I loved this book. It was a fantastic close to the Maggie Hope series. Maggie grew tremendously and got to do some really intriguing "stuff" in this novel. I loved getting into her head and trying to analyze the various situations with her. Definitely recommend.

This is the eleventh and final volume of the intriguing Maggie Hope series and it does not disappoint. The war slowly drawing to a close but Maggie is tasked by British intelligence to assassinate a German scientist, Werner Heisenberg who may be developing a fission bomb for Germany. Because she is unsure of his indeed developing the bomb she travels to Madrid where he is giving a lecture, to meet him and gauge the situation using her mathematics background. In the course of her adventures she teams up with Coco Chanel, in a sensitively drawn characterization. It's a complex situation, paired with Maggie's personal life back in London and there is a satisfying conclusion.

As a loyal reader of the Maggie Hope series from its very beginning, I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. This latest and final installment didn't disappoint. As always, I learned more about the history of WWII, this time focusing on people preparing for Germany to lose, the development of the atomic bomb, and events in Spain at that time. I was happy to read more about Maggie's personal life, but I was disappointed to be left with unanswered questions. Perhaps the author thinks it's better to leave her audience wanting more (which I do). I imagine that MacNeal may wish to write about new characters after all this time. I look forward to seeing what she does next. I highly recommend this book and the entire series (best read in order). I will miss Maggie Hope.

As a series finale, The Last Hope, shines a shadowy light on the ways war transforms people. Maggie, Susan Elia MacNeal’s determined and ever-loyal protagonist, worries how much her experiences as one of Churchill’s handpicked SOE agents have changed her. This is especially so given her newest, and last, assignment - assassinating a fellow academic who may just be building an atom bomb for Hitler. In the face of danger lurking everywhere, she conducts her mission in an unsettled, post-civil war Spain amidst rising doubts as to who she can trust. Given the title of this book and the announcement that this is the last in the series, I was worried about the final outcome; yet, I did my best to slow my reading to savor accompanying Maggie as she finagled and untangled opportunities and obstacles that arose on her mission.

While there are some threads I wish had been resolved, this was as near perfect as a series conclusion for Maggie and her work with the SOE as I wished. Nonetheless, I do have my fingers crossed that MacNeal has additional works planned that will give Maggie some special guest appearances so we can learn how things work out for her as the war ends and lives are rebuilt. I will miss having new adventures to experience with Maggie Hope, but look forward to MacNeal’s future projects.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and the author for early access to this thrilling novel.

The Last Hope is an excellent historical fiction of many hidden events of the second world war. It is packed with suspense and intrigue and an exceptional way to end the series.

I tore through this series in the beginning of lockdown, so it feels only fitting that I read the last four years later. Maggie is one of my favorite historical heroines - nuanced, smart, brave, and engaging. I only wish more of the supporting cast had been included - it didn't FEEL like a finale. I selfishly wanted one more book to wrap things up.

Diffirant take on the world after 1930's What will you do during a war? Can you kill? How do you decide? Many questions ! Who do you trust and why, Can you trust anyone? Wow

The Last Hope: A Maggie Hope Mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal is the 11th book in this truly wonderful series.

I have read all eleven books, and have truly loved getting to see Maggie (pull yourself together Hope) Hope. To see her blossum from a young woman, naive of the world, become a force to be reckoned with, a source of hope, promise, and that at this time there were still good people, fighting for what was right.

I loved this murder/mystery full of intrigue, emotion, espionage, and surprises right and left. The ending definitely gives promise of an uplifting and inspiring future for Maggie, her family and friends, and the whole world. It truly left a smile on my face.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/21/24.

Maggie is being sent to Spain on a dual assignment - first to pick up a letter from Coco Chanel and then to murder a scientist. Filled with Maggie's doubts about her mission, her conflicting emotions about the future and the knowledge that she had no idea who was a friend and who an enemy in this foreign country. Excellent!

I was sorry I had not read the previous books in this series but they are now on my list. I totally was engrossed in the story. The writing captured the characters to the degree I could see the clothing, places and the characters..

Well written, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of The Last Hope, the finale in the Maggie Hope series. This is the best kind of finale- one where everything is not tied up in a neat little bow and therefore gives us hope that one day Susan Elia MacNeal might revisit Maggie and her friends. This story takes place in early 1944 before the Allied invasion of Europe and involves Coco Chanel, Spain, and many murders. I won't go into the plot details other than to say it's fascinating because of the truth regarding Coco Chanel. Now, was I a little disappointed not to see the end of the war with Maggie? Yes. But we are left with hope and you can't beat that!

I am sorry to see the last of the series. I’ve enjoyed spending time with the characters through the last several years. I will definitely look up some of the sources cited at the end. I appreciate knowing what the author has imagined for the future of the Maggie and her friends. Of course we know what happened to the historical figures. Thanks for the good reads Susan Elia MacNeal!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Wow, really didn't like that ending, especially for the last book in a series. It left so many questions! The author's note mentioned how she imagined it ending yet that is not what we were given. Well, having said that, this one still gets 4 stars because it is, after all, a Maggie Hope book. I wasn't thrilled with books 9 or 10 but I'm happy to find this one back up to par (for me, at least). Lots of intrigue and wondering who to trust. I especially liked the character of Juanito and how he helped Maggie. Highly recommend this series, sad to see it finished.

