This is another book in the mystery series set in WWII England. The romance between Electra McDonnell and her commanding officer Major Gabriel Ramsey is heating up. This is a quick read with likeable characters. I think I would start with Peculiar Combination, the first in the series. I look forward to the author's next book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this fourth installment of the unusual WW II Electra McDonnell series. Not only was the mystery compelling but the developments between the Major and Electra were scintillating, all the while she is grappling with feelings for another, perhaps more suitable young man (though without the fervor she experiences with the Major that started in #3.)

I agree with other reviewers that this series is just getting better and better and I cannot wait for the next one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an eArc of this book before publication. I loved it!

I like the dynamic between Major Ramsey and Ellie. They have good chemistry and work well together. I am enjoying their adventures and cannot wait to see what happens next.

Nicely done with full details of the time and place.
Well developed characters.
It's interesting to watch the development of the interactions between the two main characters.

Electra McDonnell and the delectable Major Ramsey are back. As the war drags on, they are investigating spies in Lisbon, Portugal, a corridor for refugees and enemy agents. The attraction between the two continues to deepen, and threatens to get in the way of their work. Additionally, McDonnell is continuing to pursue her search for information about her parents, her father's death and her mother's death in prison, accused of his murder.

There is little resolution to the story lines in this novel. Consider this a serious cliff-hanger alert! But Ellie and Gabriel are engaging characters, along with their families and co-workers, so I'll try to patiently wait for the next installment of the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Eagerly looked forward to this book and was not disappointed! I love books by Ashley Weaver! They’re cozy and keep the reader hooked until the last word.

Although this is my first Ashley Weaver book and the 4th in the series, I had no problem becoming completely immersed in the Electra McDonnell series. There was enough backstory to bring me up to speed without slowing down the storyline. Ellie is an endearing and smart character that you just can not help but love. It is an excellent historical mystery that will have me going back to explore the earlier books in the series.

Locked in Pursuit is the 4th book in the Electra McDonnell series and I have enjoyed them all. Safecracker Electra McDonnell has been fighting Nazis as World War II looms over London, but has not seen her handler, Major Ramsey, since her last mission with him, three months ago. She recently heard about a suspicious robbery in London, so contacts him to see if they should be investigating. They discover many more robberies all leading back to a group of spies operating out of Lisbon, Portugal. There is also a mysterious object that has been brought to London my a courier that seems to be wanted by this group. As the spies and thieves become more desperate, Ellie and Ramsey must figure out what they are after before anyone else is killed. Is the saying right: It takes a thief to catch a thief?

I found this book to center more on Ellie's and Ramsey's relationship than on the mystery, unlike the previous books. Each book has had that tension between them ramping up a bit more. In this book, Ellie turns to some shady characters for help, but must repay them for their help, and finds herself crossing the line into illegal activities. When it is determined that the Germans are after a map, Ellie and her uncle are in a race to find it before anyone else. There is a murder in the hotel, as they get closer to finding what they are looking for. Who can they trust? The death of Ellie's father is still a storyline that is smoldering in this story, which makes her more relatable for me. There is a twist at the end that hints at what is coming in the next book. I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the previous books. I am looking forward to what is to come in the next installment.

Ashley Weaver immerses Electra McDonnell, thief and safe cracker, in government espionage in the Second World War: Locked in Pursuit is her fourth adventure with Major Ramsey as they try to trace why robberies are happening in London and find they are connected to a map, fake or real, being chased by the Gestapo/Germans from Portugal to London. Along the way Electra has to return favors for those who helped her and she has to use her illegal talents to do so. This puts her at odds with the major. Fast moving and well plotted.

Locked in Pursuit is the 4th in Ashley Weaver's engaging Electra McDonnell series. Set amidst the Blitz, this installment finds Electra using her skills from the "family business" (robbery) to help the British espionage effort.

Electra is a great character. Weaver writes her in such a way that she is a morally complex, thinking, feeling human being. She is surrounded by a fascinating cast of characters that we gradually learn more about in each book (and yes, I would suggest reading the series as a whole), including her handler and romantic interest Major Ramsey, and her Uncle Mick who connects her to the London underworld. This would be a great addition to a cross-curricular language unit on women in World War 2.

While I very much enjoy Electra, and really appreciate the sense of place and time that Weaver brings to this series, I need Electra to get unstuck. I keep hoping for a resolution of her romantic life as well as more information on her background. The wee bits we get teased with in each episode of this series are becoming more frustrating to me than enticing.

