I have heard great things about the Maggie Hope mastery series and I finally had a chance to read the latest installment. World War II is at its peak in Great Britain. Emotions are on high alert and no one can be trusted. Maggie Hope has been sent to Forbidden Island for a special training, or so she is told. Forbidden Island is really the Isle of Scarra, a three square mile island off the coast of Scotland with rugged terrain and horrible storms. Maggie is also not in a special training camp but is actually a prisoner in the ugly, formidable Kiloch Castle along with other individuals of the SOE, or Special Operations Executives. No one knows why anyone else is there which shrouds each prisoner in secrecy and, just like outside the walls of the castle, no one can be trusted.


After a newcomer joins the captives at the castle people begin dying under incredibly mysterious circumstances. Maggie, being the levelheaded woman that she is, chalks them up to mere coincidences, until the deaths become so numerous that there is no way they can be just coincidences. Someone is killing the prisoners off one by one and Maggie quickly realizes that she must find out who the murderer is before she's the next victim.

I really enjoyed this novel and found it an engaging read. The reader finds themselves instantly intrigued and constantly trying to guess the murderer. The writing is so well done that you can see the grotesque castle as well as the beautiful Isle of Scarra, which is actually a fictitious island, but there were some historical gems that were true that really added to the realism of the story as a whole.

The Prisoner in the Castle absolutely made me fall in love with Maggie Hope and I will definitely be reading more novels in the series. If you're in a mood for a good mystery then this is the book for you! I promise you won't regret it!

Prisoner in the Castle Review

So here we are in the eighth installment of the Maggie Hope series, and I swear it just keeps getting better every time! Ms. MacNeal keeps the pace ramped up in this latest book, and keeps the reader guessing till the very end.

Our heroine, Maggie Hope, has been sent to an SOE cooler off the shore of Scotland. In other words, she knows too much. Instead of an asset, she’s now seen as a liability to the Allied war effort. It’s been a few months since the end of the previous book, The Paris Spy, so Maggie has adjusted to her new living situation, even if she’s not happy with it. She is living in an old manor home with several other agents, all of whom have been sent for their own reasons. Within the first few pages of the book, the body count starts to rise. Maggie has to figure out who is the one systematically eliminating the agents, while at the same time, her friends David Greene and DCI James Durgin back in London are trying to figure out where she is.

Ms. MacNeal once again brings history to life, while also putting her excellent storytelling abilities on full display. Her talent for weaving together fiction with fact is unrivaled, and she does so while simultaneously causing the reader to fall in love with the characters. The story is full of twists and turns, and you’ll think you know...but will you? Everyone is under suspicion here.

My only disappointment in this….I now have to wait for the next installment. If you haven’t read this series yet, you’ve got time to go pick them up and dive in. Seriously. You’ll thank me later.

Maggie Hope knows more than she should - but she won't talk. Sent to an island off northern Scotland to ensure she does not share what she knows. Maggie encounters an eclectic mix of other people who know something they shouldn't as well as someone who will kill to find information to take them home to Germany. This keeps you guessing till the end.

I love the Maggie Hope series! This did not disappoint. So many references in the books have prompted me to look up SOE history and learn more. Maggie is a brave and interesting protagonist. I look forward to the next in the series!

Maggie Hope is back! The Prisoner in the Castle is the next installment in the Maggie Hope Mystery series. I have read many books in the Maggie Hope series and really enjoyed them.

Throughout her travels, Maggie Hope has acquired a lot of knowledge (among other things) and it’s this collection of knowledge that makes her a threat some believe. It's these beliefs which have landed Maggie imprisoned in Killoch Castle on a remote Scottish island.

In The Prisoner in the Castle, Maggie Hope faces one of her greatest predicaments thus far, imprisonment in an isolated castle away from friends and family who don't know where she is. Not only is she imprisoned but others around her are coming up dead. In true Maggie Hope style she has to use all the gifts and skills she has to escape from her prison before she's next.

