An enthralling historical novel that captures the essence of a bygone era. The plot is engaging and suspenseful, filled with political intrigue witty banter, and a web of spies. A rewarding read and a great start to a new series.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Suspenseful!

Riveting WWII tale of spies, misdirection, the Crown Jewels, a secret women’s organisation, and English lords who want Churchill to make peace with Hitler. Not happening!
A derring-do thriller that rather appealed.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I received a copy of this title from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Jewel in the Crown is a fast paced and engrossing book featuring a wonderful new character in Caitrin Collins. A police constable, Caitlin is recruited into a secret government agency comprised exclusively of females with such tough standards that very few make it through training. She is disappointed when she is assigned to pretend to be married to Hector, Lord Neville-Percy as they meander through England moving the Crown Jewels to a meeting with a sub that will spirit them to safety in Canada. Set during the period immediately following Dunkirk, the author does a wonderful job of conveying just how uncertain the direction of the war is as well as the fact that not all British citizens were convinced Germany was the enemy or the war necessary. Wisconsin Churchill features prominently and I learned much about him I didn't know. I loved Caitrin and Hector and the whole adventure. Great suppoeting characters added to my enjoyment.
There were some nice twists and hopefully this is the first of many books featuring Caitrin and her war time adventures.

Caitrin Colline is recruited to be part of an elite group in service to the Crown. After completing her training she is summoned by Winston Churchill to learn about her first mission where she will play the role of newlywed while transporting the Crown Jewels away from the dangers of the Blitz in London. Along the way, she and her partner engage with the British aristocracy to ferret out Nazi sympathizers. Soon Caitrin suspects that all is not what it seems and she must take drastic action to uncover the bad guys and save her own life.

“A Jewel in the Crown” features witty dialogue and a host of strong female characters. Of course, those strong women are often underestimated by the men surrounding them. The story is fast-paced. Caitrin is clearly the smartest person in every room she enters, but that sometimes diminishes the other characters.

This book is great for readers who enjoy historical fiction, World War II fiction, or historical mysteries/thrillers.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Kensington Books, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A quick story about why I asked for an advance copy of this book. I was at The Poison Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ to see Jacqueline Winspear speak about her last Maisie Dobbs book, and the owner offered this book as a prize. She made it sound so good, so as I sat there I went to Netgalley and asked for it. I am so glad I did, as it is the start of just the kind of series I love. Historical fiction with real characters, and a very plausible story. It begins with Caitrine Colline, a Welsh constable who is picked to be trained to be a lethal weapon by a secret woman's society. She comes to the attention of Winston Churchill who is planning an important mission. He asks her to pretend to be married to Lord Marlton, Hector Neville-Percy in order to help him. They have NO IDEA how clever and well trained she is, to their detriment.
The banter between the two helps the story move along. We get a very good insight into Churchill as well as the British people. The plot is very clever as the couple drive through England to get to Scotland. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest opinion.

A good book. The characters are likable and I enjoyed the witty dialogue. Nice to have strong women as main character.

I went back and forth a few times on how I wanted to rate this one. It was between three and four stars but in the end, I did enjoy the writing and love a good historical fiction. There was a slight dual POV that was thoroughly enjoyable from our smart-witted, fictional, female main character: Caitrin, and from Winston Churchill. I enjoyed those scenes and appreciated the glimpses they gave us readers of the very serious and devastating war that was happening during Operation Cat. I’m glad the author thought of that aspect. We all know what was happening at that time but putting it on the page ensured that the importance of it was not neglected.
Caitrin and her side of the story were very serious and to the point while also having fun and lighthearted moments. The witty banter between Caitrin was marvelous. He had no idea what kind of partner he was getting in Caitrin and underestimated her as many other men did. She was confident and smart-witted. She has her personal views and beliefs, but she will not stand down and goes above and beyond putting her own life at risk multiple times to complete an operation that is bigger than she could ever know.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this incredible advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

1940 Welsh socialists and PC Caitrin Collins, and Hector, Lord Marlton have been recruited to deliver the Crown Jewels to Scotland, where they will be sent to Canada. But who can they trust, can they trust each other. Unfortunately I didn't really take to the character of Caitrin, and nor did the story capture my imagination as I hoped. It seemed to be one long road trip and meeting various people on the way.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A thrilling start to a new WWII mystery series, focusing on the theft of the British royal jewels en route to Canada for safekeeping from the Germans. Kept me gripped to the last page, with great one liners that made me guffaw. A winner!

A Jewel in the Crown was a jolly good read. It was about a police woman, Caitron, and Hector who were commissioned to rescue England's crown jewels. Their job was to get the jewels to a ship that was to take them to Canada and away from the Germans. So they had the jewels and were in route to the port where the jewels were confiscated by the Germans. Caitron and Hector were thrown in the back of the lorry from which Caitron escaped. She set out to follow the lorry which headed to a port where the jewels were offloaded onto a craft. Her plan was to board the craft and recapture the jewels. She made it and was in hiding until she was found. Hector was among the men who had perpetrated the theft.

Winston Churchill was the person behind the transport of the jewels and at some point he thought Caitron was a traitor due to the faulty information he received.

Time after time Caitron outsmarted the Germans and time after time she was recaptured. Her endeavor was fraught with mishaps but they didn't deter her. She was determined to get the jewels back at any cost, even though she had no idea how she was going to do it.

This adventure was such that it kept coming back for more. It really held my attention. Caitron and Hector were supposed to pose as husband and wife, and even though it worked most of the time, but a couple of times, they were busted.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I thought the characters were well developed and I found the story easy to follow. I gave it five stars.

A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis is an entertaining start to a new WWII-era historical mystery series that I enjoyed.

The year is 1940, and Caitrin Colline has been invited into the inner circle of Britain’s behind the scenes action of espionage, political intrigue, mystery, action, suspense, and maybe even murder.

The author’s ability to add some light-hearted humor and one-liners to the book helps take off some of the weighty edge that the Second World War brings to the forefront.

Looking forward to where this series goes.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books | A John Scognamiglio Book 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 7/23/24.