Princess Elizabeth's Spy

A Maggie Hope Mystery

By: Susan Elia MacNeal

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed debut, Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain's beloved royals against an international plot - one that could change the course of history.

As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous - and deadly - than Maggie ever expected.

The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.

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

Engaging

After enjoying "Mr. Churchill's Secretary", we looked forward to this 2nd book in the series. It is a wonderful story, moving briskly and giving insights to the characters and events of WWII. Our one disappointment was the narration. We might have been satisfied with Susan Duerden as narrator if we had not become accustomed to the superior narration of Wanda McCaddon in the earlier book. "Princess Elizabeth's Spy" ends in a real cliffhanger situation and we are anxious for the release of Book 3.

Good thing it's a good story...

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

I'm intrigued by the time period, and the personalities in World War II. Although this is fiction, the characters of young Princess Elizabeth and her parents, the king and queen, and Winston Churchill contain enough of what is known to be true to keep the story interesting.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot is believable, and the play between MI5 and MI6 together with basic spycraft make the story fun.

How could the performance have been better?

If it were not for the strength of the story, I would have deleted this after the first 15 minutes. The narrator speaks in a sing-songy voice that about drives me nuts. At one point I nearly decided to stop listening and buy the book. I bought the entire series, and hope that there is an improvement in the subsequent audios.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The interaction between Molly and the young princesses is touching.

narration of male British voices annoying

The narrator does a good job with the main character's voice and the voices of the princesses but the male voices are very annoying. Had planned to listening to the whole series but unless the narrator changes I will have to switch to hard copy.

The narrator was a bit irritating.

Ms. Duerden has a beautiful voice but her lyrical way of ending sentences drive me nuts.

Storytelling at its best

Finally trying to catch up on Susan Elia MacNeal’s “Maggie Hope” series … The story is quite a good WWII yarn … characters you get attached too and look forward to seeing again … Susan Duerden is a great narrator giving life to each character… on to the third book in the series!

Not the Best Maggie Hope story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I didn't like the voice of Maggie Hope. She sounded like a teenager.

What was most disappointing about Susan Elia MacNeal’s story?

I was disappointed that the character, Maggie Hope, seemed weak. She missed clues, did not keep her full attention on the Princess at a critical moment. Over all, she seemed like a different character from the Churchill's Secretary story.

Did Susan Duerden do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She was ok with some of the characters, but Maggie Hope's voice did not fit the character.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Narrator is awful

I’ve already read this on Kindle, so I know the story, but I decided to listen to it on Audible, and boy am I sorry I did. The narrator for her first book was very good, but Susan Duerden’s narration is so over-affected, and Maggie’s voice is like Minny Mouse. What a waste of money.

Good book, Annoying narration

What did you love best about Princess Elizabeth's Spy?

I liked the historical setting, intricacy of plotting and nice writing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The protagonist, Maggie Hope is interesting, but more minor characters and portrayals of historical characters are compelling and seemingly quite accurate.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator has a lovely voice and accent, her French accent is usually good. However, she drops her voice at the end of every sentence. The monotonous inflection line is truly annoying. The narrator for the first volume in the series is much better. The narrator for this book and all further volumes in the series is Susan Duerden. I think they have made a mistake. I hope that she can change what feels like an ingrained inflection pattern - her voice is beautiful, but aargh!!!

Not every sentence is thriller movie tagline!!!

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

I would, but the narrator drove me crazy. Every sentence she said was as if it was a tagline for a movie.

What didn’t you like about Susan Duerden’s performance?

She said every sentence with a downturn at the end, turning it into a movie tagline. Just imagine: "In 2014, there was an event. An event that changed... the world." Except for the entire book.

Simply Outstanding

What made the experience of listening to Princess Elizabeth's Spy the most enjoyable?

This was an enjoyable book read by an outstanding reader. Highly recommended.

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

Yes! Nice mixture of history and plot. It kept moving along without so many side stories. It kept me reading and enjoying. Some nice twists and turns than kept you listening and enjoying.

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

Yes! Nice voices and be had to adjust to them. The story was so great who cares about the voice. She did a great job overall.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Yes The tile is good!!!

Any additional comments?

Great book. Must read and I will be reading book 2, 3 and 4.
Highly recommended!!!