I really enjoy this series because Maggie Hope is resilient, bright and filled with mirth.

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The swashbuckling Maggie Hope returns! In another of Susan Elia McNeil’s action packed novels set in Britain during World War II, Maggie, and the security threatening information she has learned, has been quarantined in Scotland along with a dangerous group of “unreliable” spies and a killer. As usual, Maggie steps up and takes charge. (Not a spoiler; you already knew she had to come out alive!)

This was a fun read, with the Hope series’ usual historical interest.

THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE by Susan Elia MacNeal is yet another well-written mystery in the Maggie Hope series (see also previously reviewed titles like The Prime Minister's Secret Agent and The Paris Spy). Maggie performs clandestine work for the British government during WWII and in this novel, she is sent to the "cooler" on an isolated island in the north of Scotland. As a kind of "house party," she and several other trained spies are detained together due to various reasons like emotional breakdowns, too much knowledge, violent tendencies and so forth. They are forced to stay at the decrepit Killoch Castle whose past owner was accused of murdering his guests and committing suicide. While spending their days fishing, hunting, eating and drinking, these professional soldiers are frustrated at being forced to sit out the war, but that quickly changes to fear and paranoia as more and more members of their group are murdered in a manner reminiscent of Christie's And Then There Were None. THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE is a bit more of a "cozy" mystery than earlier titles in the series, but Maggie still needs all of her training and some quick thinking to survive in this entertaining, well-researched historical mystery.

Links to earlier reviews of Maggie Hope mysteries:
https://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2014/07/prime-ministers-secret-agent-by-susan.html
https://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-paris-spy-by-susan-elia-macneal.html

Dame Agatha Christie would be pleased, I think. The Prisoner in the Castle pays homage to And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. It's an engaging, twisty locked room mystery. Maggie Hope finds herself trapped with a killer, will she escape the island or will it become her burial place?
Maggie soon discovers that she is a prisoner, completely cut off from the outside world. No phone, no news, no radio, and no family looking for her as they have been told she, and her fellow prisoners are on assignment. Each person has been deemed a liability to the war effort. Then a killer strikes and Maggie must unravel the mystery before she's next.
I enjoyed this entry in the series even though I haven't read all of the previous books. I will be catching up,ASAP. I had the feeling that I would have gotten more out of the story if I had read them all but I can still, without hesitation, say this is fine as a standalone. Until the ninety book comes my way, I will be playing catchup. I'm looking forward to spending more time with Maggie.

It's important to read Susan Elia MacNeal's novels in order! Maggie Hope's story develops throughout WWII but begins with Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Her own progress from secretary to secret agent is unexpected and unusual. If you catch up with Maggie Hope at The Prisoner in the Castle, this 8th book in the series, you find her hidden and isolated in Western Scotland. She's kept with other secret agents and denied communications, correspondence, the news and access to the outside world. We only know that many of these agents are being kept away, possibly punished, and could be too dangerous to release. There is the threat and risk of further prosecution or punishment, particularly as we learn more about Maggie's companions.

When a young debutante/secret agent joins the group, there are sudden suspicious deaths on the island. Violent deaths, poisoning, etc. it is clear that a murder is among them. Maggie and her companions must find the killer and survive.

Fortunately, Maggie has made loyal friends and two of them are determined to find out where she is being kept and help her return to London. The question is whether they will find her in time and if she will be allowed her freedom.

The Prisoner in the Castle refers to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. It also shares the same situation - guests trapped and isolated find that they are slowly being picked off by a murderer. The Prisoner in the Castle combines the suspense of Christie's classic with Maggie Hope's particular dilemma. It's a satisfying addition to the series.

