This was a hard one to rate. I lingered on 4 or 5 stars. Compared to the 3rd book this wasn't as big of a hit for me, but on its own it still was a great read. So 5 stars I go.

This story seemed like it could be told at a much faster pace, but it still feels effortless in reading.
The author has a way with writing that makes it a very enjoyable read. It was very simple sentences but it was not boring, and still kept me enthralled. I do feel it didn't keep me on edge as much as the prior book. I was yearning for more hiccups with the characters but I was still engaged in the book the entire time.

I like how the story has many different moving pieces, and always seems to leave you on a cliffhanger in one way or another. Normally, I would not be drawn to a book series like this. I am surprised it is not considered a romance story as well as a mystery. If it was labeled a romance I would of been less likely to read this, and feel like I would of missed out. There is a lot of romance but it is done tastefully that I can focus on other factors in the story as well.

I am very excited for the next book installment. I will definitely praise this book and the series, and will be picking this up for my collection.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book in exchanged for an honest review.

OH MY LANTA
I mean… 5 stars for sure. But I have to get my thoughts together to be able to write a review. What a ride.

Update:
I've had a book hangover for 3 days. And writing a review is proving to be quite difficult because I don't want to give any spoilers! What I can say is that had I been reading this book in paper form, there was one point where I would have slammed it shut and tossed it across the room. Now, that might not sound like a good thing, but listen - that is a sign that the author made me feel things that I didn't want to feel and honestly, I think that's a compliment. haha! I also would have immediately walked across the room to pick it back up because I had to know what would happen. There were times that I held my breath and tried to read faster to find out what would happen. We're introduced to a few new side characters that I adored. Noelle and Aristide were fantastic. And the ending! Y'all.... the ending! That's all I can say about that. I am most definitely looking forward to the next book!

I loved this book. I love this series and can't wait for the next one to come out. I like all Ashley Weaver's books, but her Electra McDonnell series is my favorite. The book was gripping and suspenseful. I couldn't put it down and now I'm sorry it's over do soon.

The fourth book in the Electra McDonnell series, Locked in Pursuit, continues the story of Ellie McDonnell's safecracking assistance to Major Gabriel Ramsey in London and its surroundings during World War II. The two work together once again to solve a series of robberies that could pose a threat to Brittan during a very tense time. Who can be trusted? What deceptions are required to get the needed information?

While I have enjoyed the banter and tension throughout the series between Ellie and Major Ramsey, it seemed a bit overdone here. While neither are perfect, one is much more noble in my opinion. The triangle storyline with Felix is annoying, but all the other characters give much colorful interest to the story. I will definitely continue reading as the cliffhanger at the end was of great interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I totally absorbed and adored this new espionage caper set in war torn London 1941. It is always a thrill reading about this cast of characters from the brilliantly talented mind of Ashley Weaver. My favorite passages are between Major Ramsey and Miss McDonnell as their chemistry is absolutely Electra- ric.

This is book four in a fantastic series set amongst spies and thieves in London during the Blitz. In book one, Electra McDonnell and her family of safecrackers and thieves are caught by British Intelligence and blackmailed into using their skills as part of the wartime effort to catch German spies operating on English soil. In Locked in Pursuit, set three months after the previous novel, a series of suspicious robberies sends Electra on the trail after a mysterious package that may have come into the country from Lisbon, which was a hotbed of spies because of its neutral stand on the war.

While this is a a historical mystery, the characters have real growth throughout the series, and I would not recommend reading them out of order. This book, in particular deals with the reverberations from the explosive ending in book 3 -both in the way Electra and her handler Major Ramsey interact with each other and also in the way the characters see themselves. Despite a more serious tone than the previous books, it is still great fun with delightful new characters, a touch of romance, and a cliffhanger ending that sets up book 5. I look forward to the next book, which promises to broaden the world that Ms. Weaver has created, and hopefully answer a few of the questions that have run throughout the series.

I love this series, and this newest entry is as well-written and compelling as the rest. Elly is drawn into another case of espionage in WWII London as she tries to work out dark family secrets and her complicated connection to her military intelligence handler. The book builds nicely on the earlier entries. It could be read as a stand-alone but I would strongly suggest reading the previous books, in part because they are excellent. As always, the characters are great, the wartime setting worked in seamlessly, and the sense of danger and uncertainty well done. The ending leaves lots of questions and some emotional angst, which I’m hoping get cleared up at least partially in the next book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: This is the fourth novel in the series about Electra McDonnell. In this latest book, Electra hasn’t seen Major Ramsey for several months since they concluded their last adventure in Playing It Safe. Major Ramsey has been healing from his gunshot wounds, and Electra has been missing the excitement of espionage. She visits Ramsey on the pretense of discussing a rash of recent burglaries and is soon invited on a mission to investigate the link between the burglaries and international espionage based in Lisbon.

