Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

Another five star win for Electra McDonnell, Ashley Weaver’s star safecracker and lock picker! You will be entertained every second of this book. Weaver’s light hearted stories are the best! My thanks to Minotaur Books for this ARC.

There’s a tickle of romance between Ellie and Major Ramsey, which he quashed at their last encounter. Now Ellie is once again asked by Major Ramsey to do a job for him. It’s 1941 and the German Luftwaffe is dropping bombs over London with barely a break, but fearless Ellie has a job to do. She must go out. The Major needs her.

There are several characters that come into play and lots of action and intrigue. Weaver has an easy flow to her writing, yet each individual has their own voice. You’ll cheer for Ellie to succeed in her mission, and the door may have been left open for another adventure for Electra and Major Ramsey!

There is a very specific kind of balancing act that authors of mystery series that involve a slowly developing romantic relationship have to perform, wherein the suspense plots in each book have to be interesting and consistent within the universe of the series, while allowing the characters to grow–as individuals as well as towards each other.

It is the nature of the beast that some books in a series will do this better than others, and it generally benefits readers not to binge-read them, as inconsistencies and writing flaws tend to stand out more when reading them too close together.

This was the case for me here.
I have been invested in the series since last year, so I was ecstatic when I managed to snag an ARC for this entry.

Beware: spoilers for previous books; some PTSD.

The fourth novel in the Electra McDonnell series takes place three months after the harrowing events at the end of Playing It Safe. Over the intervening time, Ellie has been struggling; not only is the Blitz ongoing and her trauma over seeing Major Ramsey shot four times and herself having been left to drown, still very fresh and unresolved, but there’s also the matter of what she has learned about her father’s own role during WWI.

When a newspaper report on a burglary catches her eye, it provides Ellie with a very welcome reason to contact the major again.

The book begins with a hefty bit of infodumping, as our protagonist’s internal monologue effectively sums up the events of the previous five months, as laid out in the first three books, as well as the relationships between the main and secondary characters, and Ellie’s unresolved feelings for Major Gabriel Ramsey.

To be clear, the attraction between these two are evident to the reader, even as Ellie works hard to delude herself about her own feelings; partly in self-defense, as she’s very aware of all the things that separate them (class, wealth, family history), and partly because up until the war, she was had never interrogated her own feelings closely.

Ostensibly, the book centers mostly on the fate of an object that has been smuggled to London from Lisbon, and which may have important implications for the Allied war effort, as Ellie and the major work to identify, locate and liberate the object in question.

Though the major would prefer to rely only on his trusted military intelligence network, Ellie follows her own hunches, which involve making use of some of her family’s less savory–and more dangerous–underworld contacts. Eventually, both Uncle Mick and Felix Lacey, and intelligence assets Archie Blandings and Aristide Dupéré, are brought in to help.

Simultaneously, Ellie is trying to find out more about her own late father’s spying activities during the Great War, which leads her to ask help from yet another shady character, with easily foreseeable consequences.

The sense of period and setting is slightly more blurry in this novel than in the previous books; rationing, the Blitz, and so on, are mentioned and affect some of the characters actions, but they don’t come across as vividly as I expected. Perhaps this is due to the true focus of the novel: Ellie’s feelings.

Up to now, I have really enjoyed Ellie’s character; she’s brave and resourceful, but not infallible. My problem here is that several times in the course of the novel she does things that go far beyond spirited and into reckless. For example, she twice agrees to owe someone a favor for a favor, without setting any parameters to the kind of favor she would have to do in return, and while investigating her father’s wartime activities, she confides in no one, and she fails to make the most obvious connections the reader is expected to make.

I think I wouldn’t have found out Ellie’s behavior as jarring if the suspense plotlines had held together better. Plotlines and minor characters are brought up then dropped out of sight without much explanation, if any, in ways that don’t bear any scrutiny, which is frustrating. The main characters seem to go off half-cocked in several directions at once, like the proverbial headless chickens, and while perhaps this may have been intended to reflect Major Ramsey’s ongoing recovery and how his feelings for Ellie affect his performance, it did not have that effect on me.

The climax of this book has nothing to do with espionage and everything to do with feelings and the foreseeable consequences of reckless decisions, and it was the one thing that remained consistent with the world and characters that the author had built over the previous three books.

Given this, I was torn over the last chapter; the only reason for Ellie’s continued involvement is to further her relationship with Major Ramsey, and while I am all for it–and so grateful she has finally come clean with Felix–I dearly hope the suspense side of the books is better served in future installments.

