Member Reviews
I so wanted to love this book. I've eagerly devoured the Maggie Hope mysteries and have enjoyed her journey and her merry band she's collected along the way. (Glad to see Mr. K reappear! And in the historical note that he survived the end of the war.) But as a final book in the series this just didn't do it for me. Some aspects were very repetitive - I got tired of how many times (sometimes multiple a page!) Maggie's gun got mentioned or how Chanel was always described as wearing "ropes of pearls." It also leaves some loose threads - about Maggie's mom and dad and sister, about if an agent is a double agent, and others. It was a quick, enjoyable read but ultimately not my favorite of the series.
I found The Last Hope very interesting. The title is a play on words, obviously, referring to the main character’s name and the desire for the end of World War II. Hope/Maggie’s assignment to assassinate a professor working on the atomic bomb for the Nazis. Her mission is the last hope to stop any advancement in that development . The other hope was held by some Nazis for a deal with the Allies to barter a peace and join to thwart the. Russians. Through the efforts of Coco Chanel and Maggie they hoped they would succeed.
I had read before that Chanel was a collaborator with the Nazis, but I didn’t know to what extent. Since the Allies knew all about her alliances, it is interesting that she was allowed to operate freely. She obviously served a purpose or she would have been imprisoned as a traitor.
The glimpses into life “outside of the war” were fascinating. The story told of the coexistence of Allies and Axis in cities declared neutral. I haven’t read any books where that lifestyle is described. It seems like a different universe, I think this aspect of the book is what sets it apart from other stories about World War II.
I really enjoyed reading The Last Hope. I had not heard of this series before. Does the title allude to the end of this series? I hope not, yet it probably does since it the end of the war. Time will tell. Now I will look for some of the previous books.
Will I recommend this novel? Yes. It is a good, engaging read.
In The Last Hope, we see a possible future for Maggie Hope and her friends: World War II isn't over, but the end is in sight, and super-spy Maggie has been ordered to assassinate Werner Heisenberg, a physicist specializing in nuclear fission in case he is helping Germany build a nuclear bomb. Maggie is uncomfortable with the assignment and tries to discover if Heisenberg is actually working on this, and if Germany is indeed close to having a bomb. Maggie travels to Madrid for this mission and intrigue ensues with designer Coco Chanel, bullfighters, agensts and double agents.
I've read every book in this series and am truly sad to see it end. This book is very well researched and the fears about a post-war power structure feel so real. That said, readers new to the series will still understand the context and appreciate the characters.
"The Last Hope," the last in the Maggie Hope series, " is Susan Elia MacNeal's most suspenseful.
Maggie has to leave all her friends and her fiance to meet Coco Chanel in Spain. Chanel helped Maggie out in an earlier book and Chanel expects Maggie to repay the favor.
Chanel wants Maggie to hand deliver a letter to Churchill. As Maggie leaves on the mission, her superior gives her a gun with instructions to assassinate a German scientist who may be working on a bomb.
Will she or won't she? And if she does, will she get home alive? After all, this is the last book...
I’ve really enjoyed reading the books in this series over the years and I’m sad to see it end. Maggie Hope has had some great adventures and this last one—set in Spain and Portugal—was a wonderful finale. Maggie encounters some fabulous people, including a bullfighter, a physicist, and Coco Chanel, and there were some unexpected moments. Longtime admirers of this series will be pleased with how it all wraps up. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You don't need to read all the books in this series to appreciate the characters and understand the important events during the time period. I have only read two of the 11 books and had no problem understanding and appreciating the events and characters. All the main movers of the period play their parts with the world moving toward and then dealing with the aftermath of war.
Thank you to publisher for copy through NetGalley.
Wow! I have loved this series since the beginning and although I’m sad this is the finale it was a great ending! Run don’t walk to get this book when it releases. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
Fun, interesting and fast paced. The setting was wonderful. The characters draw you in and don't let go. A must read for historical fiction fans!
I’ve been a full on fan of this series from the publication of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary (2012). MacNeal’s combination of adventure story, history and a vivid and intrepid heroine in the form of Maggie Hope has been irresistible. Maggie, an American who came to Britain during the war and snagged a job in Churchill’s office, finds herself coming full circle: in the first novel she found an assassin, in this last novel, she’s asked to be an assassin.
