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

Terrible Narration

I had to stop listening and will need to get this book in print in order to finish it. The narrator's "upspeak", as another reviewer aptly described the way she ends EVERY sentence with a melodramatic upward lilt, is beyond irritating, as is her voice for Maggie (main character) and her voices for German speaking characters. I really enjoyed the first book in this series (different narrator) and feel as though I'd enjoy the story of the second one, but I can not listen to another minute of it. I'm very disappointed.

Great story, have to ignore the narrator a bit

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator does fine when "in character" however when nobody is "talking" she is awful
Trying to make turning on taps suspenseful coming across as stuff and unemotional instead!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Susan Duerden?

Bring back Wanda McCaddon

Bring back Wanda McCaddon as narrator

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

no. I would recommend reading this book, not listening. Susan Duerdon has too modern a speaking style with her "up speak" ending every phrase with a high note.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Susan Duerden?

Bring back Wanda McCaddon. Susan Duerdon might be great narrating a modern novel where the characters speak in that irritating modern upspeak (the high rising terminal I just learned from Wiki). No one talked remotely like that until the last decade or so. Having a characters from 1939 speak with such a modern accent is as irritating as any other inaccurate and inappropriate accent. I could not get lost in the story which is why I love to listen to audio books.

WW2 mystery/history for beginners

I found the first novel in this series dull and anachronistic, with over-the-top action near the end, but I hoped that, like much series fiction, character and storyline might be stronger as the series (and author) developed.

Book 2 has some good historical background, but it's delivered more pedantically. Modern YA exchanges continue among the YA characters - other parts of the the novel are more period authentic -- except for some lapses in scene/dialogue such as when King George is teaching Queen E how to shoot a pistol on the back lawn of Buckingham Palace - with Hitler on the target-- and Churchill wanders up says something like, "Between you and me, we may have won the Battle of Britain, but we can't rule out invasion yet." Some of the more obvious history background (King Edward abdicated to marry Mrs Simpson!) is spelled out in way too much detail - so lovers of period fiction will be bored.

I am a large consumer of 19th and 20th C historical mysteries of all types, but I'll pass on future instalments of this one unless I read some solid reviews first.

It IS a good PG listen, however, and that is worth some praise! And if I were younger I might identify more with the main characters' concerns to get past the novel's weaknesses.

You'll either love or hate the narration: The narrator is obviously talented, but the production choices seem to me questionable. The style is much too theatrical (and vowels not Brit enough) for my ears -- too staged a performance. Wanda MacAdam/Doneda Peters from Book 1 was a better choice to my ears, but like Wanda, my ears are a little old for this novel.

Narration undermines the story

Sadly narrators have changed from the first book in the series to this, the second book. It was difficult to listen to the narrator make the intelligent protagonist sound like a breathy, silly girl. If you liked the first audiobook, I'd suggest you read the second.

Not a Strong Second

What would have made Princess Elizabeth's Spy better?

The first book was much stronger as a period piece and a story. This one was rather too predictable.

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

I might read the third book to find out if the series gets back on track. I won't get it from Audible if Susan Duerdan reads it.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Ms. Duerdan's very breathy, sing song cadence was terribly distracting, especially for the third person narration. Some of the character voices were OK; most were also subject to the distracting cadence. This has not been a feature of her other narrations; one can only think that this book was very oddly directed.

What character would you cut from Princess Elizabeth's Spy?

Unfortunately, the characters which should probably not be there are fairly central to the story. (1) Main bad guy. (2) Sadly, very sadly, Princess Elizabeth. Luckily, she seems to have grown up MUCH smarter and all around better than portrayed here.

Insipid.

I truly enjoyed the first Maggie Hope Mystery, and expected to like this one as well. I can't believe this is even the same author. The characters are small and one dimensional. The main character, Maggie is ridiculously uninteresting, helpless and childlike (a problem exacerbated by the narrator's performance). It might fly for a youth novel, but I would hope even teenagers have higher standards. Skip it.

Leery about the rest of the series now.

I was pretty disappointed with this book.

Just like with Book 1, I loved the setting of London in the 40s and since I am such a Royalphile I thought I would really get into Book 2 but sadly I didn’t.

The whole thing just felt silly and the character portrayals reminded me too much of a really bad fictional movie starring the Royal Family called “Royal Night Out”. Terrible movie – I do not recommend it.

I really want to like this series!!! I’ll give Book 3 a try, but if I am not hooked I’m giving up.

Spies at Windsor Castle

This is book two in the Maggie Hope series. Maggie is removed from the MI5 training school after failing the physical endurance part of the program and is returned to London for reassignment. The story provides an example of failure at one thing and turning around and succeeding at another. She is sent off to be a math tutor to Princess Elizabeth while trying to find a possible spy in the castle. The story has stayed true to history but also has allowed the author freedom of her imagination in creating a fictional story. The story provides suspense, humor, a bit of Holmes deduction, code breaking and a chase scene, all this provided in a nice PG environment. The narrator Susan Duerden did not come up to the standard of the narrator of the first book Wanda McDadden. I do hope they return to McCadden in the next book. This book would make a great gift for a young person or for the whole family.

not as good as the first

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

yes it was quite interesting

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

what I expected

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I did not like the narrator I found her voice very tiresome

Was Princess Elizabeth's Spy worth the listening time?

yes

Great Story - sounds a bit like an M & S Ad.

Would you listen to Princess Elizabeth's Spy again? Why?

Love the story, Maggie off to save the day again at Windsor Castle. Narrator's voice has had me puzzled for days till I worked out that she sounds like the food porn narrator for the M & S adverts.

What did you like best about this story?

Maggie is a feisty heroine and there's a proper thriller aspect

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sounded like a Galaxy Chocolate / M & S advert

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

No

Narration Fail

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story is good, the heroine only slightly annoying but the cadence of the narrator was like being dragged upstairs by the feet. With every sentence rising at the last word.. can't express just how annoying I found this.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Story was o.k. A return to the narrator from the first book would have made this so much better.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sooo much, I could not listen to the books end. Still don't know how things finished for Maggie. I did try to KBO but the urge to smack the narrator distracted me so much from the story that I began to really dislike Maggie. and care less and less what happen to her.

Was Princess Elizabeth's Spy worth the listening time?

No

Any additional comments?

I see that the same narrator has voiced the next two books, I wont be buying them.

Not so much a mystery

More of a thriller. Would have enjoyed it considerably more if the accents had been better and there was no bellowing. Made me jump. Enjoyable though if a little implausible.

Girls own fantasy

A very jolly hockey sticks view of British history although the villain gets a nice line about Windsor inbreeding!
I’m afraid the narrator was not to my taste and she struggled appallingly with accents.

A book for children......

I thought this might be a novel in the Kate Atkinson genre; I was sadly mistaken. This is not a book for adults.... I intend to return it.

great listening

Would you listen to Princess Elizabeth's Spy again? Why?

yes, love the narration and the story line. It is very easy to listen too and the narrator doesn't get on you nerves. Maggie Hope is off to save the day at Windsor, protecting the young Royal.

What did you like best about this story?

story line and because it's very easy listening

What about Susan Duerden’s performance did you like?

good clear narration which isn't irriating

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

yes