I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is another in the Maggie Hope series. The events take place during World War II in Europe and Maggie is a secret agent for SOE, the British Special Operations Executive. Although part of a series, each of the Maggie Hope books can be read as a standalone.

This work of historical fiction is particularly well researched and the author includes notes and references.

Maggie is given the assignment to go to a lecture that is being presented in Spain by German Nobel Prize winning physicist, Werner Heisenberg. She must decide whether the Germans are nearing an operational atomic bomb or not. If it appears likely that the Germans will beat the Americans to this "super weapon," she must assassinate Heisenberg. She is aware that there are spies and double agents watching her. Whom should she trust?

Courtesy of Random House and Netgalley, I received the ARC of The Last Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal. Beginning in 1943, this historical novel follows Maggie Hope as she travels undercover to Madrid to meet with Nazi collaborator Coco Chanel, and also to interview physicist Werner Heisenberg to assess the progress of Germany achieving an atomic bomb. I could sense the terror of not knowing who was truly on the side of the Allies! Meeting a debonair bullfighter was intriguing and I loved the ambience of Madrid, in spite of Franco. Based on well researched history and impeccably written, this last book in the Maggie Hope series does not disappoint!

I have been a fan of Maggie Hope mysteries since 2016, according to my Goodreads account. I can't even begin tell you how many people I've recommended this series to, online and in person, to reading friends, historical fiction fans, and of course during my short but illustrious career as a library aide. I love these books.

Maggie Hope. Her name sounds cute, but she is so much more than a cute secretary-turned-spy. She is amazing. She handles everything--her job, her friends, her life, her ability to survive anything Churchill and WWII throw her way--she does it all, and always with a thread of hope.

In this last book, we watch Maggie receive a really tough assignment. We see her reunite with Coco Chanel, her former friend/nemesis, and we watch a really complex situation unfold there (don't forget to read the author's extensive notes, which are really just so very good). We meet a bullfighter, who is delightful surprise. We get to see another facet of the war: the race to the atomic bomb. And there are a lot of undercurrents that keep the reader turning pages in this novel.

If we have to leave Maggie Hope, we have left her in good hands and with a really awesome final book in the series. Thank you, Susan Elia MacNeal. Thank you for Maggie and for Hope.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author and her publisher for a review copy of the novel. All opinions, including my gushing over this series, are absolutely my own.

This is the last book in the Maggie Hope series. It is full of intrigue, spies, romance and friends. Maggie has had many jobs during WWII from Churchill's secretary to spy. Now she tasked with going to Spain to meet Coco Chanel and to see if Germany is close to having the bomb.

I was hooked pretty much from the beginning of the book. It is packed with historical facts, and I went down the internet rabbit hole a few times. McNeal researched all of the previous books well, before writing them, and this one was no different. Maggie and the repeat characters grew throughout the series. It's sad to this reader of historical mystery fiction to see it end.

Published May 21, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine and MacNeal for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley #randomhousepublishinggroup #ballantine #susaneliamcneal #thelasthope #maggiehopemystery #arc #readaway2024 #readmytbr

The Last Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal is the eleventh story in this series. I’ve read every single book in the Maggie Hope series. This is the final book in the series and I am so sad. I have looked forward to reading a new Maggie Hope book each year. Each book is better than the one before. We see Maggie Hope grow throughout this series and it feels like we are losing a friend. The story is rich with historical facts combined with espionage, intrigue, daring do and romance and to this reader is the ending to this incredible series.

The Last Hope is Maggie Hope’s latest and final mission in her work as a SOE agent for Britain during WWII. This book can be read as a stand-alone but you will not be disappointed if you start reading with book one, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.

Getting to know Maggie and watching her take on tasks that most women of that time period would not think of attempting is, in part, why I fell in love with this series and why I kept coming back. Ms. MacNeal’s research and her attention to detail is stellar.

