Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book. This is #7 in the Maggie Hope Mystery series of which I have read a few. I find the more I read, the more I enjoy them. The author does not fill in a lot of the backstory which means there are part of the books and characters that don't make sense but it does not prevent enjoyment of the books and the plots are pretty much standalone in each book. This book sends Maggie to occupied Paris during the war. It is a setting and time period which I find interesting and have read a lot about. The book is well researched and based on actual occurrences. 3.5 stars rounded to 3 because the ending is a totally unnecessary cliff-hanger.

This is the seventh installment in the tales of Maggie Hope and her adventures working for the British government during WWII. Here we find Maggie in Paris trying to find a missing agent, Erica Calvert, as well as her missing half-sister. She finally receives her travel papers and manages to find her sister, but when she sees fellow agents Sarah and Hugh at the ballet, things start to heat up.

There is a traitor in the midst of the agents in Paris and he has been slowly turning them over to the Gestapo. Maggie must save her friends as well as herself and her sister but is that possible when sshe is discovered and seized.

The story was a bit slow at the beginning but built quickly once the action started. . The ending had a bit of a surprise and makes me want the next installment NOW!

The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal is the 7th installment in the Maggie Hope mystery series. Fans of the series, will, of course want to read this latest addition in which American born Maggie Hope passes herself off as an Irish bride-to-be shopping for a trousseau in Nazi-occupied Paris while secretly spying for the S.O.E. Maggie also hopes to find her half sister Elise. Parts of the novel were quite well done and plausible, and parts were not. I most definitely did not appreciate the cliff hanger ending which I think detracted from the well developed denouement that preceded it. Thank you Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC of this title and for allowing me to review it.

This was the third book in the Maggie Hope series that I have read and they just keep getting better and better.

The tension was rampant throughout this book. A book dealing with the SOE spies that were sent from England into enemy territory in the fight to win the war over the Germans. The story was mesmerizing and I was enthralled throughout. I read this all in one sitting, staying up very late to finish.

An excellent read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

And to find out that parts of the book were based off real individuals and history - shocking at times.

I am so glad that I found this series, I love books about the war and the people who lived through it. Reading what they did to defend their country and how their day to day lives were affected during this war.

Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Maggie Hope, working undercover for the Special Operations Executive branch of the British war machine, lands in wartime Paris in a new book in this long running series. The pace was fast, almost chaotic at times, much like I would imagine a war torn city and its' nervous inhabitants to be. In addition to searching for the whereabouts of a missing SOE agent, Maggie wants to find her half sister Elise. There is always a lot of good attention to historical detail in these books and hearing about familiar things like Maxim's and Coco Chanel during the War was interesting.

The new installment of Maggie Hope will take readers to Nazi Paris were at there will be many twist in the story.

When last we left Maggie Hope, her college friend Sarah Sanderson and her old boyfriend Hugh Thompson, both now Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents, were preparing to go to France to work undercover, while Maggie was excitedly expecting her newly discovered half sister, Elise Hess, to arrive in London from Germany.

It is now June 1942 when The Paris Spy opens and France has be under German occupation since June 1940 and the Nazis have quite comfortably ensconced themselves in Paris, enjoying the finer things the city has to offer.

Sarah and Hugh, code named Sabine Severin and Hubert Taillier respectively, have also arrived in Paris, she as a dancer, he as a cellist to work undercover as part of a Paris ballet company. Their assignment is to collect a bag of sand sample SOE agent Erica Calvert had collected from the beaches of Normandy, France, in preparation for the proposed invasion and it is imperative that those sample not get into the hands of the Nazis.

Maggie has also arrived in Paris hoping for discover what happened to her half sister. Elise never showed up in London, as planned.

More importantly, however, she is there to try to discover what happened to SOE agent Erica Calvert - is she dead? Alive? Compromised? Her radio transmittals have been coming through to England but without the required security check. And what about her sand samples?

After months of waiting in the home of two resistance workers, Maggie has finally received her forged identity papers, becoming Paige Kelly from Ireland, in Paris to shop for her trousseau. Ireland was neutral during the war and so Maggie is free to move around as she pleases. She immediately checks into the Hôtel Ritz, now headquarters for the German Luftwaffe, and home to designer Coco Chanel, who in reality did live there for 37 years, including the war years, and who immediately befriends Maggie, who just happens to be wearing a Chanel suit when they meet.

And to add to the danger of simply operating in an occupied area, the Nazis seem to know exactly who the SOE agents are and what they are doing in France, which can only mean one thing - there is a mole in SOE. But who can it be? And will Maggie find out before all the SOE agents’ lives are put in jepardy?

