Library Journal
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Taking her old boss Winston Churchill's advice that "a change is as good as a rest," former spy Maggie Hope leaves the Special Operations Executive and begins working for the "suicide squad," a ragtag group of volunteers who defuse the unexploded bombs left behind in London by the Luftwaffe during the Blitz. However, when a new sequential murderer begins targeting conscientious objectors, some of whom work alongside Maggie, and a Stradivarius violin is stolen, Maggie once again finds herself working with DCI James Durgin on two different investigations even as justice is being served in the Blackout Beast murder case, in which the two were formerly involved. With the ninth stellar entry in her "Maggie Hope" series (after The Prisoner in the Castle), MacNeal once again seamlessly fuses superbly rendered characters, an expertly evoked setting rich with fascinating period details, and a riveting plot to offer up a thoughtful meditation on the subject of good and evil in society. VERDICT Irresistibly readable and brilliantly crafted, this is a story both historical mystery and fiction fans will adore. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/19.]—John Charles, formerly of Scottsdale P.L., AZ

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

How far can a multitalented woman be pushed before she breaks?British-born, American-raised Maggie Hope has held an amazing series of jobs since moving to war-torn London. She's worked for Winston Churchill, traveled as a spy to Berlin and Paris, and escaped from a Scottish island where someone has been killing exiled Special Operations Executive agents (The Prisoner in the Castle, 2018, etc.). She's also found time to help the police apprehend Nicholas Reitter, a serial killer known as the Blackout Beast, who's been sentenced to death for his crimes. And she's developed a relationship with divorced, job-obsessed DCI James Durgin, who's faced with a new serial murder case when suitcases filled with bones turn up in the Thames. Fed up with the SOE and close to losing control, Maggie's taken on a dangerous job disarming unexploded ordnance for the bomb disposal unit. She works with conscientious objectors, many of whom are Italians in Britain"Britalians"whose relatives were interned as enemy aliens. After refusing Durgin's request for help in the new series of murders, she's dragged into the case when Reitter, now in the Tower of London, claims to know who the new killer is but will only talk to Maggie, who reluctantly agrees to visit him; he says he'll give her the killer's name if the king commutes his death sentence to life imprisonment. Durgin refuses to disclose to the public that each suitcase contained a white feather, suggesting that the killer may be targeting conscientious objectors. Maggie, angered by his caution, wonders if the killer might be connected to the Italian community. She ponders whether nature or nurture creates serial killers. Could she have inherited her own killer instincts from her mother, Nazi spy Clara Hess? A bit of code-breaking and some deeper insight into Reitter break open the case but put Maggie in the killer's crosshairs.Action-packed, intertwined mysteries featuring an introspective heroine and packed with little-known historical details. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Transplanted American Maggie Hope's life has been a whirlwind since taking the job as Winston Churchill's secretary at the beginning of WWII: code breaking, spying, and catching serial killers have all been part of her remit. Now, in late 1942, she's trying to decompress. No more spying, at least for the moment, but Maggie's idea of chilling out is a little weird: defusing unexploded bombs (UXBs) in blitz-ravaged London. MacNeal, who has proved a master at re-creating both wartime England and Nazi-occupied Paris, is on point again, with white-knuckle accounts of being down in a hole with a UXB: ""one minute you're there, the next you could be pink mist."" For Maggie, though, the next minute she's back in the game, first hunting a stolen Stradivarius violin and then, inevitably, on the trail of another serial killer, this time someone who's targeting conscientious objectors. As with the previous eight volumes in this consistently entertaining series, MacNeal's latest effort combines solid sleuthing and fascinating WWII detail with a sensitive look at the psychological turmoil that plagues those under intense pressure.--Bill Ott Copyright 2020 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
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Set in war-torn London, bestseller MacNeal’s tantalizing ninth Maggie Hope mystery (after 2018’s The Prisoner in the Castle) finds Maggie helping conscientious objectors diffuse unexploded bombs. In December 1942, Maggie attends the sentencing of the serial killer known as the Blackout Beast, who once held her captive. In March 1943, just days before the killer is due to be executed, a suitcase containing human bones and a white feather is found floating in the Thames. As more suitcases with bones are discovered, it’s obvious that another serial killer is at work. Maggie wants no part of the investigation, but the victims may well be her friends on the bomb squad. When the Blackout Beast presents her with a proposal—a pardon from the king in exchange for the new serial killer’s identity—Maggie sets out to catch the killer before she has to accept his offer. Vivid descriptions of devastated London and distinctive, emotionally flawed characters enhance a plot that builds to a wicked twist. This enjoyable effort will inspire those new to MacNeal to seek out earlier entries. Agent: Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Rosten Literary. (Feb.)