Many things have happened to Maggie over the course of this long war, and she’s now a full on member of the SOE – Special Operations Executive – Churchill’s squad of espionage agents, of whom more than 3,000 were women. Their work involved going into occupied Europe and working undercover. The SOE was formed in 1940, and it was dissolved in ’46, so as this series draws to a close, so does the war and the SOE itself. It’s a fitting arc for this wonderful character.
In her last outing, she’s going to be sent to Madrid to meet up with Coco Chanel. Chanel was a Nazi sympathizer and collaborator and as the war appeared headed for an ending, she knew which side her bread would be buttered. She’s advocating for a “separate peace”, where the Allies reached an agreement with Germany but fought on with the Soviet Union. Obviously communism was seen as a huge threat. Chanel’s idea was for Maggie to carry a letter from her to Churchill, an acquaintance she felt she could prevail upon.
Maggie is not only being asked to meet with Chanel, however, she’s also being asked to assassinate Heisenberg, who the Allies felt might be close to creating a fission bomb. Maggie agrees but insists on meeting and talking with him first to see exactly how close he is to a bomb. Unlike Einstein and many other brilliant scientists, Heisenberg chose to stay in Germany and continued to work with the Nazi government.
This is a full on Maggie story, however, Chanel and Heisenberg are supporting players. As Maggie leaves London she must leave behind her boyfriend and possible fiancée and she’s just not feeling like herself. She’s a little heavier and she’s very hungry. Any woman could spot what’s happening and Chanel certainly does when they at last meet up, chiding Maggie for the poor fit of her clothes.
Wartime Madrid is also a character. Maggie’s “handler” warns her that it’s a city full of spies, and that no-one can be trusted, and in fact people around Maggie start falling like flies. This beautiful city, under Franco, sees a mix of all nationalities, all uneasily coexisting in a fragile space. Maggie is able to get in practically anywhere when a very famous bullfighter takes an interest in her, and MacNeal gives the reader a bird’s eye view of a bullfight and the culture that surrounds it.
There is much underlying tension in this story and Maggie’s life is certainly in danger as she weighs a decision on what to do about Heisenberg. MacNeal skillfully pulls in these details of the War and of Europe at a very specific time and manages to keep this book feeling, not like a dry historical tome, but a vivid story of a brave girl trying to do the right thing. And that essentially is the thread of the series. Maggie is plunged into events beyond her control, and manages to do the right thing. She’s a wonderful character.
MacNeal also nicely wraps up the series, providing closure of some the details of Maggie’s personal life. As the war heads to an ending, the reader is certainly wondering what’s next, but if you’re at all like me, you’re hoping it’s all good for Miss Maggie Hope. Thanks for the reading memories.
Maggie Hope’s last mission takes her to neutral Spain. She is not entirely comfortable with her assignment and has personal issues that prompt much soul searching (no spoilers here!). She reunites with Coco Chanel as part of her mission. I enjoyed the setting as I believe this is the first book I’ve read set in Spain during WWII and am curious to learn more.
This was not my favorite entry in the series. Perhaps the book felt slow at the beginning. Or it could be my own personal regret that this is the final episode. This series was much more than a cozy mystery. I am sorry for it to end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
In early 3/24, I read the first in a series known as the Maggie Hope Mystery Series by Susan Elia MacNeal. I really enjoyed the first book, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, and now in mid 4/24, I’ve read the last in the 11-book series, The Last Hope. This isn’t the way I typically take on a new series, much preferring to read through the books in order so I can see the characters and storyline develop. I least I know I have nine more books available to look forward to.
Maggie is a compelling character. She is an Irish lass whose parents, or so she thought, were killed in a car crash when she was quite young. She was then shipped to the U.S. to be taken care by her aunt, an academic. Maggie is was a very bright woman who, in the first book, struggled with the misogyny of the WWII era. Despite her mathematical and science background, when she volunteered her services for the British war effort, she was assigned to a typing a pool. Nonetheless, her talents could not be denied and she very quickly rose from being a typist to becoming Churchill’s secretary, and subsequently to being an MI-6 codebreaker, and finally a spy for the British. It was in The Last Hope that she was sent on an assassination mission. She was to meet the German scientist who was responsible for building their atomic fission bomb. There was a “race of the laboratories” between the Allies and Axis powers, and it seemed quite certain that while Germany was already losing the war, if they developed the bomb first, then they would likely be the victors.