The settings are so vivid. You will walk the halls of Whitehall, Lisbon’s Royal Palace, the Palacio Hotel and many other famous places. In her latest journey Maggie is in Madrid. There are many twists and turns in this book. It has been a terrific journey with Ms. MacNeal and Maggie Hope these past twelve years. I am hopeful that Ms. MacNeal will grace her readers with a new project. Well done!

I would like to thank Ms. MacNeal, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all the Maggie Hope books and I highly recommend if interested, read them in order. Maggie started out as a typist for Winston Churchill but was so much more and over the course of WWII she became a spy with many abilities. In this, the 11th installment, Maggie is called upon to head to Madrid and meet with Coco Chanel, a women Maggie had met in Paris earlier in the war. Coco is a Nazi collaborator with many contacts within British society. She is trying to help her Nazi lover to proffer a separate peace with Britain.

Maggie is also tasked with meeting German Werner Heisenberg, a Nobel Prize winner, to determine how close he is to a fission bomb and to assassinate him if he is close. Because of Maggie's background as a mathematician, she understands a lot of what is said and is able to get Heisenberg into a conversation.

Maggie's love life with John is going strong and she has to deal with their separation yet again. We also have all the other secondary characters who I feel like we have gotten to know through the many books. In Madrid we also learn a lot about bullfighting when Maggie is pursued by a young bullfighter. There is also an interesting look at what it was like to be in a so-called neutral country during the war.

Don't skip the author's notes at the end, so much was based on facts, some with the real people some made up.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I stayed up way too late last night finishing The Last Hope, the last book in the Maggie Hope mystery series by Susan Elia MacNeal, but this five star read was worth losing shut eye. @susaneliamacneal

I have adored the Maggie Hope mystery series since the first book, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary was published in 2012–my now 13 year old was only two, and I was still working at the library. I remember passing it around the library staff, everyone anxious to get their hands on this wonderful work for historical fiction, discussing it in the breakroom and then eagerly awaiting the next book. I have since read everything in this series, as well as Susan’s stand alone historical mystery, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy. She’s an auto-read author for me, and I’m always recommending her books when someone is looking for their next read.

So naturally I was sad when I heard that this would be the last book in the series, but also happy to know that Susan would still be writing.

And then I finished this new book – the end of my favorite series – and while endings are hard (as I tell my kids as we approach the final days of the school year), they can also be beautiful. And that is the case for this book.

We couldn’t have asked for a better ending. I don’t want to give anything away, but let me just say that as always with the Maggie Hope series, the plot and mysteries are solid, and we get to see and interact with our favorite characters. The ending has both tragedy and (I’m going there) Hope. I loved it. I am content to know that those wonderful characters are keeping their chins up and carrying on in their beautiful and complicated lives. I actually hugged my kindle when I finished. Can I give it more than five stars?

I’m so sad that this is the last book in the Maggie Hope series. I’ve read them all and don’t want her story to end. This is yet another fantastic entry in this series. Don’t miss it! Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

There is absolutely nothing better than British historical mysteries and even better when on audible!

When the heroine is a spy and code breaker during the war, the historical facet makes you feel you are there! Team her up with Coco Chanel and Heisenburg and the mystery and excitement are explosive.

Sabotage, secrets and danger set the stage as Maggie navigates through her assignment and the hope is she survives and finally finds her happy every after.

Amazing

Coco Channel calls!