There is a lot going on inThe Paris Spy. There’s mystery and intrigue mixed with the really odd glamour that was Paris after the Nazis arrived. MacNeal has really captured the two sides of the German officers who were running operations there. On the surface, they demanded the finer things associated with France - lots of champagne, the finest foods, and the best accommodations. Below the surface, the level of physical and mental cruelty is stunning.

And in-between is Coco Chanel. Chanel has long been suspected of being a Nazi collaborator. MacNeal’s depiction of her is ambiguous at best, and it is up to the reader to decide whether or not she is a Nazi spy, or a double agent in The Paris Spy. Of course, there is the whispered comment Chanel made to Maggie on page 245…

I personally felt this was a particularly interesting novel. Although Maggie has rubbed shoulders with all kinds of big players from WWII - from the Queen and Winston Churchill to President and Mrs. Roosevelt, among others - I felt like this was a more thought provoking story and not just a good historical fiction mystery. Not because Maggie, Sarah, or Hugh have changed, but there was more of an insider’s look into how and why things were done and events that unfolded in it.

The Paris Spy is sure to please fans of Maggie and, aside from maybe not totally understanding how Elise Hess comes into the picture, it can be read as a stand alone historical fiction novel, not just as part of a mystery series.

I am now eagerly looking forward to Maggie Hope #8

This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

This is one of those historical fiction books that subtly teach you about history, specifically World War II. Maggie Hope heads to France to locate and hopefully rescue two women in the underground resistance. This is the seventh book in the Maggie Hope series and I think you need to read some of the previous books to fully enjoy and appreciate this story.

I really enjoy historical fiction, and this book did not disappoint. It's clear that Susan Elia MacNeal did a significant amount of research before writing this book. The book gives a realistic look at the effects of war on both spies and civilians. The book didn't end with the typical "happy ending" which made it more realistic. I love the Maggie Hope series and anxiously await the next installment. Well done!

If you know me, you know I LOVE the Maggie Hope books! I always thought of them as cozy mysteries, but really that does not do them justice. I always learn something from reading them and they are serious, but not gory. They remind me of something I’d watch on PBS or the BBC — thoughtful and historically accurate, but entertaining. This latest is no exception. The war (WWII) is progressing, and Maggie is still hard at work for the Allies. Planning for the D-Day Invasion is the storyline behind this novel, and Maggie is trying to get top secret information through to those who need it. As always Susan Elia MacNeal has done her research and presents loads of historically accurate details to make her story come alive. I do love the strong character of Maggie, and I never get tired of reading these books!
Thank you for my review e-copy!

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.

It's 1942 and the War and the setting have turned darker. Maggie has come to Paris in occupied France to learn the fate of one of her spy school students and to find her half-sister. She comes into a mix of SS and Nazi operators, French collaborators, spies, and double agents.

Posing as a rich Irish woman in town to buy her trousseau she is able to move about freely until . . .

Meanwhile back in London, the question of where the Invasion will happen is on Churchill's mind. Important samples need to return from France, and the intelligence groups have become rivals. To misdirect the Germans, coordinated efforts at deception must happen.

So there are webs of intrigue on both sides of the Channel in this complicated and dark novel. It's one of the best in the series so far.

I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best book in the series.

I enjoyed this book and happy enjoyed every one of Susan's stories. This was an easy read

The Paris Spy is the latest addition to the Maggie Hope series, in which Maggie is living in Paris, spying on the Nazi occupation army. You will be cheering her on through her perils and successes. McNeal supports her story with an impressive amount of historical research

The cast of characters continues from the previous books, and several of the plot setups benefit from some knowledge of the history developed in earlier books in the series. I’m not sure I’d recommend starting the series in the middle.

With a few hints that forecast what comes next, I can’t wait for the next episode!

The next installment in the excellent Maggie Hope series. MacNeal continues to expand her narratives by giving the audience a healthy dose of alternative perspectives on the stories events (rather than solely Ms. Hope's). Clever twists especially toward the end. I really enjoyed reading this.

In the midst of WWII Miss Maggie Hope, an SOE (British) spy, is dropped into the heart of Paris as an Irish (neutral country!!) bride-to-be searching for a trousseau in the classic home of haute couture. We meet Coco Chanel and Nina Ricci, visit the Paris Opera Ballet, and hide from Ribbentrop, Goering and the Gestapo. One discovers early on that Maggie's had a number of adventures prior to this one but other than creating a desire to read those, too, your enjoyment of this novel will not be impeded--all necessary details are supplied.