This is a darker Maggie Hope, a spy deemed too dangerous by her own side, cast off on an island with other spies who are similarly sidelined. There is a Nazi spy in the midst, a cast of characters, and one dead body after another. This Maggie is a long way from the mathematical genius who inherited her English grandmother's house and came to England with hope and curiosity. Yet the book also is a bit of a relief from Maggie as Superwoman, a theme of the last several books in this series. She is troubled, can't sleep, worried about her life, and truly sad. Yet Maggie Hope doesn't give up and won't quit on herself or her adopted country. She is tough, smart and vulnerable, yet refused to back down. The book is an obvious, but loving, tribute to Agatha Christie's tale of death on an island, and the culprit is surprising (or it was to me). There is a deeper mystery about the man who built the castle and his nefarious ways that author Susan Elia MacNeal weaves in seamlessly. A few more dead bodies than I like, but the interplay among characters and the sense of desperation made this a book I read in one fell swoop. (I received an ARC on NetGalley. Opinions are mine.)

Susan Elia MacNeal does not disappoint with this latest installment in her Maggie Hope series! 'The Prisoner in the Castle' is clever, full of suspense, and draws you in from the very first page. One of the darker story lines in the series, MacNeal nevertheless manages to include a fleet of quirky characters, as well as plenty of witty dialogue. We reunite with some old favorites and meet a whole new cast of friends. Maggie is in fine form (per usual), but we also get to see a more vulnerable side of her as she encounters one of her most psychologically terrifying scenarios yet. If you're already a fan of the series, this new addition is pitch perfect--if you've never read any of MacNeal's books before, let this be a recommendation for you to do so as soon as possible!

Maggie's been relocated to a remote Scottish island, in theory used for training but in reality it's a prison for those people too dangerous - or too risky for the war effort - to leave.

So there she is, suddenly in the middle of what reads more like an Agatha Christie adventure, except that all the spies must investigate themselves. There's one obvious suspect, but really, it could be anyone... And unknown to Maggie, the Blackout Beast may walk free from court without her testimony, but no-one in the police force knows where she is, and those in SOE who do know aren't talking. Will the murderers escape justice? Will Maggie ever get to leave?

It felt like a change of pace from the previous books, but this worked well for the setting. I was kept guessing, right till the end, and the resolution felt generally satisfying.

Maggie Hope is back! This series is a perfect mix of period (WWII) intrigue, a smart, realistic hero (Maggie) and fascinating, complex plots. Readers have seen Maggie through many different jobs and dangerous situations in England and elsewhere, as she navigates the war era as a woman who is much smarter and more capable than many of the men running the action, and, though frustrated in many instances, who is able to insert herself into problems and succeed. In this story, Maggie is reaping the results of too much knowledge about some bad actors and their poor war decisions. She is stuck on a remote island off the coast of England, a virtual prisoner, to sit out the rest of the war. When her misfit colleagues in the same situation start dying, Maggie tries to figure out what is going on before she gets killed! Fans will love this new story that is full of action and suspense. World War II buffs will find, as always, fascinating nuggets of information. All in all, a great treat for mystery fans!

WWII Spies Held on an Island Die One-By-One

Being a prisoner on the Island of Scarra on Scotland’s northern coast, was not the way Maggie Hope envisioned spending the end of WWII. The island was owned by an eccentric millionaire, and the castle where the spies are held is magnificent, if eerie.

Maggie knows too much and the secret service no longer trusts her because she refused an assignment that would have required her to send unsuspecting recruits to their deaths in the war zone. She and the other spies are being kept on the remote island to assure they keep their secrets.

The captivity is just boring in spite of the amenities offered by the castle, until one-by-one the spies begin to die. As the deaths mount, the island is cut off by a raging storm and Maggie must find the murderer to save the other prisoners.

This is a take off on Agatha Christie’s “And The There Were None.” The plot works very well on a remote island cut off from help. It will keep you guessing who the murderer is.

Maggie’s character is well developed. She starts the book enclosed and upset because of being incarcerated, but as tension mounts her skill at organizing the prisoners and keeping them as safe as possible comes to the fore.