Maggie is home, safe at last with John Sterling, her ex-fiancé. But that relationship’s put on hold when she’s called into the Special Operations Executive by Kim Philby, head of the Iberian Section of MI6
The writings on the wall for Germany. The allies are pushing through. Europe’s already been carved up at the Tehran Conference.
The German Generals want to negotiate a seperate peace with Churchill. Coco Channel is calling in markers for her lover, Nazi, Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage. Coco has asked for “Paige Kelly” that is Maggie, to be the conduit. Maggie owes her! The meeting will take place in so called neutral Spain in Madrid, a hotbed of spies—Fascists, Nazis, and Communists as well as the Americans and Brits.
Maggie though has been tasked by something even more dangerous. She’s to assassinate the scientist, Weber Heisenberg, who is believed to be working on an Atomic Bomb. Maggie however decides that if Germans are not in the race she won’t kill him. Don’t forget Maggie was a brilliant mathematician before the war. First she must somehow meet and talk protons and heavy water with Herr Heisenberg, trying to discover his progress thus far.
Coco meanwhile has a letter from the Generals for Maggie to personally handover to Churchill.
However the handover becomes complicated when Maggie’s associate, Agent Connor Sullivan, is poisoned.
There’s danger everywhere and Maggie has no idea who’s behind it. A game of cat and mouse ensues. Maggie’s life is in the balance.
A fitting end to a highly explosive series. I was captured not only by the action but intrigued by the names dropped throughout the story. Kim Philby, Antony Blunt! Hmm!

A Random House-Ballantine ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The Last Hope ends Susan Elia MacNeal’s Maggie Hope series. Beginning as Winston Churchill’s secretary in the opening number, Maggie quickly proved she was capable of much more. Because MacNeal alludes to past assignments in her latest book, readers will benefit from having read the earlier Maggie Hope books. However, the author’s inclusion of brief background material makes it possible to start at the end. Most likely, doing so will motivate such readers to backtrack and experience Maggie’s evolution

Now an experienced British spy, Maggie receives her first assassination assignment--none other than Werner Heisenberg, a German physicist working on the Nazi atomic weapons project. However, this assignment first requires Maggie’s assessment of the Nazi’s closeness to completion. Scheduled to travel with a fellow agent to Lisbon, from which the pair is to enter Spain from the west, Maggie must not only evaluate the Nazi atomic weapons progress but also visit Madrid’s British Embassy to meet with Coco Chanel, a previous acquaintance and known Nazi sympathizer wanting Maggie to deliver a peace proposal to Winston Churchill.

Although Maggie has recently reunited with her John Sterling, the man she loves, she must accept this risky assignment. Soon finding herself without her fellow agent and facing danger alone at every turn, Maggie must decide if she can trust anyone. While readers familiar with Maggie’s past assignments will expect threat after threat, a famous bullfighter’s infatuation with Maggie and a daring role he plays struck me as far-fetched. Finally, arriving in British-controlled Gibraltar to make her way home, Maggie still has not escaped her enemies. Even as the book draws to a close, readers may find room for follow-up to this last novel in the series. Whatever Susan Elia MacNeal tackles next, she is sure to have dedicated fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for an advance reader egalley.

Her mission: stop the enemy from acquiring a weapon that could change the course of the war