Records from this period have still not been released in full and there remain many mysteries surrounding the war of disinformation and counterintelligence (think "The Man Who Never Was"). Meticulously researched with avid attention to detail, author Susan Elia MacNeal explores possibilities and likelihoods as her heroine bravely strives to complete her mission.

Thank you, Netgalley, for exposing me to a new series I will want to explore!

The Maggie Hope mystery series is part mystery and part spy….probably heavier on the spy side but it has murder mystery elements woven in for variety. Some might argue that this series isn’t sure what it is….is it spy or mystery but in my opinion, I like the variation. It keeps thing exciting for me, having a character solve murders in one book and then go on a spy mission in another book.

I’ve been a fan of this series for some time now and though I haven’t loved every book, I love Maggie as a character and always excited to see where life will take her next.

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 (summary from Goodreads).

One thing I have always wanted for Maggie was a prince charming. Not because she needs that as a female character, but because I like her so much and I want her to find love. Ever since she fell in love in the first book, I’ve been hoping someone will come in and sweep her off her feet. I like that different options have circulated in and out of the different books, but I am hoping that sometime soon a HEA will find Maggie and a love connection will be more evident. In this book there was really no true love interest. In some weird way I was hoping that Christian would become more of an interest but that never materialized. The more I read though the less I cared about the love interest and the more anxious I became about her being stuck in occupied France.

I love war history and especially espionage. Plus the whole setting (occupied France) adds a layer of mystique to the story for me. There is something about the occupation that really intrigues me when it comes to WWII history and I love how the author uses that sense of mystery and intrigue with the setting to make the story more suspenseful. I was perpetually worried for Maggie and her other friends being deep in enemy territory.

I also wanted to know so much more about the women who went undercover and on these dangerous missions, especially the captured ones. I was so happy that the author included a list of works consulted at the end so for those who were interested because I was definitely interested in reading more about the real life stories of those women. I think that MacNeal goes to great lengths to make her stories authentic and true to history, and that’s evident by the amount of consulting she does.

This book kept me reading late late late into the night. I was wholly invested in the story and characters and sad about how some of their situations ended, but that’s what will keep me reading this series, what will happen to the characters and Maggie now that life has been drastically altered for some of them? The only thing that was a little hokey for me and a little too neat was the appearance of Coco Chanel. I felt like there had to be a better way for Maggie to get connected with the Nazi inner circle than a chance meeting in the hotel lobby. For me it just was too convenient. Maggie didn’t really have to do anything to set herself up in the right channels in France, so for me that made Maggie look a little in experienced as a spy. Sure she had a limited amount of time in France and she made a last minute decision to get air dropped into France in the last book so no time for a cover story etc but at the same time, meeting Chanel in a hotel lobby when she happens to be wearing a Chanel dress and then boom she’s in with the Nazis made it all seem a little too neat.

But with that said, it was a minor stylistic issue for me and ultimately I accepted it and kept reading, focusing instead on how Maggie was surrounded by danger. After this book I was worried that there wouldn’t be many more novels which makes me sad because I love this series so much but I was pleased to hear that at least 2 more books are planned so until then I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of Maggie Hope!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Paris Spy (Maggie Hope Mystery #7) by Susan Elia MacNeal

Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Expected publication: August 8th 2017 by Bantam (first published August 2017)
ASIN B01N1HTUWI
Review copy provided by: Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4 out of 5

Genre: historical fiction, detective novel, mystery, suspense, spy novel, WWII

Memorable lines/quotes:

In book #7 of the Maggie Hope series, we find out girl Maggie in Nazi occupied France. She has gone there undercover to search for a fellow SOE agent and her half sister.

I honestly think I held my breath for most of this story. These are scary times and Maggie is not sure who she can trust. Little did I realize what would happen to Maggie at the very end.

Ms. MacNeal has given us a real page turner. I have enjoyed going along for all of Maggie’s adventures. With the ending on this story, I am anxiously awaiting the next book.

ARC from Random House - Ballantine Bantan, via Netgalley.

Maggie Hope is again fighting the Axis powers in World War II. This time, she's behind enemy lines, searching for a fellow spy who it is feared has been captured. While there, she is also looking for her sister. Interspersed are bits and pieces of Sarah and Hugh's work as well. There is a lot going on in this story. A LOT. But MaNeal is generally successful in weaving together all the plot points. Maggie is on the verge of becoming less relatable, which was one of the best parts of this series. I hope that she'll be a little more human and a little less super-spy in the next book.

This book comes out today
Four stars