This is a 3.75 star read (rounded to 4) for me, because of that pacing issue.

A solid addition to a fun series. I love a "bad guys working for good" plot line and this one is well done.

I am so in love with this series. Electra and the Major are two of my top favorite cozy characters. This installment takes sweet romance and intrigue to the next level. It’s a must read!

Ugh, I love this series so much! The only bad thing I can say is that I get to the end of each book and am dying for the next one. The slow burn is spot on, and I love the types of scenes that play out as part of solving the mystery. It’s nice to have a mystery per book as well as a mystery playing out over the series. Such a fascinating time period+setting (home front London) with spy plots that doesn’t show up a ton in WWII fiction.

Locked in Pursuit (Electra McDonnell Mystery, Book 4) by Ashley Weaver

272 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Release Date: May 14, 2024

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Sutherland, 1940, German Spies

A map showing a tungsten deposit has been stolen. Word has it that it is being delivered to a German spy. Major Gabriel Ramsey is still recovering from the attack in Sutherland. Electra “Ellie” McDonnell must team up with a French operative to replace the map with a forgery, so the German’s receive the wrong location. In finding information, Ellie makes a couple of deals in return for favors. Although they seem harmless, they could jeopardize her contract with the government. Ellie has found disturbing information about her parents.

The story has a fast pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. Ellie is an independent young woman not afraid to speak her mind.

This is book four of the Electra McDonnell series, and it is an excellent addition. Locked in pursuit doesn't have as much going on as the last book in the series, but the mystery is still very intriguing.

This is such an entertaining series with a great cast of characters and a strong and likable heroine. There was a lot of time in this book spent exploring what happened to Electra's parents and setting up the next book in the series. Things are starting to heat up between Ellie and the major, and I can't wait for Portugal!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks so much for this ARC! I really enjoyed the combination of mystery and historical fiction. I will have to go read the other books in this series as this was my first from this series. The characters were dynamic and well developed which I enjoyed. I look forward to reading more of these characters.

4.5 stars

I so enjoy this series. I am a fan of Ellie and how real she is, emotionally speaking. She is relatable in how she is fickle in relationships and loyal to keeping her commitments even sometimes to her detriment. The author proves that you don't need to add foul language or even open-door scenes to tell a story with depth and character. I am grateful when I find authors that take readers, like me, into account when it comes to those things. I look forward to the next adventure.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

Thanks so much for the ARC, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley! This book was so good! I love a historical fiction so the fact that this was married with a mystery was even better! I loved the vivid characters in this book, the development of the scenery and the overall plot. It was so interesting to learn more about the characters in this novel and I found myself looking forward to picking up this book. Thanks again!

This book was well written and kept me engaged the whole time. The story is in a series and takes place during WW2. Electra is a former thief who now works for the government. Along the way and trying to find out who stole an item there are people getting murdered and will Electra be one of them?

A quick and fun read – great for a summer vacation…

I’ve read a few books by Ashley Weaver, and have enjoyed them, but hadn’t read any in her Electra (Ellie) McDonnell series. So I was happy to receive a review copy of Locked in Pursuit, which is the fourth and most recent title. And I liked it a lot.

Although I was starting late, I was able to pick up what was going on without much trouble. Ellie is part of a family of long-time burglars, who have been recruited to help the British government during World War II. (Part way through, I learned that the “recruitment” actually was a result of Ellie getting caught…) Apparently, though, their last mission ended badly, with their handler, Major Ramsey, badly injured and still recovering. So Ellie and her Uncle Mick haven’t had any assignments recently.

As the book opens, however, Ellie notices an odd report of a robbery in the newspaper. She can’t quite put her finger on what is wrong, but she figures it may be worthy of the Major’s attention. After initially being dismissive, he soon becomes aware of a couple of other thefts that may be linked to this one: all of the victims had recently been on the same plane from Lisbon. Then Ellie and the Major discover a dead body. And things really get moving.

Locked in Pursuit is a fun, quick, and engaging murder mystery/spy story, although there are some somber moments (Christmas without Ellie's cousin, missing since Dunkirk; the Major's ongoing pain; London's nightly bombings). But it's still great fare for a summer vacation read. My only minor complaint is that I’m not generally a fan of “muddled” romantic storylines, and one of the secondary story arcs in Locked in Pursuit is exactly that. Hopefully things will resolve in the next book, however, which I’m definitely planning on reading. And finally, my thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy!