I have loved this series since its start and am sad to see it end. I will miss Maggie Hope and her shenanigans. Thanks to the author for writing this lovely history and heroine

The Last Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal is the final story in the Maggie Hope series. I have been a fan since Mr. Churchill's Secretary was published in 2012. As in her other stories, the author not only does a great job of giving the reader details of life for every day people in England during World War II, she also provides a view of the daily routines and pivotal decisions of those who played key roles in the events of the time.
Maggie has been a great character to take us through these times. Sharp, smart, and perceptive, Maggie moves seamlessly between player and observer. In this last novel, these abilities are particularly useful for Maggie as the war is coming to an end, and people are planning and plotting their paths to transition to peace. Whose alliances will continue unchanged, and can new deals be made to salvage fortunes, lives, and nations?
In The Last Hope, Maggie must carry messages between Coco Chanel and Winston Churchill by making a trip to Spain while it is recovering from its Civil War. Also tasked to block the possible threat of Nazi development of the atomic bomb, Maggie weaves through a world of international espionage, with spies, secrets, and deadly beauty. The Last Hope is an exciting, fast-paced last installment of the Maggie Hope series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced reading copy of The Last Hope: A Maggie Hope Mystery.

Thank you to @netgalley and @RandomHouseBallatine for this ARC. The latest installment of Maggie Hope, aka Paige Kelly, as a spy for the British government. She is assigned to assassinate someone close to the Reich. Can she pull it off? Can she kill someone in cold blood? I love this series! Per the title, I thought this would be the last book in her series but the last chapter left room for another! #TheLastHope #SusanEliaMacNeal #RandomHouseBallatine #May2024

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I have enjoyed the Maggie Hope series since the beginning and the title of this final installment brought a little lump to my throat. While not required, it is certainly helpful to have read previous books in the series. Maggie is an British special agent during WW2 who crosses paths with many famous people such as Coco Chanel, Churchill, & Queen Elizabeth. Last Hope ends the series with an interesting story about a lesser-known part of the war (Franco's Spain) and a possible German surrender. I appreciated the author's end note about fact vs fiction. and how the book doesn't necessarily neatly wrap everything up. If you are a Maggie Hope devotee, you will cheer for Maggie's last adventure and if you enjoy series such as Masie Dobbs and Electra McDonnell, then you should dive headlong into this one.

Such a spectacular final story for a much loved and thrilling series. Ms. MacNeal has pulled out all the stops to deliver a fast-paced, well crafted, well-researched high octane spy thriller. This may well be the best one yet!

The setting is July, 1943. Our illustrious Major Maggie Hope has been tasked with her most difficult assignment yet. Under the pretense of serving as a courier, chosen specifically by Nazi-sympathizer Coco Chanel, the renowned fashion designer, Maggie is to retrieve in Spain a pair of letters destined for Churchill's consideration. While also in Spain, she's to assassinate the lead German scientist on their atomic munitions program. So much is at stake, not the least of which, is the future of the entire world. There certainly were a few close calls and some riveting nail-biter moments. Yet when all is said and done, can Maggie achieve the objectives and make it home safely?

This is been a wonderful series which I have personally enjoyed from the very beginning until now. It has been a great ride these last twelve years and I am rather eager to see what new projects Ms. MacNeal has in mind for her faithful readers. Excelsior!

I am grateful to Bantam Books for having provided a complimentary uncorrected proof of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publisher:‎ Bantam
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
No. of pages:‎ 304
ISBN-13:‎ 978-0593156988

The Last Hope thrills from its opening pages, and the many pleasures this book provides continue to the bittersweet, richly textured end. The overarching metaphor and central plot point involves Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. As a metaphor for espionage, betrayal, secrets, and lies, the idea that one can’t determine both the location and the speed of a particle perfectly encapsulates protagonist Maggie Hope’s dilemma. Her mission, as a spy for British Intelligence during World War II, is to assassinate Werner Heisenberg, the physicist who might—or might not—be on the cusp of delivering a fission bomb for the Germans. What could have been a straight-up spy novel becomes a meditation on war and morality that, like Heisenberg’s Principle, resists easy solutions. The history is impeccable, the writing compelling, and the story fascinating. A 2024 must read.

What an excellent way to end a marvelous series. In this book, we have Maggie still trying to find a way to do her part to help the Allies win WWII. She is going to drop herself into Spain, take on a different persona, and immerse in the local culture. I hate to give anything away for you, but I will tell you if you have grown accustomed to intrigue and edge-of-your-seat text, you will not be disappointed. I think Ms. MacNeal wrapped this series up nicely with a pretty yellow bow (for WWII).

If you have not read this series, stop and do it now. The entire series is spectacular!

Maggie’s Most Daring Challenge!

The Last Hope has it all: World War ll, spies, double agents, Winston Churchill, Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid! Historical fiction at its BEST!

Part of what makes this book and series so appealing is how well researched it is! If you are an international traveler you appreciate the details of London, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris and Berlin! If you are a history buff, the factual historic details are the foundation for the storyline.

This is an excellent finale to the Maggie Hope series. It is emotional and thought-provoking, along with some of the most interesting characters and challenges.

I am sorry to see Maggie Hope go, maybe Susan Elia MacNeal just needs time to recuperate from these tense adventures and Maggie might return for the WW ll victory celebrations!