Another excellent book featuring Maggie Hope, and including tons of historical information seamlessly integrated into an entertaining narrative. The mercurial Coca Chanel's WWII activities are intrinsic to the story. How the groundwork for the Cold War was laid during the Spanish American war and WWII was detailed, as well as the post-war science race. Kim Philby of the Cambridge Five was mentioned as well. Just so much great historical detail in a great story.

However, there are clear indications that Maggie's story is not finished in the last few chapters. They didn't even get to V-E Day. Might there be a new series featuring another character, with Maggie as a peripheral character? Right now (3/2024), I don't know.

I am a big fan of MacNeal's works and her character Maggie Hope, super spy of British Intelligence. This novel takes place during WWII and mostly in Spain, when Hope gets tangled up in various intrigues with the likes of Coco Chanel and Werner Heisenberg. The novel weaves very real-life incidents together to create an exciting plot line: Hope is tasked with finding out if the Nazis are close to having a working A-bomb and she is to take out the physicist if that is the case. The painstaking detail that MacNeal brings to her novels is noteworthy and this book is filled with some interesting plot twists and dramatic moments that are best left for the reader to discover. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite things about historical fiction is the afterword, where the author talks about the people, places, and events that inspired the story and characters, and identifies who are the real-life characters. Some of those are obvious — such as Churchill, Franco, Werner Heisenberg, Chanel, and Kim Philby in “The Last Hope” — but there are also usually lesser known but sometimes quite significant people who the reader is just discovering.

Maggie Hope's double mission is quite interesting. She is sent to Madrid to collect an envelope from Coco Chanel containing a proposal from Germany for a separate peace with Britain and France which she is to deliver personally to Winston Churchill. She is also supposed to possibly assassinate Werner Heisenberg, who is in Madrid to give a lecture, if she believes that Germany is close to developing a nuclear weapon. Spain is a neutral country, although Franco leans more towards Germany than the Allies. Spain is also a hotbed of spies and foreign officials, which makes the missions more difficult. Intermixed in the story is the issue of fascism versus communism, and communism versus democracy/liberalism. Maggie will be betrayed by people she trusts but she will also discover unexpected allies, including a famous bullfighter. She will also learn new information about her mother, and possibly her father.

How can we leave Maggie Hope? This last installment is bittersweet. Maggie has become a favorite spy for this reader.

These last years have taken a toll on her and the events in this book lead to more heartbreak. She has one last mission, to stop the creation of the fission bomb. In neutral Madrid, all manner of spies and counter-spies gather in a cat and mouse game.

I want just one more book, but like life, things do not get wrapped up in a shiny bow. Dear Maggie must face her future on her own.

A worthy, compelling finale! I’ve so loved this WWII series featuring smart and savvy spy Maggie Hope, having eagerly devoured each of the prior installments when published. And this final tale of Maggie’s adventures is among the best of the bunch. At once well researched and well plotted and paced, The Last Hope is as intelligent as it is intriguing.

I did wish for at least one more book in the series to answer some of the questions left open (which I’ll not list in the interest of avoiding spoilers) - and, failing that, a fitting epilogue. Perhaps an epilogue along the lines of the scene MacNeal references in her author’s note, at war’s end, could even be added prior to publication or featured on MacNeal’s website/social media?

In any event, this novel is highly recommended! To properly appreciate Maggie’s final mission, I would suggest reading the prior books of the series. And for those fascinated by Maggie’s adventures, I also highly recommend MacNeal’s all too timely standalone Mother Daughter Traitor Spy, which explores the Nazi movement within the United States in the early days of WWII.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

I discovered Maggie Hope at my library a few summers ago, and have been waiting for the next installment in the series since then. I am sad to see the series end, but also excited to see what else Susan Elia MacNeal comes up with.

As is typical for a Maggie Hope story, The Last Hope is full of suspense, espionage, and intrigue. Here the stakes are higher than ever before for Maggie, both personally and professionally. Maggie's finale includes Coco Chanel, bullfighting, and the physicist Heisenberg for a memorable and exciting finale.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve read all the Maggie Hope books, each one better than the one before, with the final book the best yet. The Last Hope, a story rich with historical facts coupled with espionage and intrigue is the perfect ending to this incredible series.

The synopsis of Susan Elia MacNeal’s The Last Hope provides a glimpse into Maggie Hope’s latest mission in her work as a SOE agent for Britain during WWII. This book can be read as a stand-alone but I highly recommend starting with book one, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, and working your way to The Last Hope.

Getting to know Maggie and watching her take on challenges most women of that time would not think of attempting is part of the enjoyment of this series. MacNeal’s in-depth research, attention to detail and inclusion of familiar names and places creates a reality that begins in Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and carries on to The Last Hope.

The Last Hope expands on the loyalties of people like Coco Chanel and Kim Philby who manipulated and coopted their way through the Nazi regime, selling out their countries, friends and business acquaintances for their political beliefs or personal gains.

You will walk the halls of Lisbon’s Royal Palace with Maggie and come face to face with General Franco. Maggie’s stay in Madrid’s beautiful Palacio Hotel, a hubbub of double agents, spies and subterfuge, was filled with angst as to whether she would complete the mission she was sent to undertake. Under her assumed name of Paige Kelly, she absorbed the history of Spains love of bullfighting, attended an exposition at Spains largest bullfighting ring La Plaza de Toros las Ventas, and enjoyed the “violet sweets” at La Violetas.

There were many twists and turn in this story and, at one point, I was tempted to turn to the last two chapters because I so wanted to know how this would end. I’m glad I read on to a most surprising and perfect ending to the story of Maggie Hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random house for a digital copy of The Last Hope in exchange for my personal review.