The Hollywood Spy

A Maggie Hope Mystery (Maggie Hope, Book 10)

By: Susan Elia MacNeal

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Maggie Hope is off to California to solve a crime that hits too close to home—and to confront the very evil she thought she had left behind in Europe—as the acclaimed World War II mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal continues.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL • “An absolute triumph . . . Maggie Hope is irresistible.”—Hilary Davidson, author of Her Last Breath

Los Angeles, 1943. As the Allies beat back the Nazis in the Mediterranean and the United States military slowly closes in on Tokyo, Walt Disney cranks out wartime propaganda and the Cocoanut Grove is alive with jazz and swing every night. But behind this sunny façade lies a darker reality. Up in the lush foothills of Hollywood, a woman floats lifeless in the pool of one of California’s trendiest hotels.

When American-born secret agent and British spy Maggie Hope learns that this woman was engaged to her former fiancée, John Sterling, and that he suspects her death was no accident, intuition tells her he’s right. Leaving London under siege is a lot to ask—but John was once the love of Maggie’s life . . . and she can’t say no.

Maggie struggles with seeing her lost love again, but more shocking is the realization that her country is as divided and convulsed with hatred as Europe. The Zoot Suit Riots loom large in Los Angeles, and the Ku Klux Klan casts a long shadow everywhere. But there is little time to dwell on memories once she starts digging into the case. As she traces a web of deception from the infamous Garden of Allah to the iconic Carthay Circle Theater, she discovers things aren’t always the way things appear in the movies—and the political situation in America is more complicated, and dangerous, than the newsreels would have them all believe.

©2021 Susan Elia MacNeal (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Maggie Hope and her adventures continue to be charming and absorbing.” (Seattle Times)

“The tenth Maggie Hope historical mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal is a particularly distinctive one.... MacNeal’s brisk plotting and efficient dialogue propel a mystery cloaked in some universal truths: History is determined to repeat itself, no front is ever united and Hollywood, despite its glamour and sparkle, is a hall of mirrors.” (The New York Times)

“Stellar.... Susan Elia MacNeal expertly braids the glitz and glamour of Hollywood with the chilling reality of the rise of American Nazis and blatant racism.... Maggie notes that ‘it’s the same war, different country,’ and, sadly, one we’re still fighting.” (Arizona Daily Star)

Brilliant and informative

Brilliant book and so informative. Can’t wait for the next one. The narrator is great too.

Maggie takes a stand

Wonderful addition to the collection. Lots of action. Great plotting. Easy to follow along. Bring on Chanel!

The best one so far

I am so happy this book told the truth about America in the 1940s. It was all a facade, as is the American dream for many many Americans. Unfortunately many of these groups and ideologies have survived and pose a very real threat.

Missing some stuff

I read this book based on a comment that the author put on another book I was reading "Democracy in the Dancefloor" if she had kept reading about two paragraphs later the author says that they put an African-American military service man in a segregated area of the "integrated" dancehall the Hollywood Canteen. That would have been a huge statement to put in the book. Also she idealizes Walt Disney a little bit too much for my taste, he was quite racist.

Great!

the best one of the series! Thank you! Loved the author's note. It made the book more real.

Engaging and historical

Enjoyed the plot as Maggie gets back to herself a bit and this one wasn’t so dark. Loved all the LA references to places and landmarks. Nice touch adding in the historical reference notes at the end.

Maggie Hope matures

Maggie really comes into her own as an intelligent and powerful woman. The story was quite complex and very well researched. Historically interesting.

California centered

I’ve enjoyed all the Maggie Hope books because life during WWII has always fascinated me, drawing me to both historical fiction and nonfiction books centered on that period. Maggie Hope books are among the best because they combine excellent history lessons alongside vivid, appealing characters and compelling plots. We see how people can grow during wartime but shattered by the violence, cruelty and duplicity. This book shows us a Maggie whose confidence soars as she brilliantly solves a complicated mystery while confronting fascism, racism and fanaticism in wartime California.

Love the series even if it's predictable!

This wasn't my favorite book of the series. I enjoyed the London based ones more.

Didn’t like the performance

The narrator has this weird tone… It was like a computer/machine was reading. I had trouble engaging because of that