I highly recommend this book. If you have read other Maggie Hope books, you’ll enjoy this one. If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, you will find the plat engaging.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

If you have a suspicious nature like mine, it won't be all that difficult to narrow down the field of suspects in MacNeal's homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but it's still a fun read, and anyway, the best mysteries are about more than merely deducing the identity of a killer. The Prisoner in the Castle satisfies on so many levels, such as... The way MacNeal weaves historical facts into her narrative. The way she breathes atmosphere into her Hebridean setting. The way the action sequences in her book have your eyes glued to the page. And I could go on. In fact, I think I will.

The main strength of this book (and the entire series) is the character of Maggie Hope herself. Longtime fans have seen her grow from a clerical position at Bletchley Park to Winston Churchill's secretary to secret agent, and each step is believable. Maggie Hope is extremely intelligent and extremely dedicated. She can think on her feet, and she doesn't know when to give up. The high-powered ending of The Prisoner in the Castle shows how tough and resourceful Maggie is. Femininity is far from being a disadvantage, as many women actually proved during World War II. And-- lucky for her-- she's gathered friends around her who care deeply for her and who also refuse to take no for an answer. In war as in life, we all need friends.

If you're new to the series and simply cannot face going back to the beginning (Mr. Churchill's Secretary), you can begin here, but Maggie is such a wonderful character, I do hope you will reconsider. Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series is one of my favorite historical mystery treats. Neither woman disappoints.

This feels like It is a nod to the "murder on an island" that Agatha Christie did so well. Maggie has to figure out who is killing everyone before she’s next. Everyone on this island is a spy with their own secrets so who can she really trust. It's a great mystery, a who done it that absolutely works! While you don't have to read the other books in the series. I would suggest you do. It just gets better and better. Yea Maggie!!

3.75 stars

This latest entry in the Maggie Hope mystery series pays homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, famous for isolating a group of people on an island and then having a murderer pick them off one by one.

Clandestine operative Maggie has been exiled because she knows too much about the impending D Day operation and they can't risk having her fall into enemy hands and revealing anything under torture. She is sent to an obscure small island off the west coast of Scotland where she and other problem spies are hold up in a grim and gray castle. Almost immediately there begin to be unexplained deaths. The first couple might be accidental, but as the body count rises it's obvious someone is out to kill everybody on the island.

Meanwhile, back in London, Maggie's "friend" at Scotland Yard is desperately looking for her so she can testify in a murderer's trial -- and the culprit might go free without Maggie's testimony. All the funny buggers at MI5 and MI6 are less than cooperative about revealing her whereabouts. They have also discovered that a German spy is operating in the vicinity of the Scottish island which puts some major time pressure on finding them.

MacNeal's descriptions of the island and its natural setting is very well done. If you haven't read any other books in the series, some of the background might be a bit murky. As always, there's a bit of woodenness in the dialogue and some fairly unbelievable plot contrivances, but there is a great deal of timely suspense in the narrative that keeps you reading.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I wouldn’t normally jump into a series on book 8. But a friend of mine has enjoyed this series and I got a chance to review this book through netgalley, so jump I did.

I was expecting more of a spy novel, but this is really a cozy mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie. Maggie Hope is back from a spy mission and has been sent to a remote Scottish island, a sort of cooling off, almost prison type place for spies with issues. And then one, by one, the dead bodies start piling up. But despite how quickly the deaths kept coming, I didn’t feel any tension. This one just didn’t draw me in. And what happens tends to be predictable. Yes, there are a few twists I didn’t see coming. But nothing mind boggling. And I had correctly guessed who was picking everyone off, if not the reason.

A secondary storyline obviously dates back to the prior book. It adds some tension but i did feel at a bit of a loss not having the history. This is an ok book but I won’t be rushing to read the prior books.

My thanks to netgalley and Bantam for an advance copy of this book.

Another great book from author Susan MacNeal in the continuing adventures of Maggie Hope.