Which is to say: regardless of my disappointment with this entry in the series, I am well invested in the relationship between Ellie and the Major, as well as in the wellbeing of the secondary characters, from Felix to Ellie’s cousin Toby, and want answers to the mystery of Ellie’s father’s murder.

Locked in Pursuit gets a 7.75 out of 10

This series is one that when you get a new book in your hands, you clear you schedule, turn off your phone, and disappear for a while. Ladies, and Gentlemen, Ellie McDonnell is back!

Picking up three months after the culmination of "Playing It Safe", Ellie finds herself dealing with the emotional fallout of what happened in Sunderland. Major Ramsey hasn't been in contact since then and Ellie, bless her, is getting a bit restless. As she's eating breakfast, she sees a news article about a robbery in Mayfair. What makes this robbery different is that neither Ellie nor Uncle Mick have heard any rumblings about the robbery. Ellie uses this peculiar situation to go see Major Ramsey.

Now, trying not to give anything away, Major Ramsey is also dealing with the fall out of Sunderland. To add to that, his twin sister, Noelle, (Major Ramsey not only keeps the secrets his military life, but also his personal life locked down tighter than the Bank of England), is staying with him. The first interaction between Ramsey and Ellie is just as cute as it is awkward. It is discovered that Ramsey hasn't heard anything about the robbery, either.. And yes, it is decided that this needs investigating.

It is discovered that the robbery is actually one of many and Ramsey and Ellie come to the conclusion that the robberies are a cover for trying to find something else. And after a body is discovered in a hotel room, our duo comes to the conclusion that whatever is missing, probably has something to do with the war.

Major Ramsey finds himself not being able to be as active in this mystery, so Ellie is somewhat left to own devices. Ellie decides that in order to get some information, she is having to make deals that Ramsey, if he were to find out, would not be too happy about. Also, as she is chasing this war mystery, she is hot on the trail of trying to figure out who killed her father. It is revealed that her father was keeping secrets, too, and those secrets might leave Ellie exposed to a greater danger that she was expecting. And with Ramsey remaining in the dark about what Ellie is doing, Ellie may be flying too close to the sun on this one.

We are introduced to Noelle, Captain Archie Blandings (serving in Lisbon, Portugal), Nico Lazaro (a man who deals on the black market) and Aristide Dupere (another asset of Ramsey). and a few people from Ellie and Mick's world. On top of all of the mysteries, Ramsey and Ellie are trying to figure how to work together while dealing with feelings that keep getting in the way (well in the way for Ramsey. Ellie, I think, would just like some resolution).

What I loved about this book is that Ellie is continuing her journey from crime to using her skills for good. She's figuring out her place in the world and what she wants., part of which is answering the question of Felix or Ramsey. But Ellie is a bit on the reckless side, and as we have seen in the three previous books, that recklessness is getting her into more dangerous situations. She still is dealing with being a woman in a 'man's world' and being excluded from things because she is a woman. I think that frustration and the need to prove that she does not need protecting is what leads her to make the choices she makes and leads to quite a climax that is both surprise and not much a surprise at all.

Ellie still has trouble completely opening up to Ramsey about her father. I think her fear is that opening up to Ramsey might lead to her being further sidelined. And of course, the secrets have a way of causing ripples that can only cause trouble.

Ms, Weaver, the wonderful story teller that she is, drops another bomb on us in the closing pages of this book, setting up one heck of an adventure for the next book. I have a feeling that Archie Blanding will be back and Ramsey and Ellie are going to have an interesting time working together again,.

"Locked in Pursuit" is a fast paced adventure where the stakes of the war are rising and the past and the present are starting to collide. The resolution of the mystery and the consequences of the choices Ellie makes this book hard to put down. So, find someplace cozy to read and disconnect from life for a bit. You will not regret it.

Chapter 29.... Ashley Weaver HOW DARE YOU?! And that ending??? (Though I said this about something in book 3 so I guess this is going to be a normal reaction to each book in this series).

While the stakes are still high, the overall pacing of <I>Locked in Pursuit</I> is slower paced. This one delves deeper into Ellie's thoughts and feelings - about Major Ramsey, Felix, Uncle Mick, and her future. Like the rest of this series, once I started reading I could not put it down. And now that I'm done reading, I wish there were more pages left... and that book 5 was already out so I can find out what happens next.

