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)

Nice narrator, but plot dragged on too long

I really liked this book in the beginning. Story was good in a historical setting and the narrator is doing a really good job. However I think this book could do with much stricter editing. The air kind of fell out the story after 6 hours and I started jumping chapters going fast forward wanting it to end. Shame, because the potential was really there.

A surprising find

This is a mystery, wrapped in a spy novel, wrapped in a romance, wrapped in historical novel. What a wonderful experience it was to ride along with Maggie in her search for truth. Full characters, wonderful narration, exciting events held me enthralled to the very end.

interesting historical fiction

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

This book is a good read for a light afternoon. Not too deep, not too obvious.

What three words best describe Wanda McCaddon’s voice?

easy to listen to.

Any additional comments?

interesting story, with a good twist. some slightly jarring notes when modern social issues are over represented, but overall can move past those episodes.

This is a great story, and excellent narrator

I enjoyed this WW2 novel. There was just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. The narrator made it a delight to listen to, especially enjoyed her renditions of several songs that were interspersed throughout the book. Great job!

Good historical fiction

I enjoyed listening to this book as it transported me back to 1940 London. The author does a wonderful job describing how all senses felt during this horrific time in history.

The reader has a lovely voice however several characters sounded so similar, this made it hard to distinguish which character was which.

Overall a good book. I look forward to continuing the series.

Looking for a good English Mystery?

An interesting story set in 1940's England. Lots of drama and action. A wonderful look at Mr. Churchill. Definitely worth the price of a credit.

A nice light read

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, if they like stories about a spunky femme proviing herself in adverse circumstances

Would you be willing to try another book from Susan Elia MacNeal? Why or why not?

Yes...

Which scene was your favorite?

A conversation between the Churchills.

Could you see Mr. Churchill's Secretary being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Maybe a TV series. That sexy redhead cop from The Mentalist would be perfect.

Step into a piece of History.

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

I love audio books because I can hear them while I drive endlessly or sew. They cannot take the place of reading but they supplement books in a wonderful way. So no, it is not better than the printed version just different. Having said that, however, I found Wanda McCaddon's reading irritating in the extreme. She has an unfortunate habit of ending each sentence with a strange intonation and lost her accents at times. So I think that I would have preferred to read this particular novel.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

This is not an edge of your seat kind of book. But it certainly kept my attention. By the end of both the books in the series I was sad to say goodbye to new friends.

What three words best describe Wanda McCaddon’s voice?

Irritating, inconsistent and distracting.

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

No exteme reaction - just a comfortable familiarity. The plot is not riveting.

Captivated!

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I liked that the reader was seemed to give what I considered "appropriate" inflection and emotion at the right times. The story was great, but I felt like I could picture everything as well! What I did not like, was that the reader made Maggie sound like she had a lot of masculine energy. Maybe that was correct for the time period and an ambitions woman, but I didn't care for it. However, it didn't get so much in the way that I wanted to stop listening.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! Character likability is a must for me in any story, mission accomplished. I had to hear what they all did next! It was a well paced story with odd twists that kept me very interested!

Any additional comments?

There are 2 characters with the same name, and because of one of the side mysteries in the story it was very confusing. I also couldn't tell if one of those characters was part of a story in the past to explain the side mystery. It did become clear about halfway through. It was one of the interesting odd twists I mentioned earlier. I didn't know this was a series and when I finished listening I found myself sad that the end was the end. I didn't feel like there were too many loose ends, and I must say the author did a nice job of wrapping it up. As if she wanted it to stand on its own in case she decided not to write another. I'm glad she did and can't wait to read/listen!

Jolly Good Time

I listen while I craft, I make cards, most go to a charitable foundation. It’s perfect accompaniment