The Prisoner in the Castle: Maggie Hope Meets Agatha Christie

Over the years I have become an ardent fan of Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series. Starting with Mr. Churchill's Secretary, which was released in 2012, the series tells the story of Margaret Hope, an American who moves to London at the start of World War II and becomes a part of the war effort. Over the course of the books, she has moved up from secretarial work to becoming a spy who has worked undercover in the US, Germany, and France. The stakes couldn't be higher and the emotional toll can be quite wrecking as you get through each installment, but MacNeal deftly weaves in historical facts with scintillating fiction to tell a story that reminds us what exactly this war cost the world decades ago.

The latest installment, The Prisoner in the Castle, is a bit of a departure for the series. Rather than putting Maggie in the center of the action in war-torn lands or Churchill's Cabinet Rooms, our heroine is on an island in the remote Scottish Hebrides. She knows too much and has been deemed a risk to the war effort, so has been exiled to a remote location with other British spies who can no longer contribute but know too much to be returned to civilian life. While that sounds rather dull, never fear, MacNeal is about to take inspiration from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game to give you a chilling murder mystery where the inhabitants of the island start dropping dead in increasingly gruesome ways and Maggie must find the killer or be killed. 

I love a good murder mystery and when you combine it with a female heroine I've gotten to love over the course of seven novels, it's a recipe for greatness. The plot is juicy, the secondary characters are shady and intriguing, and the reveals startle you as you turn each page. Full disclosure, I started reading these books because MacNeal is a Wellesley alum and Maggie Hope also went to Wellesley, so there's nothing more entertaining than reading about a fictional woman who kicks ass and also happens to have attended your beloved college. However, putting that bit of partiality aside, I have truly enjoyed reading MacNeal's prose and how the plots get more riveting as Maggie becomes a more integral part of the spy network. World War II is a period in history that never ceases to captivate my interest, and this series does a phenomenal job of giving you a history lesson in the disguise of an espionage thriller.

The Prisoner in the Castle is well worth your time if you are a fan of the Maggie Hope series, or if you're merely interested in a stand-alone murder mystery (though a lot of the side plots may be lost on you in that case). It has thrills, chills, and a brilliant heroine who is not afraid to fight for her life, and you will not be able to put this book down until you have devoured every single page. It's a quick and engrossing read and perfect for a winter weekend when all you want to do is curl up on the couch and read about a fascinating woman having adventures during a fascinating time in our history.