From her days as an intelligent but naive American who found herself acting as secretary to Winston Churchill, Maggie Hope has matured into an adept intelligence operative. Having just returned to England with the man she loves, John Sterling, she was hoping for some time to return to some semblance of a normal life as the war appears to be winding down. Instead, she is summoned to immediately head out on a new mission, one with two objectives (for both of which she is uniquely suited). She has been expressly requested to be the liaison with famous designer (and known Nazi collaborator) Coco Chanel, with whom she had previously crossed paths during a mission, to personally collect from Chanel and deliver to Churchill a proposal for a “separate peace” between Germany and England. It is the second objective, using her expertise in mathematics and physics to determine whether a leading German scientist has achieved, or is near to achieving, the development of weapons utilizing nuclear fission for the enemy. The Allies fear that should the Germans add nuclear weaponry to their arsenal, they could win the war,,,,a circumstance that must be avoided at all costs. Maggie has killed before in the line of duty, but never has she been tasked with assassination, and is now faced with a moral dilemma she never anticipated….and will experience death all around her as she pursues her mission.
With the backdrop of Paris during the period leading up to Germany’s defeat and the glamour and danger of neutral wartime Lisbon and Madrid under Franco’s regime, The Last Hope is the eleventh and final installment of the Maggie Hope series. While it is not necessary to have read the prior installments in the series (the story certainly can be read as a stand-alone), it would broaden a reader’s understanding of Maggie’s trajectory to have read at least some of the earlier novels. She is an appealing character, an intelligent and independent woman who continues to be underestimated by those who don’t know her well, and is determined to do her “bit” for the war effort regardless of the personal risk or cost. With luminaries from Churchill to Kim Philby, from famed torero Juanito Belmonte to Coco Chanel, woven into the story alongside the fictional cast of characters both new and established, the briskly paced plot shows the life of a spy at this critical juncture in history, where betrayal and intrigue lurk behind casino tables, society soirées and bullfights. This is a must-read series for fans of Julia Kelly, Kate Quinn, Cara Black (amongst others)….as is an autobiography mentioned as one of author Susan Elia MacNeal’s inspirations for this novel, the true story of an American woman and OSS operative called The Spy Word Red by Aline, Countess of Romanones which I devoured when it was published more than thirty years ago (yikes).. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Bantam for allowing me early access to this well-crafted end to a wonderful series. Kudos as well to Ms MacNeal….thank you for taking me and readers like me on Maggie’s voyage.

This was an interesting story revolving Coco Chanel working for the Nazis to make a separate peach with Britain to end the war. Taking place mostly in Spain which was neutral there is a smorgasbord of characters and agendas. The main character again at the center of things and it’s a shame this is the last book in this series.

With THE LAST HOPE, Susan Elia MacNeal transported me to the end of World War II with a sense of time and place, deep characterization, an incredible story of the new-to-me-hero Maggie Hope. I loved every minute of this story, delighted in every twist and turn offered by a master story teller. I cannot express how wonderful it was to revisit an era I never knew and feel like I was there, senses fully attuned and engaged with a fascinating story. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Overall I like this series. It has seemed to get more political as the series goes on (which I'm sure is easy to do when the politics of the 1940's had so many layers). I like how the characters are multi-dimensional and the heroine is complicated. There were some easy things to figure out with who was the villain, but it still had enough of a storyline that it was still engaging. I look forward to the next book in this series (I hope it does go through to the end of the war and V-day)

It's always sad to see a favorite series end, but-- to be honest-- Susan Elia MacNeal's excellent Maggie Hope series had no choice. People in Maggie's line of work had notoriously short shelf lives. With everything she was being asked to do, her number was going to be up sooner rather than later. And what better way for her career to end than in this pedal-to-the-medal thrill ride, The Last Hope?

I have enjoyed every second of Maggie's service in World War II. She's grown from a bright yet naive young woman to a brave, resourceful agent for British Intelligence. In The Last Hope, Maggie finds herself in a moral dilemma facing betrayal and personal danger, and every step she took felt right to this reader.

As usual with one of MacNeal's books, I felt right at home in the setting and time period, aided a great deal by the little details that the author added to the story. I'd often wondered how Londoners navigated bombed-out streets during the blackouts, and MacNeal mentions the "curbs painted phosphorescent white to glow in the dark." In addition, you simply have to have a bon-mot by the incomparable Winston Churchill. Once again, the man made me laugh when he said that the British "ambassador was descended from a long line of maiden aunts." I also enjoyed seeing Madrid in wartime. Maggie found it quite a change to be in a neutral country, and so did I.

In The Last Hope, a character asks Maggie, "Will I ever read about you?" to which Maggie replies, "Not if I do my job well." One of the things I am most grateful to Susan Elia MacNeal for is bringing to light just what so many incredibly brave women did in service to their country during World War II. Thank you, Susan. You took splendid care of Maggie, and I look forward to your new stories.