Thoughts: This is an incredibly enjoyable series – set in London during the Blitz – with a likeable heroine and a cast of interesting supporting characters. However, I have noticed that compared with the first book in the series, A Peculiar Combination, the subsequent books have gotten shorter (272 pages versus 388 for book one) and less substantial than the first novel. There really didn’t feel like there was much to the plot in this one, so much so that I was startled to find I had reached the end of the novel, which apparently is to be continued in the next one.

The third novel in the series was released in September 2023 and now this fourth one is set to be released in May 2024, with the fifth to come out in 2024 I suspect. I have to wonder if the pressure to keep churning out novels is having a negative impact. That would be unfortunate because the first novel in the series was exceptionally good. This one was just OK.

I really enjoy this series. I'm no thief, never picked a lock, didn't live through a war at home, wasn't alive in the 1940's. But something about this series really speaks to me. The characters come alive and I truly feel the emotions of the characters.

Setting aside my personal biases, the story is engaging and the characters are likable. There are good guys and bad guys and some that live in the gray area in between. Ms. Weaver avoids the trap of making her characters continue on as they are without the development or impact of significant events. Instead, readers are able to see real, appropriate changes in behaviors of the main characters as a result of the events in book 3. Those changes play out realistically with realistic outcomes.

Well written. Well done. Well worth the read.

I was disappointed and a bit shocked by this entry in the Electra McDonnell series. Previously, Ashley Weaver’s writing and characterization had been sharper and more enjoyable with each new book that came out, so finding my familiar, beloved characters changed so much was a real let-down.

Ellie is smart, independent, and well-trained in all areas of her profession. She’s a proper thief. Yet the way Ellie is portrayed in this book is inconsistent, erratic, and illogical compared to past books; most often she acts stupidly, blindly lovesick. It causes her to keep secrets from people she should trust, trust people she should not, ignore unmistakable signs of danger ahead, and glibly dismiss major mistakes she makes during an ill-advised return to her criminal roots, even as she waxes poetic about how she's left that world behind.

Also, I found it beyond ridiculous that Ellie, formerly so determined to find out more about her parents, would without warning or explanation drop the whole thing to spend all her time pining over Major Ramsey.

Those are the biggest inconsistencies in this book, but there are plenty of others. At the end of the book, Major Ramsey abruptly changes from his usual stern-yet-kind self into a petty, selfish jerk. Nacy rarely appears and hardly says a word the entire book; considering all the things that happen, that would be improbable, even impossible for this character. And unlike other books in the series, this one was absurdly predictable; I knew the entire ending by page 105.

All of this was not a natural part of the overarching story progression, nor was it vital to progress this specific plot; it was done simply because that was the easiest way to get to where the author wanted to go. It was lazy writing. Added to that, she turned an intelligent female main character into an idiot over a man just to advance the plot and I find that extremely problematic.

I grudgingly rate this 3 stars and hope for better things from Ashley Weaver in the future.

Each book in the Electra McDonnell series has left me with a book hangover, and each one in increasing severity. So with this fourth book I expected the book hangover, I expected it to be a page turner, and I expected Weaver to suck me in to 1941 in the midst of WWII. She did not disappoint. I could not put this book down until the end. Promptly causing me to curse Weaver for making me wait for the next book, and praise her for more stories within this world of Electra McDonnell. Every aspect of this book is expertly woven together. Highly recommend!

I simply could not put Locked In Pursuit down after starting the latest book in the Electra McDonnell series. The historical detail of London during the Blitz of WWII was fascinating and helped set the tone of the mystery. What pleased me the most was the moral development of the main character as she slowly evolves across the series. I’m excited for the series to continue with the exploration of a romantic relationship spanning the class divide, the risk posed by spies and espionage during WW II along with the plot development of the story behind Electra’s parents tragic demise.

I absolutely devoured 'Locked in Pursuit' by Ashley Weaver within two evenings of receiving it, and after constantly checking for updates due to the cliffhanger she left us poor readers dangling from in Electra's previous adventure. I can't wait to go back and re-read it slowly as I rushed through it, in order to savour my favourite passages.

And what a love letter indeed to Ellie/Electra's devotees with enough backstory for any reader joining midway because this latest edition doesn't disappoint!