I'm dying to know what Felix is up to and love him all the more for his reaction towards the end. I'm thankful that Weaver gave readers more insight into Major Ramsey - and we get to meet a family member (I hope they make an appearance in the series again)! It was great to see a different side to Ellie too... and look forward to more details coming to light in her quest to find out more about her parents.

Overall this historical mystery series is a delightful read that I continue to suggest to patrons that I think will enjoy it.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Booksin exchange for an honest review.

I thought that Locked in Pursuit was an addicting read that I didn't want to put down. I really enjoyed the overall storyline and how it all connected to previous book. All in all, a wonderful historical fiction mystery filled with thrilling twists and turns!

It’s *ahem* safe to say, this series keeps getting better and better!

Thank you @ashleyweaverauthor @netgalley @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for this #arc - out tomorrow!

I’ve been a fan of this series from the beginning, but this one was my favorite! Electra and all the supporting characters keep growing on me, each book’s individual mystery is balanced with the bigger picture mystery of what happened to her parents, and the love triangle (which is a #booktrope I am normally NOT a fan of) doesn’t in any way detract from the plot.

Synopsis:
Safecracker Ellie McDonnell hasn’t seen Major Ramsey—her handsome but aloof handler in the British government—since their tumultuous mission together three months before, but when she hears about a suspicious robbery in London she feels compelled to contact him. Together they discover that a rash of burglaries leads back to a hotbed of spies in the neutral city Lisbon, Portugal, and an unknown object brought to London by a mysterious courier.

As the thieves become more desperate and their crimes escalate, it becomes imperative that Ellie and Ramsey must beat them at their own game. Fighting shadowy assailants, enemy agents, and the mutual attraction they’ve agreed not to acknowledge, Ellie and Ramsey work together to learn if it truly takes a thief to catch a thief.

One of my most anticipated May reads, this did not disappoint! Weaver's writing is fantastic, and the story is compelling. I was hooked from the start and could not put this book down!

Ellie is a standout character. She has faced some morally grey decisions as WWII rages on, and this time, she has to straddle the fence a bit on both sides of the law. A very well-developed character, she is good under pressure, has some unusual skills, is quick-witted and brave, and has a heart of gold. You cannot help but root for her. In addition to the primary mystery, she has been investigating the crime that left her orphaned and faces emotional upheaval at what she uncovers. She and Major Ramsey have chemistry and a romantic tension they've been trying to fight, but their dynamic is delightfully shifting. We also get more of Major Ramsey's backstory and are introduced to his twin sister, Noelle, who was a great addition to the cast.

The world-building is excellent, with historical detail that puts you in the heart of the action. This story was a bit more character-driven this time, but still, the mystery is layered and suspenseful and keeps you guessing. A gem of a book in an entertaining series, I loved this! I highly recommend it to mystery and historical fiction lovers alike!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the free book!

I love the Electra McDonnell series! Locked in Pursuit is the 4th book and so far my favorite. It’s a WWII historical mystery with a bit of romance mixed in. I really enjoyed that this story was more character driven than the others in the series. It ended on a cliff hanger so, I can’t wait for book #5!

Pub date is tomorrow, May 14th! If you haven’t read this series and are into historical fiction/romance/thrillers/mysteries I recommend it! Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for my eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Seemingly there are 2 plot lines in this novel. One is Electra, a professional lockpick and safe cracker, trying to find out if her murdered father was passing secret information to the Germans during WWI.
The other is helping her WWII Military Intelligence handler Major Ramsey determine what German spies are looking for involving passengers on a recent flight from Lisbon to London. Early on the resulting criminal activity involved a robbery at a Mayfair dinner party and a murder.
Both storylines could have and should have provided enough meat for an exciting espionage thriller. Neither materialized into anything that couldn’t have been well handled in a novella. The author did everything possible to avoid developing these stories with time consuming repetition of Electra’s unrequited love for Major Ramsey, his health issues, her other nefarious jobs and the inclement winter weather of London.
This is the fourth book in the series and as I have not read the first three, I have no basis for comparison. I hope they were significantly better and that she just ran out of steam on this one or was forced to churn out a sequel without adequate time for the task.
The characters are interesting and had potential even within the structure of the time period, but the execution was disappointing. It did fit well with the culture and moreover the writing style of England in 1941. However the book’s audience is not living in 1941 and adjustments should have been made to accommodate this while preserving the cultural authenticity. So much of the book was just tedious. There were engaging well put together scenes but they were either too little or too late to redeem the book as a whole. I will admit the last few chapters were very good, but overall I couldn’t wait for it to end.
Thank you to the author, Ashley Weaver, the publisher, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

This is a great addition to the Electra McDonnell series. The mystery in this one was intriguing, but it honestly took a back seat to all the other things happening in Electra’s life. She’s fighting her feelings for Major Ramsey, Felix keeps disappearing to Scotland for weeks on end, and she’s stumbled into new information about her father’s death. There’s also the small matter of WWII. It boggled my mind how one night Electra was huddled up in a bomb shelter and the next she was at a fancy party. Those were wild times!

