It's 1940 in New York, and everything seems to be coming up roses for Veronica Grace and her widowed mother, Violet. Ever since childhood, Veronica has wanted to be a journalist, modeling herself on Martha Gellhorn. She is graduating with honors from Hunter College and has a great job lined up. Her father, a Naval Commander, has been dead for six years, so her uncle Walter has come from Southern California to celebrate. Little do they know that everything is going to change. Veronica has a secret. She has been having an affair with an older reporter who was supposed to be mentoring her, and his wife has found out about it. Unluckily, the wife is part of a mighty publishing family who has reported it to Hunter and Veronica's prospective employer. Veronica's dreams are smashed, and even worse, she is just one of a string of girls who were fooled by him.

Uncle Walter has a plan for them, though. He has a small cottage in California to offer them so they can make a new start. Despite having lived their whole lives in Brooklyn, Violet and Veronica see no alternative. A scandal like this can't be hidden or glossed over, not in 1940. The little family heads off to sunny LA with heavy hearts and no idea how to start over. Veronica finds it challenging to find a job, especially without any experience or education she can mention. Violet is a typical housewife and mother of the time with no work experience. She is, however, a talented seamstress and specializes in custom embroidery on clothing. One day mother and daughter engaged in a casual conversation with a woman who told Veronica of a possible job with the woman's brother-in-law doing stenographic and general office work. Violet's beautiful embroidery is also noticed by rich, well-connected women, primarily women connected to right-wing causes. Veronica takes the job but soon discovers that her seemingly "nice," jovial employers are part of the America First Committee and are distributing poisonous propaganda for the Nazi Regime. She is sickened and horrified, and when she tells Violet, the two women go first to the police, then to the FBI. The police can do nothing and seem, if anything, sympathetic. And J. Edgar Hoover was only interested in chasing Communists. A call to a Naval colleague of Veronica's father brings results, however. He puts them in touch with two active agents trying to stop the Nazi influx. Since Violet and Veronica are of German heritage and look like perfect blonde examples of Aryan womanhood, they will have no problem infiltrating. The women agree since they both are patriots who hate the rise of the Nazis. It becomes clear to them that they will be in great danger. The Nazi sympathizers are planning something "big" if Roosevelt is re-elected.

The plot of Mother Daughter Traitor Spy would be quite fantastical if one didn't know how dangerous Nazi sympathizers were all over America, especially on the coasts. Xenophobia ran rampant when it became clear that America was being inexorably drawn into another World War. However, the characters of the agents, Violet and Veronica, as well as the Nazis, are based on real people. The agents went on after the War to successful careers and prominence. The women who placed themselves in such peril have been largely forgotten, which seems to be how such things go. Veronica's real name was Sylvia Comfort. One can't read Mother Daughter Traitor Spy without seeing the parallels to today's political climate. This is a nail-biting thriller with characters to remember.

Thanks to Bantam Books and Netgalley.com for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my
own.

Really great read! There was a lot of suspense and intrigue! I love the characters and the setting. This is a great author and she pulled off another great book.

Mother Daughter Traitor Spy: A Novel
by Susan Elia MacNeal

I really enjoyed this book. The time and events in the United States leading up to America’s entry into World War II are fascinating, and this was an interesting angle. There were many reasons both to support and to oppose our entry into the war. Some of those were based upon legitimate political and philosophical ideals, while others were considerably more cynical.

The United States had its share of Nazi supporters in 1939-1940. Many people openly believed in the fundamental theories underlying Nazism, including the purity of “the white race” and demonization of Jewish people. Loosely based on a true story, this novel tells the tale of a widow and her adult daughter who stumble onto a conspiracy that is playing out virtually in plain sight. This group of seemingly normal citizens are really fascists who organize and coalesce around their belief in white supremacy. As the author says, they are bound by their hatred of the same people. Going undercover, our protagonists infiltrate this domestic Nazi organization in an attempt to save lives and interrupt the spread of the Nazi scourge.

Recently, I read This Storm by James Ellroy. While it covered the same general topic, and was also set in Southern California at roughly the same time, the two books could not have been any more distinct in terms of tone. However, it was quite interesting to have two different perspectives on the events of the same era in American history. Mother Daughter Traitor Spy is much more suitable to a general audience (Ellroy is an acquired taste, to be sure), and one does not have to be a fan of espionage novels or thrillers to enjoy this story.