Review of Uncorrected eBook File

As the war rages on, Maggie is off to Spain to meet with Coco Chanel and pick up a letter to be delivered to Winston Churchill. But there is more to her assignment . . . the assassination of Werner Heisenberg, a physicist who may be close to finalizing the creation of the first fission bomb.

As Maggie finds herself surrounded by diplomats, spies, and double agents, there is danger around every corner. Can she find the ones she can truly trust?

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“The Last Hope,” eleventh in the Maggie Hope Mystery series, brings the Maggie Hope stories to a close. As with the earlier stories in the series, the research is impeccable, detailed and part of a meticulous plot that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Over the course of the series, Maggie has grown and matured as she became an inspiration for those around her. At the same time, the author deftly conveys the toll the war . . . and her espionage activities . . . take on Maggie. The war-time events, well-defined characters, and a strong sense of place all work together to bring readers stories that are unputdownable, intriguing, and inspiring.

“The Last Hope,” filled with unexpected plot twists and surprises, offers readers suspense and intrigue in a complex, well-told tale of wartime, courage, and drama. Fans of the series and readers of historical fiction are sure to appreciate this exceptional story.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#TheLastHope #NetGalley

I loved this book. It was a fantastic close to the Maggie Hope series. Maggie grew tremendously and got to do some really intriguing "stuff" in this novel. I loved getting into her head and trying to analyze the various situations with her. Definitely recommend.

This is the eleventh and final volume of the intriguing Maggie Hope series and it does not disappoint. The war slowly drawing to a close but Maggie is tasked by British intelligence to assassinate a German scientist, Werner Heisenberg who may be developing a fission bomb for Germany. Because she is unsure of his indeed developing the bomb she travels to Madrid where he is giving a lecture, to meet him and gauge the situation using her mathematics background. In the course of her adventures she teams up with Coco Chanel, in a sensitively drawn characterization. It's a complex situation, paired with Maggie's personal life back in London and there is a satisfying conclusion.

As a loyal reader of the Maggie Hope series from its very beginning, I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. This latest and final installment didn't disappoint. As always, I learned more about the history of WWII, this time focusing on people preparing for Germany to lose, the development of the atomic bomb, and events in Spain at that time. I was happy to read more about Maggie's personal life, but I was disappointed to be left with unanswered questions. Perhaps the author thinks it's better to leave her audience wanting more (which I do). I imagine that MacNeal may wish to write about new characters after all this time. I look forward to seeing what she does next. I highly recommend this book and the entire series (best read in order). I will miss Maggie Hope.

As a series finale, The Last Hope, shines a shadowy light on the ways war transforms people. Maggie, Susan Elia MacNeal’s determined and ever-loyal protagonist, worries how much her experiences as one of Churchill’s handpicked SOE agents have changed her. This is especially so given her newest, and last, assignment - assassinating a fellow academic who may just be building an atom bomb for Hitler. In the face of danger lurking everywhere, she conducts her mission in an unsettled, post-civil war Spain amidst rising doubts as to who she can trust. Given the title of this book and the announcement that this is the last in the series, I was worried about the final outcome; yet, I did my best to slow my reading to savor accompanying Maggie as she finagled and untangled opportunities and obstacles that arose on her mission.

While there are some threads I wish had been resolved, this was as near perfect as a series conclusion for Maggie and her work with the SOE as I wished. Nonetheless, I do have my fingers crossed that MacNeal has additional works planned that will give Maggie some special guest appearances so we can learn how things work out for her as the war ends and lives are rebuilt. I will miss having new adventures to experience with Maggie Hope, but look forward to MacNeal’s future projects.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and the author for early access to this thrilling novel.

The Last Hope is an excellent historical fiction of many hidden events of the second world war. It is packed with suspense and intrigue and an exceptional way to end the series.

This was a beautifully done finale to the Maggie Hope series, it had everything that I was looking for from the series and from the author. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed from the other books in this series. It had the writing style that I was hoping for from Susan Elia MacNeal and glad I was able to read this. I can't wait to read more from Susan Elia MacNeal as I enjoyed what I read.

I tore through this series in the beginning of lockdown, so it feels only fitting that I read the last four years later. Maggie is one of my favorite historical heroines - nuanced, smart, brave, and engaging. I only wish more of the supporting cast had been included - it didn't FEEL like a finale. I selfishly wanted one more book to wrap things up.

Diffirant take on the world after 1930's What will you do during a war? Can you kill? How do you decide? Many questions ! Who do you trust and why, Can you trust anyone? Wow

The Last Hope: A Maggie Hope Mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal is the 11th book in this truly wonderful series.

I have read all eleven books, and have truly loved getting to see Maggie (pull yourself together Hope) Hope. To see her blossum from a young woman, naive of the world, become a force to be reckoned with, a source of hope, promise, and that at this time there were still good people, fighting for what was right.

I loved this murder/mystery full of intrigue, emotion, espionage, and surprises right and left. The ending definitely gives promise of an uplifting and inspiring future for Maggie, her family and friends, and the whole world. It truly left a smile on my face.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/21/24.

Maggie is being sent to Spain on a dual assignment - first to pick up a letter from Coco Chanel and then to murder a scientist. Filled with Maggie's doubts about her mission, her conflicting emotions about the future and the knowledge that she had no idea who was a friend and who an enemy in this foreign country. Excellent!

I was sorry I had not read the previous books in this series but they are now on my list. I totally was engrossed in the story. The writing captured the characters to the degree I could see the clothing, places and the characters..

Well written, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.