Personally, I was okay with the characters being the focus in this one rather than the plot. Electra’s in pivotal moment. She finds herself having to choose between the future and the past in more ways than one. I also liked the introduction of Major Ramsey’s sister Noelle. It was interesting to see the Major interact with his own family rather than just colleagues.

This one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

I was totally sucked into the story from the get-go! Weaver's writing is like a magnet, pulling you into Ellie's world of spy games and danger. Seriously, I couldn't flip through the pages fast enough to see what Ellie and Major Ramsey would get up to next!

After their stint to the coast Electra and Major Ramsey are back in London when suddenly there is a spree of stunning and audacious burglaries ? Who would try them? What ties them together ? Electra has the feeling that they may not just be regular burglaries but employed to shadow more nefarious purposes ... Major Ramsey still healing from his injuries obtained on their last adventure agrees and off they are investigating. Electra's abilities as a former cat burglar and safe cracker are on full display in this new addition to the series !
The mystery was well plotted and intriguing but the characters' personal life and the development of their interpersonal relationships takes the forefront in this book. Through the introduction of Major Ramsey's sister as a present character, I loved getting more background on his more reserved personality, This was a great addition to this fun historical mystery series set in London during WWII !

Locked in Pursuit is book 4 in the Electra McDonnell espionage mystery series. I have read the previous books, but the mysteries stand alone and enough background is given about the characters that I don't think you have to read the previous books if you want to start with this one.

I love WWII fiction but the war is the background. It is more of a spy mystery than anything else.

The characters are great and I felt like this book was a turning point in a lot of ways. It is a turning point for Ellie as she is seeing a life away from the criminal activity that she's been involved in. It is a turning point for relationships - I won't say much about this as I don't want to spoil anything for you. It also feels like a turning point for the series. Again I won't say much about this as it might spoil the plot.

It's not a heart-pounding thriller but it is a really enjoyable mystery. I was reading this between two heart-pounding thrillers and it was a nice change of pace and no less entertaining. It's definitely a book I could see reading on vacation.

My review will be published on Tuesday at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/05/3-crime-fiction-books-you-wont-want-to.html

Locked in Pursuit, Electra "Ellie" McDonnell's, fourth adventure is an engaging historical mystery set during World War II. Ellie is bored after her last outing. It has been a few months and she has not had any contact with Major Gabriel Ramsey, her government handler and potential love interest. While reading the paper she comes across an article about a robbery at a diplomat's home and it sparks an idea that it could be related to a previous case the two worked. Ramsey at first dissuades her, but then he notices other burglaries with similarities. Come to find out that the Nazis are after a map, and Ellie and Ramsey want to keep them from getting it. Ellie also enlists the help of Felix Lacey, a forger, and also potential love interest.

Spies, murder, romance, and twists and turns keep us turning the pages. There is also an ongoing subplot of Ellie working to prove her late mother did not kill her father. This can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series from the beginning and enjoying Ellie's adventures. I am eagerly waiting for the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, for an ARC. The review is my own.

A young woman with safecracking expertise does her bit to help the war effort.