I was super delighted that this one picked up not too far along after where things left off previously, nor that we didn't have too wait long before Ellie and Major Ramsey are back on the trail of one of the things they do best together: sniffing out enemy spy activities. I was honestly guffawing out loud at the author's deft way of portraying their 'battle-of-the wits' intermingled with their warring personal emotions towards one another, which have been one of my favourite aspects of these characters and this series. I also love the addition of meeting others from the major's world that provide more insights to Ellie's (and us readers) need to discover more about his closed-book life.

Without going into spoilers territory, I also felt Ellie's increased uncertainty and post-traumatic stress from the events of the previous book rang true, especially during war time, as she tries to cope with it on her own. Even though she was keeping things from those she normally trusted, it was good to see her continue to delve into the intel she learned about her parents' past.

On the relationship front, I was glad to see more progress with the dreaded triangle, and Ellie's attempts to muddle through this quagmire. It's good to see her budding maturity in terms of wanting to clarify things with Felix and the major, even if things take heart-beating turns with both of them. As much as I liked the banter and swoon-worthy aspects of their interactions in this story, I do hope that things resolve more between Ellie and Gabriel by the next adventure because it now feels a bit needlessly drawn out.

The mystery and sleuthing plot retained more of the wonderful WWII spy caper pacing from the first book that I love about this series. It was good to meet others from the McDonnell's shady community and see Uncle Mick involved again. Without giving too much away, I could not have predicted the ending at all, and look forward to seeing how their next mission plays out.

Fellow lovers of Electra and Ashely Weaver's writing, you will absolutely LOVE this continuing tale, and new readers, I highly recommend you go back and start at the beginning to get the full meal deal. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Ashley for providing this advance copy that has actually whetted my appetite for the next one already.

I was very excited to receive an early copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review. I haven't really written a review before but here you go:

This is the fourth book in the series and I've read all of the previous titles. I think it would be best to read them all in order as it makes this book more impactful. I won't give a synopsis as that's easy to find and better done than I would do. The story takes place three months after the finale of the last book. Ellie, the main character, while back home with her family, is much more on her own in this book. She is trying to deal with the stress of all that has happened (the war, the Blitz, her cousin missing, the Major's injuries, the revelations about her late father) on her own and I think it all comes to a head by the end of the book. She makes some poor decisions that have unintended consequences in terms of her romantic and professional relationships. I was surprised by the seriousness of some of the outcomes.

The "love triangle" takes a big step towards resolution but not in a particularly happy way. I'm not a big fan of love triangles or will they/won't they situations so I was happy that this part of the ongoing story moved forward. There are some new characters introduced - some from the criminal world and some from Major Ramsey's life - and those added a lot of interest to the story. This is nitpicking but there were a few word choices that were weird - one word I had to stop and look up.

I think overall the tension and seriousness was much stronger in this book than in the previous ones. The pace also seemed much faster. I enjoyed it very much and it set up the story for the next book very well. Actually, the next book's story is what I thought this book's story would be. But, as usual, the author seems to know what the characters need to do first better than me. There's also a fun nod to the author's Amory Ames books that I enjoyed.

Writing: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5

A perfect airplane read! Number four in the Electra McDonnell series in which a (former) safe cracking thief turns her skills to help the British government in the person of the (handsome, naturally) Major Ramsey in London around 1941. Some nice twists and connections to historical events. I like all the characters — they are interesting and well drawn. In addition to the case in hand, each book makes some progress on Electra’s backstory (father murdered and mother accused of the crime before Electra was born) while the Electra and stoic Major Ramsey romance continues at a steady parboil.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy of LOCKED IN PURSUIT, the 4th book in the Electra McDonnell series. I was absolutely thrilled to get this ARC, but sad that once AGAIN, I have finished Electra's latest adventure with Major Ramsay in one day!! Loaded with action and great scenes between the two, this story is set a few months after their last adventure. Ellie reads about a robbery in the paper that she realizes she and Uncle Mick hadn't heard about from their inside sources, and she immediately guesses something isn't right. She uses it as an excuse to run it by Major Ramsay and they are off like a shot on another thrilling adventure through wartime London. Some tantalizing new light is shed on the mystery surrounding Ellie's parents, as well as news on one of her cousins, who has been MIA. Love how Ms. Weaver teases out the details of Ellie's life. This episode sees definite progress in Ellie's relationship with the major.♡♡ Highly recommend!!

