The Paris Spy: A Maggie Hope Mystery

Susan Elia MacNeal

Aug 2017 · Maggie Hope Book 7 · Sold by Bantam

About this ebook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • American-born spy and code-breaker extraordinaire Maggie Hope secretly navigates Nazi-occupied France to find two brave women during the darkest days of World War II in the latest novel in this bestselling series—“a treat for WWII buffs and mystery lovers alike” (Booklist, on The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent).

Maggie Hope has come a long way since serving as a typist for Winston Churchill. Now she’s working undercover for the Special Operations Executive in the elegant but eerily silent city of Paris, where SS officers prowl the streets in their Mercedes and the Ritz is draped with swastika banners. Walking among the enemy is tense and terrifying, and even though she’s disguised in chic Chanel, Maggie can’t help longing for home.

But her missions come first. Maggie’s half sister, Elise, has disappeared after being saved from a concentration camp, and Maggie is desperate to find her—that is, if Elise even wants to be found. Equally urgent, Churchill is planning the Allied invasion of France, and SOE agent Erica Calvert has been captured, the whereabouts of her vital research regarding Normandy unknown. Maggie must risk her life to penetrate powerful circles and employ all her talents for deception and spycraft to root out a traitor, find her sister, and locate the reports crucial to planning D-Day in a deadly game of wits with the Nazi intelligence elite.

Praise for The Paris Spy

“Engrossing . . . A fast-paced climax leads to an ending that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.”—Publishers Weekly

“With its riveting plot and cliff-hanger finish, this is a solid addition to a series as well researched as it is entertaining.”—Booklist

“You will grieve with Paris. You will be outraged by the destruction. You will be terrified for all the heroes, be there with them every step, and care desperately that they succeed and survive. And perhaps above all, like me, you will be overwhelmed with their sacrifice for the freedom we still enjoy.”—Anne Perry, New York Times bestselling author of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series and the William Monk series

“This has to be Maggie Hope’s most exciting adventure yet. Vivid and fast-paced, crammed with authentic detail, The Paris Spy is an extraordinary trip through the edgy drama of wartime Paris, skillfully plotted and studded with cameos by real historical figures.”—Jane Thynne, author of the Clara Vine series

Ratings and reviews

The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal is the seventh novel in A Maggie Hope Mystery series. Maggie Hope is in agent with SOE—Special Operations Executive. She is in occupied Paris waiting for the documents she needs to start her assignment. Maggie wants to find her missing half-sister, Elise Hess and fellow spy, Erica Calvert. Erica had been sent to get soil samples England needs to plan its invasion. They know that Erica was captured, but they do not know where she hid the samples she obtained. Maggie is curious how the enemy discovered that Erica was an agent—could there be a mole in their department. Maggie assumes the identity of Paige Kelly and checks into The Ritz. She did not count, though, on meeting inquisitive Coco Chanel. Maggie will need to work carefully and strategically to get the intel she needs, find her sister, discover what happened to Erica, retrieve the missing samples and get herself out of France. Join Maggie on her latest mission in The Paris Spy! The Paris Spy is well-researched and contains good writing. I liked the addition of Coco Chanel. I did find the pace to be slow (good for my insomnia, but not for reading). There is a significant amount of historical detail which makes an accurate book, but, in fiction, can make a boring book. At times, it felt like I was reading a nonfiction novel instead of fiction. Maggie is portrayed as a strong female character (most of the time), which I really appreciate. There are not enough strong, female role models in cozy mysteries. My rating for The Paris Spy is 3 out of 5 stars. The guilty party (the mole) was easily identifiable. I was hoping it would be more of a challenge. Maggie not being an experienced spy showed in this story. She always seemed to be on edge and scared (I can understand the feeling, but she is a spy—albeit an inexperienced one—and should be careful in public). I was surprised that she was not captured by the Germans the first day. I had a difficult time wading through The Paris Spy and the ending was dissatisfying. History is one of my favorite subjects (especially WWII), but The Paris Spy missed the mark for me. I felt the author missed a great opportunity with this novel. I have decided not to continue with this series.

This is the 1st book I've readily in the series, kept me in suspense. I thought the double agent was on the English side. Can't wait to read the rest.

The ups and downs and danger of life as a spy in occupied Paris takes you on an edge of your seat ride!

About the author

Susan Elia MacNeal is the New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope mysteries and Mother Daughter Traitor Spy. MacNeal won the Barry Award and an AudioFile Earphones award and has been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, Agatha, Left Coast Crime, Dilys, ITW Thriller, and Nero awards. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and son.