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)

Taught Me Real Life in Britain in WW II

Any additional comments?

Unlike another reviewer who said she was too old to be sympathetic to the heroine's adventures and romantic development, I, though a middler, have family issues that made this story human, evocative, real, and opened up a part of global history previously closed. Hitler probably expected his Blitzkrieg to flatten every country in its path, but Britain was different, by circumstance, pluck, fellow feeling, and determined persistence despite horrors.

Maggie Hope, the protagonist, was born a British citizen, but was raised in the USA by a maiden lesbian aunt upon the putative death of her parents. A grandmother dies, leaving her a beautiful but aging Victorian in Britain, forcing Maggie's return. She comes from a brilliant family; her forte, and charmed love which keeps her emotionally balanced is mathematics and puzzle solving and she is in the middle of advanced studies which she is loathe to leave.

When the house doesn't sell due to the onslaught of the war, she decides to stay, and upon invitation, applies for a position as Churchill's typist. The real secretarial jobs were entitled "Personal Secretary" and were reserved for elite young British men who did research rather than take dictation. I loved how she met and made friends with others her age, all unique characters, which formed a supportive and diverse bond.

Using this opportunity to find out more about her parents, she looks for clues as to her father's past, as he worked as a mathematician at one of the colleges. Her curiosity must be satisfied, despite the attempts by her auntie to dissuade her from this search. Maggie is not only very bright, but quite determined.

Thus ensues her adventures pursuing her double purpose: to find out more about her family, and to fulfill herself as a potentially valuable code breaker.

The insights into Churchill's character, the delightful slow development of her love life,
the real historical events interwoven just as we would have experienced them had we
been there, the closeness and support of her friends, the feminist issues of male preference and denigration of women's abilities, the inclusion of gay and lesbian characters and how they coped in a still prejudiced society, her physical courage and willingness to
take risks were all pleasing to me and made a good story.

The narrator did well with all the British voices, but was inconsistent with Maggie's American accent, sometimes sounding a bit Irish, or using incorrect vowels, but was overall quite acceptable. The only other criticism, which may or may not be helpful, was
the amount of physical terrors and events in the second half. I kept expecting THIS climax to be the final one, but there were many, and I was probably staying up too late and getting tired.

Nevertheless, the author tied up everything nicely, and did create sufficient interest to continue. I love learning about history through the feelings and experiences of people who were there. (However, the narrator changed, and has a more meanly violent voice for the tough guys, and has a singsong delivery otherwise, often ending on an up sound for the end of a sentence rather than a down note. I found it rather like being on a roller coaster,which was too distracting, and ruined the harmony of delivery. Perhaps I shall get the books.)

I Laughed and Cried... The best kind of book!

Where does Mr. Churchill's Secretary rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10 for sure.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maggie, loved her spunk.

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

She did a great job with all characters.

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

Both

Foyle's War meets The Immitation Game

Where does Mr. Churchill's Secretary rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the top! This series is a more sophisticated version of the Her Royal Spyness novels, which I also love. Enough English history for any history buff in this one!

What did you like best about this story?

Lots of twist and turns and unexpected character development. Just enough "mature" language and plot lines to make the story realistic. I especial liked that problems such as the Irish troubles or the British Hitler supporters were not ignored nor glossed over.

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved the reader, Wanda McCaddon. At first I thought her voice was too mature, but her reading style, her inflection, her accents, made me fall in love with her voice. I'm sorry to read that other books in the series don't use McCaddon, now that I have her characterizations in my 'head'! McCaddon gave life to each of the characters!

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

Not about the book. However there was one or two times when McCaddon didn't get a young gravely voice exactly right, and I thought I heard just a touch of Marge Simpson in the accent.THAT made me laugh! However, I did get very emotionally involved with the characters. So much so that I'm probably hooked on the Maggie Hope series.

Any additional comments?

Congratulations to Susan Elia MacNeal for a wonderful beginning to a very enjoyable series.

Intrigue and action from a feminine side

What did you like best about this story?

I love stories that take place in this historical period.

Any additional comments?

I choose this book as it was listed as a Maise Dobbs genre. It is that with more suspense but not quite the attachment to the characters. Never the less, I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it.

I’m not a mathematician

While I really enjoyed listening to the book and felt like I learned a little, the recitation, over and over again of numbers involved in breaking the codes was just too much to listen to. Maybe if one was reading the book, but driving...no. There could have been a different way to portray the sequence, unless the reader is a code breaker it means nothing.
Other than that, I liked the story and am amazed at the strength and resilience of the people who had to endure that horrific time.

Good story but poorly structured

The story is interesting but the telling is poorly structured and the scenes shift too smoothly. Frequently, I thought I was listening to dialogue between one set of characters when, in fact, the scene and locale had changed and other characters were on stage. I found it hard to keep the characters straight for at least the first half of the book.

Excellent Period Piece

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, brings wartime England alive, especially the interesting peek into the inner workings of Churchill's wartime office and MI5.

Did Wanda McCaddon do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Adequate. But doesn't hurt the story at all.

Took me by surprize

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this audio. I thought it was going to be a "fluffy" type audio but instead I found an entertaining, historical mystery.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mr. Churchill's Secretary?

I loved the Churchill moments. It gave me a feeling of being in the same room as he went through his day.

What three words best describe Wanda McCaddon’s voice?

I found her voice lacking. It was difficult to recognize some of the characters. That being said, with intense listening, I was able to enjoy the story.

Any additional comments?

I'll continue to read the series. I enjoy Maggie's story and there a new voice reading the book.

Outstanding blend of history and fiction

Would you consider the audio edition of Mr. Churchill's Secretary to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the printed version-- but I'll say YES, based on a phenomenal performance by Wanda McCaddon. What an outstanding voice actor....both male and female voices, various accents (Irish, English, American). This is a definite 5 stars for me!

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

Stellar representation of Prime Minister Winston Churchill!

great read

did a good job of creating th
e atmosphere of London during the war. likable characters, nasty villain. really good listening.