Mrs Braithwaite, an overbearing woman overly concerned with outward appearances, was such an unlikeable character at the start of the book that I found it hard to continue reading. Pushed out of her position as head of the village WVS, she retreats to London to visit her daughter and discovers her missing. The plot descends into an improbable farce as Mrs Braithwaite discovers her daughter is a spy for MI5, and attempts to rescue her from a gang of thugs. She has a series of epiphanies along the way and comes to understand that actions are more important than appearances and regrets her earlier actions.

There are a series of unlikely escapes and rescues, the bad guys wind up in jail, and the good guys all win. There are a few serious moments, especially the descriptions of the blitz, but on the whole this is a light and frothy treatment of a serious subject.

The Spies of Shilling Lane is set in London during WWII. The story focuses on Mrs. Braithwaite, who discovers her daughter missing, and goes on a quest of her own to find Betty. Mrs. Braithwaite puts her gossipy, busy-body skills to the test and elicits the help of Mr. Norris, Betty’s landlord to search London amidst bombings and air raids.

The characters and setting make this novel worth reading. While war is always a hard topic to dive into without totally being depressing, Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. Norris make an interesting duo. Both struggle with living their lives in a small box, always doing the same thing, never really changing. They both let life happen to them, instead of living in the moment. Mr. Norris puts aside fear to help the brash and bold Mrs. Braithwaite track down unsavory people to find out what happened to Betty. Mrs. Braithwaite realizes that her bossy ways and lack of love tainted her life. She softens, while Mr. Norris becomes quite bold in their pursuits.

I enjoyed this story. The suspense element of amateur sleuths tracking down Betty was quite entertaining, and I loved characters that step up and realize who they are when put to the test. Lots of plot twists and run-ins with spies make this an intriguing novel.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I loved this book! It is very well written, great characterization, and hard to put down. Highly recommended!

Mrs. Braithwaite was not initially my cup of tea. Brash, overbearing and opinionated, I could understand why the ladies of the WVS had pushed her out of her position as chairwoman. She comes to London to see her daughter, only to find her missing. Like a steamroller, she plows over everything and everyone in her path. Her main concern is how to measure success in one’s life. She’s actually comedic with her views on life. “You saw the European history books on Baxter’s shelf. And the philosophy!...Anyone that reads philosophy is bound to be suspicious.”

The book is a very lightweight historical romp. It’s silly, to be honest. As the title implies, there are spies. Also, lots of bad guys, thugs to be more exact. Not that all the criminals are bad, some are on the side of Jolly Old England. We’re meant to warm to Mrs. Braithwaite as she has epiphany after epiphany about the type of mother she was. I thought the strength of The Chilbury’s Ladies Choir was the depth of its characters. Here, they seemed more caricature.

Ryan does a decent job of of painting a picture of London during the Blitz. I was able to clearly picture the scenes. Transcription covers some of the same territory, spying on the English Fascist element and does a much better, more serious job of it.

Sorry to say I wasn’t that impressed by Ryan’s sophomore effort. This might appeal to those that want something more along the lines of a “cozy” story.

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

I really enjoyed this book. It's the story of a mother named Mrs. Braithwaite who goes to find her daughter Betty in London during WWII. after a personal setback. When she gets there, she finds her daughter is missing and she starts investigating. She talks to her job and her roommates and finds a lot of inconsistencies but still can't find Betty. Where is she? Mrs. Braithwaite teams up with Betty's reluctant landlord and won't stop and until she's discovered what's happened.

I highly recommend this book! Thanks to Crown Publishing Corp. and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this preview from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I found the book enjoyable. It reminded me of the MC Beaton Angela Raisin series with the central character being a British woman of considerable force and little insight--although this character gains insight throughout the book. The story revolves around a group of spies during the Blitz in London and the fascist group that they are fighting. The action is rapid, and despite the gravity of the situation the tone is humorous. I found the book a rapid and enjoyable read. The character development was appropriate and entertaining. Sometimes all I want from a book is an enjoyable story and this book delivered that, along with some history and drama.