Electra McDonnell, known to her friends as Ellie, was orphaned as an infant when her mother died while in prison for killing Ellie’s father. She was taken in and raised by her Uncle Mick and his family, a loving brood that just happen to extend their locksmith services into the realm of criminal enterprise. Not exactly the background one would think would appeal to military intelligence, yet Ellie and her uncle have indeed been recruited to use their skills to help against the Germans. Ellie’s handler is the handsome Major Ramsey, a well-born and very proper officer with whom she has worked on several jobs, the last almost ending in disaster. There is an attraction between the two, which they know shouldn’t be acted upon for any number of reasons (easier said than done, of course). A string of burglaries amongst a certain class of people strikes.Ellie as being suspicious, and she brings her concerns to Ramsey even as he is recuperating from the wounds he received on their last mission. Turns out she is right; something has been smuggled in from Lisbon, and all of the wrong people are looking for it. Ellie and Ramsey are again working together to keep the item from falling into the wrong hands….but their relationship may not survive their efforts.
A fun historical mystery with more than a little romance tucked in along the way, Locked in Pursuit is the fourth in a series but by no means must one have read the previous entries to enjoy this outing (I had not). Ellie is an appealing character, smart and not afraid to stray outside the lines when she deems it necessary. Since Ramsey, both by his station in life and his military bearing, is a stickler for following the rules, the two regularly have conflict. The search for the missing item and the pair’s plans to steal it before it can make it into the wrong hands is interesting to follow, as is the thrust and parry of the couple’s dialogue. A solid novel, easy to read, and it will appeal to readers of Susan Elia MacNeal, Anna Lee Huber, and Jacqueline Winspear. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur for allowing me early access to this latest in a series.

It's 1941 and Electra is missing her love interest (or is he?) , her cousins, and working for Major Ramsey. A gang is robbing recent arrivals from Lisbon to London, taking baubles and odd things but not the most valuable stuff- and it doesn't take much convincing from Ellie that they should investigate. This latest in the series builds on the previous installments and probably will be most appreciated by fans. I'd argue, btw, that even fans might welcome a recap of what happened the last time out-how/why Ramsey was shot. That said, this is sufficiently atmospheric and twisty and there are a few new characters (notably Ramsay's sister). Ellie's also working on the mystery of her father-was he a good guy or a bad guy? No spoilers from me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good addition to the series.

Cozy historical mystery with a romantic twist? Sign me up! This is book 4 in the Electra McDonnell series which stars Ellie McDonnell, a safecracker turned spy during WW2 in England who has paired up with her handler Major Ramsey, for another mission.

This is a delightfully cozy mystery with just enough action to keep you engaged, just enough innocent heat to root for the couple, and just enough historical context to give it a strong sense of place. I did not read the first books in this series, and was not lost while reading and is fine reading this as a standalone, but the book did reference the past, making me more disappointed that I missed out on spending more time with Electra reading the first 3 books. This book does set you up for additional books in the series. Overall, a satisfying cozy read. I have added the three existing to my TBR and will be looking out for the 5th.

Locked in Pursuit is the fourth book in the absolutely riveting Electra McDonnell series. Just when you think it can't get any better, WHOA, there it is! I'm so thrilled that I got into this series from the beginning. If you are starting with this one, the main mystery stands alone. However, there are references to past stories that you'll want to know about. Trust me. Jump into this one, then go back and read all you missed. You'll be ecstatic when you do. You're welcome.

It's January 1941 in London, and the war rages on. Ellie McDonnell, a safecracker who now works for the British government, hasn't seen her handler Major Gabriel Ramsey since an almost deadly mission three months before. When she hears about a suspicious robbery, she figures she better contact the handsome - and aloof - Major. They discover a number of burglaries in London that all lead back to a nest of spies in neutral Lisbon, Portugal, as well as unknown object brought to London by a mysterious courier. Soon the crimes escalate as the thieves become more and more desperate, and Ellie and Ramsey must beat them at their own game. They're busy fighting unknown assailants and enemy agents, but their hardest task is to ignore the mutual attraction they both feel and have agreed not to acknowledge. Ellie and Ramsey soon learn that it may in fact take a thief to catch one.

