The Queen's Accomplice (Maggie Hope Series #6)

by Susan Elia MacNeal Narrated by Susan Duerden

Overview

Spy and code-breaker extraordinaire Maggie Hope returns to war-weary London, where she is thrust into the dangerous hunt for a monster, as the New York Times bestselling mystery series for fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry continues.

England, 1942. The Nazis' relentless Blitz may have paused, but London's nightly blackouts continue. Now, under the cover of darkness, a madman is brutally killing and mutilating young women in eerie and exact re-creations of Jack the Ripper's crimes. What's more, he's targeting women who are reporting for duty to be Winston Churchill's spies and saboteurs abroad. The officers at MI-5 quickly realize they need the help of special agent Maggie Hope to find the killer dubbed “the Blackout Beast.” A trap is set. But once the murderer has his sights on Maggie, not even Buckingham Palace can protect the resourceful spy from her fate.

Praise for The Queen's Accomplice

“Maggie is a thoughtful spy whose dangerous escapades never disappoint.”-Kirkus Reviews

“A fine historical mystery given a feminist slant.”-Booklist

“Plausible and elegant . . . Like all MacNeal's novels, this one ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Maggie's next adventure.”-Shelf Awareness

“Works as a suspenseful stand-alone . . . interesting and informative . . . wartime London is vividly portrayed . . . recommended for those who like their historical mysteries with a large dose of suspense.”-Historical Novel Society

“For those who are Maggie Hope diehards, this latest in the series is sure to satisfy.”-Reviewing the Evidence

“MacNeal's meticulous research shines through on every page, and pays off with a wartime atmosphere that feels real.”-Crimespree Magazine

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2016 - AudioFile

Narrator Susan Duerden artfully depicts wartime Britain and the indomitable Maggie Hope as she works in the war effort AND encounters the Blackout Beast—a Jack the Ripper-like killer. Vivid descriptions of the countryside and Nazi atrocities evoke a you-are-there feel in the ever-changing setting. Duerden's best creation is gutsy 85-year-old air raid warden Vera Baines, who discovers a body and then provides vital clues to what happened. Listeners will be saddened to hear that WWII heroines (and their families) received no compensation if they were injured or killed. It’s also frustrating to hear how men viewed these brave women. Good portraits of “K” the cat and a belligerent drunk, along with Hope's thoughts, add to the listening pleasure. The wonderful conclusion features a commanding Queen Mother. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

08/08/2016
Echoes of classic crime meet international espionage in MacNeal’s accomplished sixth WWII mystery (after 2015’s Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante). In bombed- and blacked-out 1942 London, a young woman’s horrifically butchered body is discovered in Regent’s Park near graffiti proclaiming that “Jack Is Back.” With the discovery of a second, similarly brutalized corpse, a pattern emerges: the murders explicitly mimic Jack the Ripper’s, and both women have been tapped for the Special Operations Executive, a top-secret unit that sends women spies behind enemy lines. American expat Maggie Hope, an experienced SOE operative, joins the investigation jointly conducted by Scotland Yard and MI5. The stakes rise when a young woman trained by Maggie disappears, possibly abducted by the killer that the press dubs the Blackout Beast. Though the titular queen—the current monarch’s mother—plays only a minor role, MacNeal’s engaging characters, vivid scene-setting, moments of romance, and rich historical detail offer plenty to enjoy. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Literary. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

“Maggie is a thoughtful spy whose dangerous escapades never disappoint.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A fine historical mystery given a feminist slant.”—Booklist
 
“Plausible and elegant . . . Like all MacNeal’s novels, this one ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Maggie’s next adventure.”—Shelf Awareness
 
“Works as a suspenseful stand-alone . . . interesting and informative . . . wartime London is vividly portrayed . . . recommended for those who like their historical mysteries with a large dose of suspense.”—Historical Novel Society
 
“For those who are Maggie Hope diehards, this latest in the series is sure to satisfy.”—Reviewing the Evidence
 
“MacNeal’s meticulous research shines through on every page, and pays off with a wartime atmosphere that feels real.”—Crimespree Magazine

Praise for the Maggie Hope series
 
“You’ll be [Maggie Hope’s] loyal subject, ready to follow her wherever she goes.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

Library Journal

10/01/2016
Returning to London from Washington, DC, Maggie Hope is working at Special Operations Division, 64 Baker Street. The Nazis have stopped their nightly bombing, but the city is still burning. When an elderly air raid warden stumbles over a mutilated body in Regent's Park, it marks the beginning of a terrible re-creation of Jack the Ripper's killing spree. This sixth entry in the World War II series follows Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante.

Kirkus Reviews

2016-07-20
An accomplished young woman fights hate and misogyny in World War II Britain.Maggie Hope was born in Britain but raised in America by her university professor aunt. Since her return to war-torn Britain, she’s been a secretary to Winston Churchill, a spy, a decoder, a protector for the royal family, a thwarter of her Nazi-spy mother’s plans, and a confidante to Eleanor Roosevelt. She’s currently an assistant at one of the Special Operation’s Executive offices, where her misogynist boss ignores her warnings about an agent Maggie knows has been compromised and refuses to seek better pay and pensions for the women risking their lives overseas. As Maggie awaits the arrival of her younger half sister, Elise Hess, rescued from her dangerous life in Germany, a modern-day Jack the Ripper is killing young women, at least some of whom are on their way to the SOE for interviews. Maggie’s recently moved back to her house, which was damaged in a bombing raid, and is sharing with an old friend whose house was blown up. A former roommate, ballerina Sarah Sanderson, has almost completed her SOE training and plans to go to France with Maggie’s former boyfriend Hugh Thompson, with whom she has fallen in love. Maggie, who also occasionally works for MI-5, is ordered to join forces with the police to catch the new Ripper because of the victims’ connections with SOE. Though DCI James Durgin is none too pleased to work with MI-5, he quickly learns to appreciate Maggie’s many skills and her willingness to risk her life in pursuit of the killer. Maggie (Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante, 2015, etc.) is a thoughtful spy whose dangerous escapades never disappoint.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171878627
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Series:	Maggie Hope Series , #6
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One
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Excerpted from "The Queen's Accomplice"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Susan Elia MacNeal.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
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