Maggie has a fiancé at home as she was sent first to Lisbon and then to Madrid in order to determine if Professor Werner Heisenberg had made enough progress on his own atomic project to really be a threat to the Allies. Complicating the assignment was the unexpected pregnancy that Maggie discovered while she was on this assignment. Perhaps the most interesting character in the story was Coco Chanel, the French woman who was getting rich from the sales of her perfume. Although she was French, Coco was collaborating with the Nazis and the author made it clear that Coco was a horrible anti-Semitic woman. This was a good plot filled with a cast of fascinating characters. Not only do I recommend this book, but I’m assuming the series is a promising one.
Really enjoyed getting back into the Maggie Hope series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the ARC to read and review.
This story has Maggie working for British intelligence and she is given an assignment to meet and possibly assassinate a German scientist working on a nuclear bomb/weapon. Many characters from previous books again meet up including Coco Chanel who is embedded with the Nazis and hopes to help end the war.
I loved the setting of the book- much of it in Spain and Portugal. So interesting to see the roles of these countries during WW2.
The book is action packed and full of twists and surprises. It is also quite emotional with the evolution of Maggie's romance with John Sterling and her quest to learn the truth about her family.
This is an excellent addition to a wonderful series! One of my favorite in the World War 2 era novels.
The title implies that this will be the last in the series but I personally hope that it is not! Not ready to let go of Maggie and all the other characters in the series yet!.
For more of my reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com.
Thank you to Bantam Books and NetGalley for the digital eARC of The Last Hope. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’m not sure how I was recommended the Maggie Hope series during lockdown, but I’m so glad I was! She’s an American/British academic who gets thrust into working for Winston Churchill at 10 Downing Street in the early days of WWII. When it becomes apparent that she’s frightfully smart and brave, she is elevated to spy.
Along the way, Maggie has worked with everyone from Churchill to Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), to Eleanor Roosevelt, and Coco Chanel (see The Paris Spy). Coco got Maggie out of a bit of a jam in that mystery, and now she’s come calling for a favor. The bulk of the story happens in Spain, where she meets a famous bullfighter and is tasked with secreting a message to Churchill from the Nazi higher-ups who have gone behind Hitler’s back to try and broker peace. She also has to try and determine how close the Germans are to developing an atomic bomb.
If you’re looking for a tidy ending to this series, you’ll be disappointed. There are some loose ends from the series that aren’t resolved, but that’s okay by me. It lets one’s imagination take over and create their own perfect ending.
I’m always amazed at Susan Elia MacNeal’s way of uncovering parts of WWII history that are set aside or merely forgotten. The research that goes into each volume of the series comes through on the page. I always appreciate an historical fiction book that provides author’s notes explaining what is fact and what is fiction in the book. The author also provides further reading material in case you are like me and want to go down another history rabbit hole. I know I’m going to be reading more on Coco Chanel and her Nazi ties.
The Last Hope is the last of 11 novels featuring Maggie Hope, who starts as Winston Churchill’s secretary in book 1. By the end of the first book Maggie is so much more than just a secretary, learning how to spy and becoming a key part of Englands fight against the Nazi’s. I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t yet read the intervening novels (a sad fact that I will remedy immediately!), but this last novel makes me sad that its the end of Maggie’s story.
In The Last Hope Maggie is sent to Spain to assassinate a German nuclear scientist who may be on the brink (or past it) of developing a nuclear weapon to be used against England and other countries to force them into peace. Maggie’s cover for being in Spain is to meet with Coco Chanel (yes, that Chanel) who is delivering a proposal for a separate peace between the UK and Germany. Coco is a collaborator (really truly) and she will deliver the proposal to no one other than Maggie, who she knows from previous encounters in France. Coco knows that the only person she can trust to actually deliver the proposal to Churchill is Maggie. Along the way, Maggie meets a patriotic and sexy matador, several spies and traitors, and has to come to a decision as to whether or not the scientist really is close to developing a nuclear weapon. Maggie’s character is so well written, and the story, while based on truth, is eye opening and makes the time go by so quickly its hard to believe when you’ve reached the end. Very well researched, with real people and real plots, I was unable to put it down!