The Last Hope is the 11th - and last (NOOOOOOOOO!) - book in the engrossing World War II mystery series Maggie Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal. Though I only read books 10 and 11, I absolutely fell in love with this series. When this series first began, I had no interest in historical fiction, with the exception of historical romances. Now historical mystery and thrillers is my favorite genre, due in part to wonderful books such as this. Can you read this book if you haven't read the others? Most certainly, as I was late to the party myself, and the mystery in this volume stands alone. You will, however, want to go back and read what you missed, as references are made here to past mysteries and characters. When I retire (at the end of this year - WOOHOO!), I fully intend to go back and read all of the excitement I have missed.

Maggie Hope started out as Winston Churchill's secretary, but she has advanced through tremendous dangers. She’s learned espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance, but now she is faced with a whole new assignment: assassination. British Intelligence has ordered Maggie to assassinate Werner Heisenberg, the physicist who may have produced a fission bomb for Nazi Germany. Maggie has so much to lose now, since she has reunited with John Sterling, the love of her life, but she must follow orders to help win the war for the Allies. However, Maggie wants to discover if Germany actually has a bomb before she assassinates Heisenberg. Maggie travels to Madrid, where the doctor is visiting for a lecture, and she's determined to discover more information. If this wasn't enough to worry about, couturier Coco Chanel has requested a meeting with Maggie. Chanel, a suspected Axis spy, is meeting with the British Ambassador in Madrid—and has requested Maggie join them . Maggie is hoping for her happily-ever-after with John, but she must follow through with this mission. It may not only have lasting impact on her personal life, but also the world.

One of the most thrilling things about this series is that much of the action is based on actual historical events. The same is true of historical figures. We all know who Prime Minister Winston Churchill was and how he helped win the war for the Allies, and we get to learn a little more about him here, such has his friendship with Chanel. German Werner Heisenberg was a theoretical physicist, one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics, and a principal scientist in the Nazi nuclear weapons program during World War II; he is also known for his "uncertainty principle". He was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics for the creation of quantum mechanics. I admit quantum physics is totally beyond my realm of knowledge besides knowing that a fission bomb is also known as the atom bomb. There's just enough science to give you a better idea of what's going on, but not too much that will have your eyes rolling into the back of your head. I'm sure you are familiar with Coco Chanel, the famous designer, and her iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume. But did you know she actually was a spy for Germany? I had not been aware of that until this series. You will definitely want to know more about these people and their history after reading the book; it's absolutely fascinating. Chanel made an appearance in at least one of the previous books. It's the character of Maggie Hope, however, that will keep you glued to the pages. Maggie has recently been reunited with John Sterling, a former Royal Air Force officer who was the love of her life, and they are beginning to plan a future together. Maggie has so much to lose, but she must follow orders in order to help the Allies win the war. She doesn't follow orders blindly, however; she is determined to discover if Nazi Germany actually has a fission bomb before assassinating Heisenberg. Maggie learns a lot about her self during this mission and must use her wits to keep herself and her loved ones alive. She has an absolutely heartbreaking thing happen to her during this mission, and I admit I cried my eyes out. She is a real hero; she does what she must, but she's smart enough to be scared, and she pushes herself past that. I enjoyed many of the supporting characters. I really like John, though he doesn't appear much in this book. Maggie's housemates are a diverse, loving bunch, and are family to her. My favorite supporting character, however, is Spanish bullfighting star Juanito Belmonte. He is sweet on Maggie, and the pages shine whenever he makes an appearance! The action in this tale is non-stop. I use the phrase "edge of my seat" often, but it's particularly apt here. There were Allied spies, Axis spies and double agents. Just when you think you know what category a character belongs to, you'll be thrown for a loop to discover their actual motivations. I was kept guessing until the very end. This book was an excellent ending to the series, and I'm heartbroken that it's ended. However, I bask in the thought of having 9 previous books to go back and read to see all the thrills I missed. I'm definitely looking forward to what Ms. MacNeal comes up with next!

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.

