they are caught. But, instead of being taken to jail, they are delivered to the office of handsome, but abrasive, intelligence officer Major Randall. They are offered a proposition: Ellie must break in to the home of a suspected spy and swap important military documents and they will both go free. Ellie actually welcomes the opportunity to do her part for the war effort but things don’t go as planned. An exciting adventure ensues and, of course, an interesting relationship between Ellie and Major Randall develops as well.

I hope this is not the last we will see of these characters. It seems as though they are destined to have many exciting adventures together.

This was a very good book! I love al things WW2 and this book brought a different aspect to it. So many covert operations during the war, why not safecracking? Can’t wait to read more about Electra.

This is a very good WWII spy novel. The characters were well developed and interesting. The story line takes the characters and intertwines them not only with each other but with the sinister plot of espionage.

A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

A perfectly delightful tale of a young safe cracker, Ellie, and her mismatched “boss,” Major Ramsey. Caught mid-heist, Ellie and her Uncle Mick must agree to help the major and British army or go to jail. What choice was there, really? It was war time after all.

A series of successes, mishaps and subterfuge have Ellie and the Major butting heads, yet accomplishing a great deal in the end. A peculiar combination indeed!

Humorous and well written, this romp will have you begging for more from writer Ashley Weaver. The characters are well crafted, the story is believable and the ending is sound. What more could a reader want?

A nod and thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley.

I was given a free review copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First in a series set in World War II . Interesting well-drawn characters with a particularly likeable heroine, Ellie McDonnell, who was sensible and brave. Exciting plot that raced to its end with no unnecessary threads. There is a developing love triangle, which is a plot device I don't really like, so hoping it will be quickly resolved. I am already looking forward to the next book .

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the opportunity to read and review the Uncorrected Proof copy of "A Peculiar Combination", the first in a series by Ashley Weaver featuring Electra McDonnell.

Set in WWII England, "A Peculiar Combination" features Electra McDonnell and her uncle Mick - two petty thieves whose specialty is housebreaking and safecracking; when they are apprehended one night, a new adventure begins as they are co-opted by the British Government to help stop state secrets from being smuggled out to the Germans.

Major Gabriel Ramsey has uncovered a plot to hand secret documents regarding British armaments over to Nazi spies by person or persons sympathetic to the German regime - right in the heart of England! Although they are forced at first to work for Major Ramsey or end up in jail, it doesn't take long for Ellie (short for Electra!) and her uncle Mick to agree that they should do their duty for King and Country and work whole-heartedly to uncover and foil the plot.

This is an expertly crafted story, with the prerequisite twists and turns, and a bit of romance thrown in to boot. It was an easy read, very well written and plotted, with very little extraneous information. The cast of characters is likeable and easily identified with.

I look forward to the continuation of the series, and to see if there is any follow through in the budding romance(s). Highly recommended.

This book is a work of historical fiction that falls into the sub genre of a cozy mystery. I really like this style of story and I had a difficult time putting this book down!

Ellie and her Uncle are living in London during WW2. Times are tough and they are having a hard time making ends meet through their locksmith business, so they turn to theft to help make enough money to live on. They break into vacant houses, open the safes and take the things that were left behind by people who left London during the war. Everything is going well for them until one day they are caught by a government official!

They are then recruited by their captor, Major Ramsey, to help the British government get important documents from a safe that are believed to be delivered to a German spy. If they choose to help, they will be doing a much more dangerous job than their previous endeavors, but if they decline they will be sent to jail for theft. Since they aren’t really left with much of a choice, they decide to help Major Ramsey with the safe cracking mission. The mission doesn’t quite go as planned and they are all left with more questions than answers. They decide to continue working with Major Ramsey and do their part for the war effort.

I was actually told by someone else who happened to see this book on Goodreads and that I had to read it since it sounded like my cup of tea! Thank you to my friend because I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it! I love World War Two books especially about the women who shaped history. While this book is obviously fiction I was hanging on to every word and couldn't wait to see what happened. I am a champion of Electra and I can't wait to read more of her adventures!

I have found a new series!! A Peculiar Combination has British Intelligence using the skills of a safe cracking family to help thwart German spies in WWII. Electra "Ellie" and her Uncle Mick have been cracking safes for years when they stumble into a trap set by British Intelligence to find safe crackers. They are needed to find some weapons plans that are being passed to the Germans. This book is witty and intelligent. The characters are well written, relatable and fun to spend time with. The relationship between Ellie, her Uncle Mick, Felix, and Major Ramsey are all deep and relatable. Thank you #NetGalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to give my voluntary and honest opinion of #APeculiarCombination, I will be waiting for the next book in the series!!

This novel was amazing. The characters are fascinating and they are very well described. They jump off of the pages and become almost real.
The story is about disparate types meeting for a mission. Ellie McDonnell and her Uncle Mick are safecrackers in wartime England and they get a tip about a safe in a house where the occupants will be gone. Ellie thinks it’s too easy but Uncle Mick decides to go for it. She was right and they are caught by Major Ramsey, a very stiff and formal military man, who has a proposition for them. Break into a house and steal some documents that will help the war effort and go free or else. The other alternative was not attractive.
Ellie is skeptical but she and Uncle Mick take him up on his offer. They break into the house but the safe in the house is empty and the Major is majorly disappointed. Can they find the vital documents somewhere else before it’s too late? The chase is on and it goes through high society parties and seaside getaways at a breakneck pace with many twists and turns and although you think you know who’s on which side don’t’ be too sure as you may just be wrong.
I have always been fascinated by WWII fiction books and this is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Ashley Weaver is an excellent writer and her story flowed smoothly throughout the book. It is an oft overused cliché to say I couldn’t put it down so I won’t but let us just say that it was captivating and when I couldn’t be reading it, I wanted to be reading it.
I hated for it to end because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters but the author left room for a sequel…and I hope it comes soon.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for making this copy available to me for an honest review.