It would be comforting to believe that the era of ethnocentrism, white nationalism, demonization of “the Other,“ and racist dog whistles was firmly in our past, as it should be. Of course, that is not the case. This book should help to remind us of the potential horrors that can be unleashed by such attitudes, and to help us remember that people can stand up to wrongdoing and make a difference.

I was given the opportunity by NetGalley to read this book before its publication in exchange for an honest review.

Boy, this book is a warning to all of us to watch out for Nazis, fascists, racists, etc,, as well as a reminder that we have to be vigilant to save our country. Set in LA just before World War II this is the tale of a mother/daughter who improbably end up spies. It is so essential for those of us alive today to KNOW that Nazi sympathizers lived among us. Loved this book. Veronica Grace and her mother, Violet, are heroines for the ages, a reminder that we must remain vigilant against racism and prejudice. (I received an advance copy on NetGalley. Opinions mine).

✨Book Review✨

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the ARC of Mother Daughter Traitor Spy.

Of course, while I was in Disneyland I sought out all things Belle, the most bookish princess of all! Outside of the Lego store I had to take this pic of Belle and her Beast, completely made of legos!

Mother Daughter Traitor Spy was the book I finished on the plane ✈️ while enroute to California. This book is based upon a real life mother daughter pair who agreed to go undercover as spies during WWII.

In the beginning, the daughter agrees to work a temporary job as a secretary…low and behold the couple she worked for are suuuuuuper pro-Nazi, right there in California during WWII.

This historical fiction book provides an interesting component to WWII history right here in America. I commend the real life women and the other government officials they worked with during this difficult time. It’s hard to think of what America would be if the Nazi party had consumed our country as well.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s well written historical fiction, set in Los Angeles during WWII. Nazi sympathizers are working to see that Roosevelt doesn’t get reelected, and trying to recruit more people to their cause. A mother (Vi) and daughter (Veronica) who have just moved from New York City accidentally stumble on one of their groups, and Veronica ends up working there and reporting back to the FBI. It’s a gripping story, and I loved reading the descriptions of LA! I recommend this one, 4 stars.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so glad to get a chance to read the arc has the description sounded so interesting, I knew that some Americans had been pro-nazi, but not about the spying that had gone on among American Germans, nazis and US government.

I really enjoyed this spy story and the relationship between mother and daughter. I recommend this book to all who like historical fiction and spy stories!

I could not get through this book. It was horrible. The writing was bad. The characters were bad. The story was non-existent. Do not read it. I do not recommend!

A while ago I read The Hollywood Spy, the 10th book in Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series. That book dealt with the Nazi party taking a hold in Los Angeles. It was a topic I wasn't really aware of, and I found it very intriguing...and frightening. I was curious to learn more about that time in American history, so I was very happy to have the opportunity to read Ms. MacNeal's stand-alone book Mother Daughter Traitor Spy, which also concerns that same subject. Not only was this book highly entertaining, but I actually learned something!

In June of 1940, when France was occupied by the Nazis and Britain was being heavily bombarded, Veronica Grace graduated from college in New York. She had a prestigious job lined up at a magazine, but an indiscretion with a married man cost her the position. Looking to start anew, Veronica and her widowed mother Violet move to Los Angeles. Veronica lands a job as a typist, but is horrified to find out her employer is a Nazi propagandist, helping German Nazis recruit American citizens to their cause. Horrified, Veronica and Violet pass the information to the FBI, who totally dismiss their concerns. They then turn to an old friend who introduces them to an anti-Nazi spymaster. Both mother and daughter go undercover to help gather information about the California Reich to give to the authorities. With the help of Jewish operatives Ari and Jonah, the women gather lots of information...which also puts them in horrible danger.

One thing I learned is don't start a book right before you have surgery; the pain and depression takes away the desire to read - for me, at least. But once I felt better and picked my book back up, I easily fell right back into the storyline. One thing that totally fascinated me about this book is that the story was inspired by an actual mother-daughter spy duo who worked to crush Nazi plots in WWII in Los Angeles. Actually, most of the major characters were based on real people, which added to its impact. Veronica and Violet were both compelling characters. I did have a problem with Veronica at first. Yes, I was judgmental about her affair with the married man. That's just me. But she certainly redeemed herself, plunging herself into the world of Nazi plots in the US, though she was growing increasingly more terrified. I especially enjoyed Violet, a former suffragist who lost her husband years ago. Though worried about her daughter, she plunged right in alongside her and infiltrated the group of Nazi women by embroidering Edelweiss and swastikas on their clothing. Veronica and Violet were aided by Ari and Jonah, who were also fighting the Nazis and were basically handlers for the women as they spied. There was a bit of romance between Veronica and Jonah, but this didn't turn the story into a romance book. About halfway through the book, as the women become more involved, the story became incredibly engrossing; it kept me on the edge of my seat! One of my favorite parts of the book was the afterword, when the author explains the real people the characters were based on. Just fascinating! I actually learned a great deal about a little-known part of American history. I can't wait to read more books by this talented author