The Last Hope is only for readers who enjoy fully developed characters, intrigue, and history that comes to life. As a longtime fan of the Maggie Hope series, I’ve decided to share something that happens to me every time I read one. I read slowly and deliberately. Even though I can’t wait to learn what happens, I do wait. Sometimes reading only a chapter a night because I don’t want to leave the rich world and the characters I love behind. These novels focus on people who are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. The entire series highlights the fact that so many of these people ultimately gave their lives and they didn’t do it for recognition. Maggie Hope’s world is three-dimensional containing people from various factions—German Nazis, Allied forces, Russian Communists—and the people caught in the middle of it all.

It is with great joy and sadness that I have finish reading The Last Hope. Susan Elia MacNeal does not disappoint. I won’t put in any spoilers, but I will tell you the story is rich in detail, particularly Spain as Europe is getting close to the resolution of WWII. The setting and cast of characters are woven together as can only be done by an author skilled at her craft. I teared up and was shortly thereafter saved as the twists in the tale caused me to laugh out loud. You’ll know the scene when you read it! And I hope you will.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

I have DEVOURED the Maggie Hope books since first discovering them while waiting for a new Maisie Dobbs. And now both these series are ending and I am sad.

Maggie, who has a "complicated" family background that even SHE isn't sure about. Born in England, she was raised in Boston by an aunt, a British professor who was not, maybe, the BEST person to raise a small girl, but was the only person available to do so. When, in 1940, Maggie inherited a house in London, she went there to see about selling it, but that was not easily done, as England was just beginning to get involved in the second World War. So Maggie stayed on in London and eventually got a job working as a secretary for Winston Churchill. Being right in the midst of war planning, she was soon selected to be trained as a spy, which she is still doing as this book begins in late 1943.

She is sent to Spain at the request of Coco Chanel, who she met in an earlier book, and who is now working as a spy for the Nazis. Chanel has contacts and information that some of the senior Nazi generals understand that they will not win this war and would like to get rid of Hitler and sue for a separate peace with Britain, ostensibly in order to keep the Russians from taking over a post-war Europe and turning it to Communism. Chanel was a personal friend to Churchill before the war, so she wants Maggie to take a letter to him and deliver it in person.

The German scientist who is trying to make a "fission bomb" will also be in Madrid and Maggie is given the additional assignment to kill him if it would keep Germany from making and deploying an atomic bomb to win the war.

There are a lot of things going on, including a budding romance with a famous bullfighter, but the action proceeds without too much confusion. As sad as I am to bid goodbye to Maggie, I will always remember this series as a good one and this book provides a satisfying ending, but also leaves the door just a LITTLE open for more.

Maggie Hope is summoned to SOE headquarters by Kin Philby (Yes, THAT Kim Philby!) and given a new assignment in supposedly neutral Spain. The mission is twofold, meet Coco Chanel to get the German offer of "a separate peace" and to find out if Professor Heisenberg (of the Heisenberg Principle) is working on a nuclear bomb and if he is, assassinate him.
Her partner is an old friend who has left his wife and baby to join the mission. They are to go through Portugal from England to get to Spain. While is Lisbon, there is an incident that causes Maggie to go on alone.
In Spain, she has a difficult time getting to meet Professor Heisenberg and her meet with Chanel is littered with bodies. They manage to elude their respective tails and Chanel gives her the proposal to give to Churchill. Maggie is able to secure it before her "substitute" agent who she does NOT trust can take it from her.
Finally meeting Heisenberg, she finds he is bitter at not having the resources to work on fission and is quite unable to attempt to build a bomb. She is relieved to not have to kill him, but her "partner" has other ideas and attempts to kill them both. Chanel is able to help and Maggie is finally back to England where she delivers her messages and reunites with her friends and family.
HIGHLY recommend this series and this is a wonderful addition. Maggie is incredibly brave and resilient and determined to do her best to help the Allies win the war.