The fourth book in the Electra McDonnell series was a page-turner. I wish I would have limited myself to one chapter a week so it wouldn't seem so impossibly long until the next book.

I'd highly recommend reading the previous three books in the series as they build upon one another. This one finds Ellie back home in London amidst a frigid January. Ashley Weaver does a wonderful job conveying the mood through the cold.

We get more of a backstory to several things, including a bit of Ellie's parents and also Ramsey's family, as we are introduced to one of his sisters. I came to like Ramsey's character more, while actually getting more irritated with Ellie. She is understandably under a cloud over the revelation about her father, which we learned in the last book, and is more affected by what happened in Sunderland than she realizes. However, her poor decision-making and feeling the need to keep things secret makes quite a mess. And she shares a defect with Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, as Mr. Darcy pointed out, which was "wilfully to misunderstand" everyone but particularly Ramsey, in Ellie's case. To be honest, if the back and forth of their relationship continues in the fifth book, I'm not sure I'll bother reading a sixth.

The mystery storyline was thrilling and fast-paced. I really enjoyed the details of it and learning a bit of the situation in Portugal during WWII. And I have to add, I love the titles in this series, very clever.

Oh man, this series is heating up. It feels way too long to already be anxiously awaiting book 5!

We join back up with Ellie three months after the events in Playing it Safe. Unlike the previous books in the series, the mission, while interesting, takes a backseat to other dilemmas in the character's lives.

Ellie is grappling with the news she learned about her father, and is wondering how to move forward with the knowledge, without anticipating the danger rattling old cages can cause.

Major Ramsey is still recovering from his injuries, and I think we see a lighter side of him in this book. Less rigid, more human in recognizing how he pushes himself 24/7 from fear of what a lapse in vigilance may cause. When Ellie notices the suspicious burglary and reports it to him, we see his drive to determine what the threat may be, while also having him show a bit more reflection and action in his work with Ellie.

While the mystery revolves around tracking burglaries and determining who from a flight from Lisbon is concealing information, Ellie seems to play a bit fast and loose with her own personal safety, and that is more of the story this time. For me, this was a bit frustrating - though I think it will lead to positive character development in the future - I just want to be mad at her for some of her actions in this book. For a reformed thief she seems to still have trouble recognizing when she is crossing a line, while at the same time seeming too innocent to understand the potential negatives to agree to do any sort of favor-for-a-favor. I both want her to be a better criminal and a more honest person.

Ellie and Major Ramsey continue their will-they-won't-they dance, though the complexities of their relationship continue to grow in ways that will be more than difficult to overcome.

The ending - I knew something was coming, but I didn't expect it to be as explosive as it was in the last chapter - I think the tone of the next book will be very different from the previous four, and, again, I think we will see a lot of growth from Ellie. The danger in the new mission will have larger stakes than any of the previous books - and Ellie's mystery around her parents continues to loom in the background. Her tense relationship with the major will truly be at an inflection point - and I'm both excited and dreaded to see where the story goes next year.

I absolutely loved the 4th installment of the Electra McDonnell series! The mystery was well-plotted and there was a twist at the end that I did not expect. I always enjoy the mysteries in this series but my very favorite part is the characters, especially Electra and Major Ramsey. Loved the character growth in this book and really enjoyed getting to meet Ramsey’s sister. I was also glad to see Ellie being honest with Felix at the end. I cannot wait to for the next installment!!! I am really hoping for more progress in Ellie and the Major’s relationship.

It’s always a pleasure to pick up an Ashley Weaver book. I'm thrilled to also say that Locked in Pursuit was fan-freakin’-tastic! It took me a day and a half to read, and every time I had to put the book down to do other things, I always ran back to it as soon as I finished. To start off, I absolutely love the character development in this one. As the series progresses, we are finally getting some real deets! For instance, Electra gets more information and insight on the death of her parents. Major Ramsey ( Swoon!) finally gives you a bigger insight into his thoughts, especially concerning Electra, and you get a little peek into his family. The mystery was interesting too, but for me, I enjoyed the journey (the quick story progression) more than anything else. It was like finally being able to see a clearer picture of a puzzle.

The book ended on a slight cliffhanger. I won't lie and tell tales, but it's definitely going to tie in to the next book. Weaver made me think I had the ending all figured out, but she threw a curveball. But a good curveball! That’s kinda of how I felt about the last book's ending too. But I love roller coasters, so I can't complain.

I was sad to see the book end because I knew I’d have to wait till next year for another new installment. But it is definitely worth the wait. Looking forward to the next read in the Electra McDonnell series!