After the last book, I didn't think anything could top it. I was happily reading along and enjoying myself, but it wasn't reaching the pinnacle of the last story...until I was about two-thirds done. And then it hit. WHAM! I was sitting on the edge of my seat and crying my eyes out until I reached the end! I did NOT see that coming! The story was absolutely fabulous, but I'm especially enamored of the characters. Electra (Ellie) McDonald was a safecracker who worked with her Uncle Mick, but she's been working for the government with Ramsey as her handler since they were caught by him (as set out in A Peculiar Combination). She gets to put her safecracking and thievery skills to use on the side of good now. She and Ramsey let their strong attraction for each other to get the best of them during their last mission, and they swore to never speak of it, or act on it again. Easier said than done! Ellie's also dealing with the revelation of what her father might have done during the Great War, and she cannot speak of that to anyone, especially Ramsey. She's a strong-willed young woman who would do anything for her family, friends and country. Then there's Major Gabriel Ramsey. Compared to Ellie, he's a total grump; let's just call him aloof - it sounds better. Being a military man was always his dream and goal, which put an end to an important relationship years ago. He acts like he's cold, but there's a fire obviously burning deep inside him, and Ellie seems to be the one to bring it out. He still recovering and in some pain from injuries received in the prior mission. He's beginning to let himself feel, but then IT happens. (And I am NOT going to give any spoilers. Never, never, never!) Secondary characters in the book are just as endearing as the main ones. Uncle Mick is a sweetheart of a man who raised Ellie after her parents' deaths. He's a master safecracker, and he taught Ellie everything she knows. Now, like Ellie, he also works for Ramsey when needed, in addition to his regular locksmith work. Felix Lacey, a master forger who sometimes helps with missions, is Ellie's dearest and closest friend, He's very easygoing and adores Ellie; will there ever be more? Housekeeper Nacy has been like a mother to Ellie and is an absolute sweetheart and very loving. Gabriel's twin sister Noelle (they were born on Christmas) was a nice addition to the story and I loved her support of Ellie. I hope we see more of her. And we now have adorable Burglar, the kitten Ellie saved from the rubble after a German bombing raid. (If I didn't already love Ellie, I would have after saving a furbaby!) I don't want to give too much away regarding the story; I hate to ruin it for everyone else. But I will tell you it ends on a cliffhanger. NOOOOOOOOOO! Don't make me wait a year for the next book!!!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I am a huge fan of this series, set in London during the blitz. Safecracker Electra, working with her uncle Mick, was picked up by British intelligence in the first book for special “help” on a government job, and now four books in, she’s wanting to give up her former life of crime and is completely committed to government service. Weaver also has the soul of a romance writer, and Electra has two possible and delightful beaus: Felix, whom she’s known since childhood, and the dashing Major Ramsey, her “handler”. In the last book the two shared a passionate kiss but they now seem to be trying to forget about it. However, the heart wants what the heart wants.

As the book opens, Electra, a bit at loose ends and frankly missing the major, decides to drop by his office after she’d noticed a newspaper account of a robbery at a swanky dinner party. Something seems off about it and she wants to point it out to the Major. They are prickly and uncomfortable with one another but sure enough he quickly gives her a call, saying something is indeed off. The two set out to interview all the party guests who still remain in London. Their investigation sharpens when they discover the dead body of one of the robbery victims in her hotel room.

It seems the burglars – whose take seemed haphazard to Electra – were after something more than jewels: they are looking for a map to pass along to Germany. An operation is put together wherein Felix, a gifted forger, creates a new map and Electra heads to a party to attempt to swap it out.

These vivid books are filled with action scenes, romance, and a bird’s eye view of wartime London. At one point Electra reflects that she’s lucky to have a basement to wait out the almost nightly German bombing attacks, and she and her uncle and their housekeeper (and her defacto mom) feel almost cozy down there.

Electra is the daughter of a woman who died in prison after being accused of murdering her father, who was apparently a German spy. She hides this secret from most people but she’s dying to find out the facts of the story, as they are murky, and in this novel a new clue emerges that has her thinking she might be able to finally crack this secret.

These speedy reads are also good at extending the puzzle of both the secret of Electra’s parentage, and the choice she must make between Felix and Ramsay. Because each novel ends with a cliffhanger that leads directly to the next instalment, this extension of these parts of Electra’s life only add to the interest and suspense of the books.

There’s a really heartbreaking scene toward the end of the book which was a shocker and Weaver supplies more than twist before she finishes this tale. As I closed it, I said to myself, “damn, a whole year before the next one!” These books are a complete blast. If you are fan of Susan MacNeal’s Maggie Hope series, you should be equally enchanted by these books. Four books in, they are a must read for me.

Locked in Pursuit is the fourth book in the Electra McDonnell Series by Ashley Weaver. However, it is the first book in the series or by this author that I have read. From the first line which is a doozy grabbing my attention and keeping it the entire book. Then the last line of the book makes me eager for the next to be released. It is an addictive read with such an interesting character as Electra McDonnell and the straitlaced Major Ramsey, handsome though he may be.

Electra is such a complex character, having her faults and keeping her secrets but she is also someone you would want on your side. A character that sticks in your mind even after finishing the book. Such a great historical mystery that I have purchased the first book, hoping to catch up with the complete series before long. Without any hesitation I can recommend this series especially Locked in Pursuit to all mystery or historical fans.