Mr. Churchill's Secretary

A Maggie Hope Mystery

By: Susan Elia MacNeal

Narrated by: Donada Peters

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

BARRY AWARD WINNER • Heralding the arrival of a brilliant new heroine, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary captures the drama of an era of unprecedented challenge—and the greatness that rose to meet it.

“With any luck, the adventures of red-haired super-sleuth Maggie Hope will go on forever. . . . Taut, well-plotted, and suspenseful, this is a wartime mystery to sink your teeth into.” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined—and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.

Ensnared in a web of spies, murder, and intrigue, Maggie must work quickly to balance her duty to King and Country with her chances for survival. And when she unravels a mystery that points toward her own family’s hidden secrets, she’ll discover that her quick wits are all that stand between an assassin’s murderous plan and Churchill himself.

In this daring debut, Susan Elia MacNeal blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character, Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel.

©2012 Susan Elia Macneal (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“This wonderful debut is intelligent, richly detailed, and filled with suspense.” (Stefanie Pintoff)

“A terrific read.... Chock full of fascinating period details and real people including Winston Churchill, MacNeal’s fast-paced thriller gives a glimpse of the struggles, tensions, and dangers of life on the home front during World War II.” (Rhys Bowen, author of Royal Blood and winner of the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards)

“Think early Ken Follett, amp it up with a whip-smart young American not averse to red lipstick and vintage cocktails, season it with espionage during the London Blitz, and you’ve got a heart-pounding, atmospheric debut. I loved it.” (Cara Black, author of Murder in Passy)

Calling all directors

What made the experience of listening to Mr. Churchill's Secretary the most enjoyable?

I knew it wouldn't be long before writers began to take up WWII as entertainment. Nevertheless MacNeal does entertain and I did learn more about the circumstances surrounding the war, particularly among the civilian population.

What did you like best about this story?

The painless often enjoyable learning opportunity offered by books whose main objective IS entertainment; but are nevertheless well written.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I am sorry to say I agree with the many readers that find the narration a decided distraction. However, I tend to chalk this up to the directors carelessness. The narrator's voice has exceptionally strong potential as pleasing and expressive. SHE NEEDS COACHING to eliminate the habits that distract from the performance, such as ending many sentence on the high note of a .question.

Wobbly accents

I generally enjoyed the story, but the narrator had difficulty nailing the different accents, which I found distracting.

London At The Start of World War II

At the beginning of this book I feared it was going to be slow moving and hard to follow. I made notes of characters names and occupations. That helped me keep things straight. Once the situation was described the pace picked up. I had no trouble following the plot.
As the action picked up, I was fully involved and found it difficult to stop listening.
There are plot points that deal with World War II and plot points that deal with Maggie Hope's personal life.
I was fascinated by the historical information about WWII. It gave me a feeling of how life might have been for a citizen of London during that time.
There is violence, however the descriptions are not overly graphic. There is some rude language, but it is kept to a minimum and very approriate to the situations in which it is used.
There is at least one more book in this series and I plan to read it.

second time around

good story. I look forward to listening to her others. Tried listening on vacation in England and just couldn't get into it. second time was the charm!

Good, but lacking the wow factor.

The story was good, but did not have me riveted. Also, I think the narrator's voice was too mature-sounding to pull off all the young female characters...which is a pet peeve of mine. I understand that the narrator in the following books is different, so we'll see how that goes.

Okay, but a bit slow.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The pace was a bit slow and story line was predictible, but overal it was a fun listen and worth my time.

Engaging combo of historical fiction and mystery

Would you listen to Mr. Churchill's Secretary again? Why?

Yes -- fascinating to imagine the characters in that historic time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maggie, the heroine.

Which character – as performed by Wanda McCaddon – was your favorite?

I liked her portrayal of Winston Churchill

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't laugh or cry -- but I was reminded of what a difficult time this was for the British people.

Any additional comments?

Reminded me a lot of Trapeze.

Don't Miss Maggie!

Born in 1939,a month after WWII was declared,I grew up on war stories and experiences from my British grandparents and uncles who had served "over There"."Mr Churchill's Secretary" by Susan Elia MacNeal enthralled me as it fleshed out many of the ideas and impressions which I had absorbed in my early years.
Maggie Hope is an engaging heroine,born English but raised American, who has returned to England in 1939 to dispose of her grandmother's house in London according to the terms of her will.When war breaks out she takes a position as a typist at 10 Downing St and so begins her "great adventure".
Susan Elia MacNeal has obviously done a tremendous amount of historical research to write this novel and she weaves this almost seamlessly into her riveting plot.
The few anachromisms present eg.Maggie's occasional rants about sexual and personal equality,seem out of place in a woman of this time and background,however,the absorbing plot and likeable characters make up for any minor flaws.
As a long-time follower of authors such as Anne Perry, Laurie R.King and Jacqueline Winspear et al, I find that "Mr Churchill's Secretary"shows great promise as a first novel and hopefully will become a series I cannot miss(especially if Wanda McCaddon continues as narrator).

Delightful

What a nice change of pace for both historical fiction and spy stories. Although the story gets a little convoluted and confusing introducing all the characters, I am sure this was laying ground for the remainder of the series.

What was not good was the narration. She was too English. Her American accent was non-existent, making it slightly confusing to distinguish some of the conversations. Other accents were equally poor.

But that was a minor flaw compared to the simplicity of this delightful tale. It was not quite believable at the end, but it was fiction after all.

not exactly thrilling

I enjoyed this book, but it's more of a cozy spy mystery, if that's possible. Donada Peters is excellent, and the story rolls along-- people die and the war rages-- but despite that there's not a whole lot of tension. Got it in a 2 for 1 sale, and i think it's worth that.