Maggie Hope has progressed from her days as a secretarial assistant to a valued agent trusted to go behind enemy lines in book three of this series set in World War 2.

Historical accuracy combines with suspenseful writing.

His Majesty’s Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal is a 2013 Bantam publication.

This third installment in the Maggie Hope mysteries, finds Maggie more deeply involved with Hugh, but also being commissioned to aid the British affairs abroad, which has her jumping out of airplanes and takes her all the way to Berlin, where she makes several horrifying discoveries, and becomes better acquainted with her mother’s side of the family.
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She has her hands full, and the suspense at times, is quite unbearable. However, for me, this one didn’t have the same atmosphere as the previous installments did, but then again, I think maybe the author may have intended to show the toll the war has taken on Maggie, which requires the reader to adjust to the horrors of war along with her.

Maybe she is right about having seen and done too much for her to go back to being that same delightful, and spirited girl we've come to love.

All the same, despite the sickening subject matter associated with this war, which was handled with care, by the way, I found myself struggling to stay focused and engaged. The mystery isn’t really all that much of a mystery, but, as I said before, the suspense was nerve racking a time or two as Maggie found herself in some very serious situations, in danger of having her cover blown.

Every series seems to have a book that sags just a little, so hopefully the next book will be back on the right track and return to the quick, smart, and snappy dialogue and intrigue that makes this series so special.

3 stars

I love this series. Can’t believe I forgot to review this one. I thought it was maybe the most suspenseful book of the series so far (though The Paris Spy is also pretty suspenseful and dark).

I hoped for another great historical mystery series along the lines of Charles Todd but was sadly disappointed. The character is entirely too modern and the plot is not very engaging or interesting.

The time period in this book is a fascinating time and young woman being spies behind enemy lines is so interesting. But this book is hypersexualized. I found it very unbelievable.