In this book Maggie and her fellow spies are banished by their own government on a secluded Scottish Island. With World War II still raging, Maggie and the other SOE agents want nothing more than to be free to join the fight once more, but when agents start to die one by one, it's up to Maggie to solve the mystery before her own life is claimed.
MacNeal once again writes with such rich detail that I was hooked from beginning to end, reading late into the night. Scarra, the Scottish Island Maggie and her friends are kept on, is so vividly described that the reader fully understands how a place can seem large while also feeling claustrophobic. Maggie is such a wonderful heroine to root for. She's smart and sassy while still having faults that make her seem so human. The Prisoner in the Castle left my heart racing and made me anxious for the next installment for Maggie Hope.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

I first discovered Maggie Hope back in 2012 when the first book came across my desk for review. The cover was initially what drew me in and I was never once sorry for judging a book by its cover!

Over the years, Maggie’s character has gone in a number of different directions and none of them were directions that I saw coming. For me, that’s one of the things that keeps this series exciting. You have this American typist how somehow ends up becoming a super high-level spy…..I love it!

Thought the series she has tracked down murders, saved the queen, broke codes, parachuted into France, and had her heart broken. This series always keeps me guessing and I absolutely love it! So what is to be in store for Maggie this time?

Maggie Hope is being held prisoner on a remote Scottish island with other SOE agents who know too much for the enemy’s comfort. All the spies on the island are trained to kill–and when they start dropping off one-by-one, Maggie needs to find the murderer… before she becomes the next victim (summary from Goodreads).

I read this book in a matter of days. It was a fast paced, fun read. One of the things that I noticed right away was that I had read something like this before. A bunch of house guests trapped on a deserted island with a mass murderer picking them off one by one. It had the ring of an Agatha Christie novel mixed with some others that I have read in recent years. While that might be off putting to some readers, I still felt that this novel had loads of originality especially when it came to the other ‘prisoners’ or housemates.

Maggie and her housemates aren’t your typical run of the mill individuals. Each one of them is a highly trained killer. These characters don’t fit into the normal stereotypes for this kind of book which for me kept it moving and engaging. I had my suspect but then as the book went on, I wasn’t so sure. The only one I could successfully rule out was Maggie, the others all had means, motive, opportunity, and the ability. I kept guessing right up until the end. It wasn’t quite your typical ‘whodunnit’, I actually thought this story was more complex and developed than just another game of Clue.

One of the things I have struggled with internally with the Maggie series is does she need a romantic interest? I know that the author has recently asked some of her readers this very same question and I honestly don’t know how to answer that. In the beginning, her love life was front and center—which is befitting of many heroines in this era and time/situation. But as the story as evolved, Maggie’s love life has kind of taken a backseat but occasionally makes a reappearance. Do I think she needs a romantic interest—-no not necessarily but the war can’t go on forever and I think giving her the opportunity for a ‘normal’ life in the end would bookend nicely with the beginning of the series.

I would love to see her with a prince charming type. A man who will sweep her off her feet and love her in the way that she deserves—-though for me Maggie isn’t a damsel in distress who needs sweeping off her feet.

She’s clearly more independent and the war has changed her in so many ways. Having a HEA doesn’t seem quite possible for her, at least at this point. I think try hope is for a man who loves her, understands her, gives her shared life experiences and support. For me that’s DCI Durgin—-at least at this point in the series.

This book was much more about solving a mystery with the promise of a possible love interest in future books and I am totally ok with that. This book was also unique in that I felt it could have read as a standalone as well. Most of the other books in the series connect to one another, and while this one clearly builds on previous books, I think someone who hasn’t read the series could probably pick this up and be ok with where things are at in the series and not feel too lost. Though I highly recommend reading all the books because they are all great!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal

Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Expected publication: August 7th 2018 by Bantam
ASIN B077CQDZFC
Review copy provided by: publisher/author in exchange for an honest review
Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5

Genre: Historic fiction, mystery, WWII, detective novel

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