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I enjoy reading historical fiction, especially when it reveals an actual piece of history that I was unaware of. I had always know that Isolationists and Nazi sympathizers existed in WWII America, but was unaware that there were actual Nazi party groups, with ties and support from Germany at work here
Veronica Grace has just graduated from college and is looking forward to starting her glamorous new job when scandal hits, and she and her mother Violet are forced to move from NYC to California.
Veronica’s first job throws her into the middle of a Nazi cell operating in LA. Horrified, she tries to report it, but faces official indifference from law enforcement too occupied with chasing Communists. However, word gets to certain ears, and she is recruited to insinuate herself into the Nazi organization and spy on their activities. Soon her mother takes it upon herself to join Violet in this endeavor. Danger, and possible romance create a heady brew.
I couldn’t put this book down and missed way too much sleep engrossed in the adventure. I have told everyone I know about this book and shared it with book clubs I belong to. Highly recommended!

I received a free Advance Reader copy of “ Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy” through Net Galley. Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and author.
MOtner, Daughter, Traitor, Spy” is fictional, but based on real people and events. It takes place mostly in Los Angeles in the early 1940’ s , while the war which had erupted in Europe had yet to come to the US.
Veronica Grace a recent graduate of Hunter College in NYC , had a dream of becoming a reporter. Not just a scribbler, but reporter who sought out important news and exposed the facts people needed to know. She aspired to emulate Martha Gellhorn, who became famous for her gritty stories from her stories on the Spanish Civil War and from all over the world’ hot spots. But Veronica’s hopes for an conveted internship at a major magazine were dashed after a romantic misadventure with a noted New York newspaper columnist was brought to the attention of. Victoria’s erstwhile employer. a close friend of the wronged wife. Good bye job. Good-bye high hopes. Good bye New York.
Her uncle , however , steps up to help his widowed sister, Vi, and his niece Veronica, who have only her dead father’s small Navy pension for income. He convinced them to move to California, offering his cottage for a home. Veronica could easily get a job and start over, he promised. She did get a job, not as a reporter , but working as a secretary for a man who published a shopper /newsletter. Veronica soon discovers The that the newsletter , and the man who published it were virulent German American Bund members. The Bund, not only strongly advocated that the US stay out of the ongoing European war, which many Americans agreed with, but they strongly support Hitler and the Nazis, which most Americans did not. Veronica found herself typing Virulently anti-Semitic hate propaganda sheets. Since Veronica and her mother Vi were Jews , that presented a problem. When she asked her uncle for guidance, he linked them up with some friends, a US Navy intelligence officer, and some Jewish activists. They persuaded Veronica to keep her job within the Bund as an undercover spy This book is her story..
MDTS is filled with LosAngeles backgrounds and with a sense of the oncoming war. The reader learns about the very real historical spying and sabotage activities of the Bund and of their hatred of FDR ( they plan to either assassinate or impeach him) and their attacks on Jews and their businesses .
Veronica is a likeable character, and there is , of course, a budding romance with her handler, who gives a bit of training as a counterspy. Along with her mother Vi, who gets involved with the sort of LadiesAuxiliary of the Bund the two women infiltrate the Bund , and while hiding their fear and loathing play a major part in exposing the Nazis.
The novel though based on real people and events., ( see the epilogue) does not rise to the drama it should. At one point, a character mentions that a new comic strip had appeared in the funny papers , “ Brenda Starr, Girl Reporter”. Veronica could step right in for Brenda. I have read books about real female spies operating undercover during the war, and I do not recalling being informed about their wardrobes, ,make-up and girdles; those books gave a real sense of the dangerous lives they led . Though there is some tension in MDTS that builds as Veronica is drawn deeply into the Bund’s plotting as the novel builds to the mildly exciting finish. MDTS is reminiscent of a movie on Turner Classic Movies of the mid 1940’s where the doughty, budding starlet fends off the Nazi bigwig’s amours and steals his secrets all while never soiling her wardrobe. Good fun ,but a light entertainment.
“Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy” has appeal and has merit for presenting a story not told very widely these days. The endpapers detail the real Bumd, and their dangerous fifth- column activities in the US, and the real people involved on both sides. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading historical fictions with a plucky heroine, a firm jawed hero and nasty villains . Cautions: no sexual or depictions of bloody violence.