It’s hard to believe that this is the last Maggie Hope story after everything she’s been through. I’m always a little sus when an agent accepts “one final mission” because it seems like that’s code for “prepare for the worst to happen.” And, well… a lot of bad things do happen to Maggie.
This time she’s headed to Madrid to receive a message from Coco Chanel, and also to determine whether German physicist Werner Heisenberg has uncovered the means of making a nuclear bomb. It’s apparent throughout her mission that the stakes couldn’t be higher; the reader is left with the feeling that Maggie senses the fate of humanity rests squarely on her ability to deduce the truth.
While some of the “twists” felt predictable, there were a number of events toward the end of the book that I didn’t anticipate. Overall this was an enjoyable read and I think it wrapped up the series while still leaving room for imagination on what comes next for these characters in a post-war world.
This is such an exciting, well researched ending to this series, as Maggie embarks on her most dangerous mission! I was spellbound from beginning to end. I regret to say that I have not read the previous books, but I am looking forward to reading them! This book does work well as a stand-alone. Magie Hope is an absolutely wonderful character, full of both bravery and trepidation as she struggles complete her assigned mission. In this final installment, Maggie poses as a courier assigned to Spain, where she encounters Coco Chanel once again, and meets with Heisenberg, (the physicist working on behalf of Germany to create a nuclear bomb), as well as a famous matador. Susan Elia MacNeal has woven much of the history of that time as well as both the beauty and danger that existed in Spain into an unforgettable ending to this series. The author notes at the end are a must read! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.
1 like
I am so bummed that this is the last in the series. I have enjoyed all of them and Maggie's progression in her life. Maggie is sent to Spain to meet with Coco Chanel to get a letter to Churchill. Secondarily, to assassinate Heisenberg because he was the scientist behind the German fusion bomb. Her boss wants him dead in case he is close to completing the bomb. Maggie does not want to kill but will if needed. From the beginning people want to kill her and others on this mission. Maggie can only trust herself and needs to follow her own instincts and believe the facts. She gets the information even though she has several death attempts and survives. I hope we have a story that follows up on her life after the war. Just a one-off to see how she is. I feel like i am losing a friend after all these years.
Good book and well worth your time. I hope the author starts something new. I will certainly read it.
So interesting the perspective on Coco Chanel during WW2, as well as the other espionage going on around Madrid, and the blurring of Naziism and Communism that started to happen.
I learned quite a bit in this book I’ve never heard about which is always a huge win for me, and it was written in an interesting manner, keeping my attention and investing me into Maggie’s story.
There were times that things felt unrealistic, like sometimes Maggie was not a completely convincing spy the whole time. And her exit from Madrid felt a little thrown together. But overall I really enjoyed the story.
Also, not what I’d consider a real spoiler below, but semi, so warning if you don’t want any hint….
There is some content about a miscarriage, and from someone who’s had 2, I thought it was excellently written. The emotions, the physical toll, and the mental strain was perfect. Most of the time when a miscarriage is in a book it’s passed over quickly - either the emotions of it or even the physical difficulty. I appreciated the accuracy and relatable-ness the author gave.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
Elements of "The Last Hope" are based in fact: Coco Chanel was a virulent anti-Semite and Nazi collaborator who as part of Operation Modelhut tried to broker a separate peace with Britain in 1944. From this Susan Elia MacNeal created a story featuring her maths scholar-turned-spy heroine Maggie Hope. There's intrigue, of course, and action; it all moves at a brisk pace; and the settings are well limned. I can't say that the book held many surprises for me, but it definitely kept my attention all the way through. If you enjoy WWII fiction from a woman's point of view that keeps romance to a minimum (this passes the Bechdel test), "The Last Hope" will fill the bill.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Only 3 stars because overall plot was lacking the tension that marked earlier spy missions Maggie embarked on. Also she seemed clueless at times which was out of character. In addition, new plots lines were introduced right at the end that won’t be resolved in future books. And the history, while often deftly woven in this series, was heavy handed at times in this installment and made this read like a textbook on certain aspects of WWII in a way the others haven’t. This just really missed the mark for me. It still gets a 3 bc I love Maggie and the writing is still good - just not to the standard I was hoping and expecting for a finale to a beloved series.