This is my first book by Susan Elia MacNeal and I have to day I do not mesh with her writing style. I feel that she tells you more than she shows you and kind of forces you to see what she wants instead of coming to something on your own. I am normally a WWII historical fiction fan but this one fell flat to me. I was very interested in the premise of the book and was looking forward to learning more about the mother and daughter it was inspired by but again it was not for me. It was too much of a slow burn for me to enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Last year I read and reviewed The Hollywood Spy, one of the Maggie Hope stories by this author. It set the stage for this new novel as it opened my eyes to what was happening among the pro German U.S. groups in the lead up to WWII. What I learned was appalling.

In many ways, Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy picks up where The Hollywood Spy left me. The difference is that this title is based on the lives of a real mother and daughter. Many other characters are also based upon real people. Here is a story about good and evil.

Readers get to know Vi and her daughter, Veronica. Veronica was set to have a very bright future as a journalist after she graduated from Hunter College. One mistake derailed her. Vi and Veronica subsequently leave New York and move to California at a relative’s urging. This puts the reader right back into a story about anti-Semitism, pro German sentiment and the world of spies. There are many shocking events over the course of the novel.

I highly recommend this title. I even think that it would be a wonderful one for high school students who are studying American history to read. It is, after all, important to know what happened right here in the U.S. In addition, some of the parallels to today’s political landscape are also here-just think about that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Was trying a foray into historical fiction, but was unable to get into the story. The book is well-written and seems interesting though.

It is mid-October and Mother Daughter is my favorite read so far for 2022! MacNeal was inspired to write this book by Grace and Sylvia Comfort, a real life mother-daughter spy team. Victoria Grace aspired to be a journalist like Martha Gelhorn. Victoria was the editor of the Hunter Envoy. Upon graduating from Hunter College in 1949, she went to New York City to start her first job at Mademoiselle Magazine. When she arrived, she found she no longer had a job due to an indiscretion in college. This forced Victoria and her mother Vi to move to Los Angeles. Her Uncle Walter, a doctor, had a cabin where they could stay. Having trouble finding work, she was recommended to see a Mr. McDowell who ran America First ( a Nazi, KKK based organization). She spent the afternoon typing lists of members and vowed not to return after seeing one of his publications. She and her mother went to the police and to the F.B.I. who were not interested in her story. They then went to see her father’s friend who was in charge of Naval Intelligence. Eventually Victoria and Vi, her mother, start working as spies.

I could not read this book fast enough! As the story evolved, I learned so much that I didn’t know. I was impressed with the author notes and all of the fictional characters who were based on real-life people. So many similarities were seen by this reader to our present day world. I know I will read this book again. Mother Daughter Traitor Spy would make an excellent book club choice. Lots to discuss! My thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Immersive and atmospheric, quick paced and a pleasure to read. The timeline had me a little puzzled (was it 1940? 19;41?) but I even rationalized it to myself as “crazy times” because I enjoyed the book so much.

Books based on true events and real people are at the top of my list and this one did not disappoint revealing to me some stories about the US that I had not heard before.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Mother Daughter Traitor Spy was intriguing but not as engrossing as I wanted. While the historical events were depicted accurately there was no depth to the characters.

A brilliant, based on history , novel .
A mother and daughter move from one cost to the other, headed towards a new and exciting kind of life. They are introduced to American Nazis who seem to be such nice people until the ladies learn what the new friends believe in.
They are so appalled that they try to report to the police, later the FBI and finally a naval officer….whom actually has ties to a group that is actively spying on 5he American Nazi group.
Thus, the ladies become agents and ultimately have a great deal to do with the undoing of this group.
It is based on the actual history of the American Nazi movement and very well written.
Very highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

I learned a lot about politics in the years leading up to World War II. The author developed the characters. The plot was well constructed. I was on the edge of my seat during the suspenseful parts.