I really wanted to like this book as I love spy books and historical fiction. However, I found this book to be simple in it's writing.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

2.5 stars

Thanks #NetGalley #CrownPublishing for my free e copy of #TheSpiesofShillingLane by Jennifer Ryan in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. Norris, two unlikely and polar opposite characters, join forces to help Mrs B find her missing daughter. Unfortunately, in the process they inadvertently find themselves involved with a dangerous and violent WW11 spy ring.

While Mrs. B is brash and intimidating, Mr. N is peace loving and soft spoken. The actions of these cartoonish like characters are impulsive, often outlandish, always engaging, and sometimes endearing.

Agonizing over a recent divorce, Mrs. B also has a personal mission to discover the secret to a successful life. And it’s a thoughtful question for all readers: How do you measure the success of your life? Is it measured by how much joy you have? By your social class/status? By your work accomplishments? By love? By family? By your kind actions and deeds? By helping others?

Although the premise is promising and the characters are quirky and engaging, the plot often unfolds like a sitcom and is unrealistic at points. This greatly affected my overall star rating.

Mrs, Braithwaite is ousted as chair of her local women’s advisory group. She leaves her home town to go to London to look for her daughter. Betty is not where she is supposed to be, so Mrs, Braithwaite enlists the aid of Betty’s mousy but sweet landlord, Mr, Norris. The story takes some twists and turns, adding in the perfect humor. Thanks to Netgalley, I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book on the era during which England is watching the Fascist group conspiring to align and offer assistance to the Nazis. Highly recommended.

I struggled to finish this - the dialogue is almost laughable and quite corny, and the story is slow to get off its feet. I had to skim many sections to get through, and the scene where the daughter is rescued (it's tough to even remember names) makes zero sense - none of that would actually happen. So disappointing, and I don't say that lightly.

I love WWII set historicals and The Spies of Shilling Lane is a wonderful example of those books. I love it!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

It has been 2 long years since Jennifer Ryan published the Chilbury Ladies' Choir, but this book The Spies of Shilling Lane was worth the wait! Mrs Brathwaite is newly divorced and feels the need to speak with her only child, Betty, who has moved to London to work. Arriving at her daughter's rented room she discovers Betty missing! With the help of Mr Norris (Betty's landlord), Mrs. Brathwaite sets out to find her daughter and save their lives. With characters that make you cry and laugh and love, Jennifer Ryan has written a book that is difficult to put down at night.

The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan is an engrossing WW2 historical fiction novel that hooked me from page one. I was interested in this book after reading Ryan's first novel The Chilbury Ladies Choir, which was one of my best 2018 reads. The plot of The Spies concerns the recently divorced Mrs. Braithwaite who is desperately looking for her bookish daughter Betty. Mrs.Braithwaite enlists the help of Betty's landlord Mr. Norris, and.together they become lost in the world of London spies and fascists. This story reads partially as a comedy, but it is also one of the rare novels which actually describes the lives of ordinary citizens during the war. I 10/10 recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys stories about family, the UK, and of course fans of historical fiction.

If you like WWII Home Front stories featuring domineering English village busybodies, you'll probably enjoy Ryan's latest. Mrs Braithwaite, rejected by the women's auxiliary that (in her opinion) she nobly lead, heads to London to search for her daughter--ends up in fisticuffs with members of a nefarious Nazi spy ring--and lives to rethink her life.. Mrs Braithwaite and her daughter's landlord Mr Norris are quite the team! Though I was shaking my head the third time someone got tied up in a cellar, I just suspended belief and went along for the ride. Thanks NetGalley!

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I mean, what's not to love about WWII, London spies, and a village busybody? But this book fell short of the mark for me. The writing style felt ponderous, simplistic, and awkward, though in a somewhat comical way. It could be argued that the writing style fit Mrs. Braithwaite, the main character, but it just wasn't worth it for me. The best way to describe it would be to liken the story to a 1930s black and white movie - one-dimensional and wordy, with outrageously unrealistic adventures and physical comedy, but still, oddly charming. Even though I can't say I liked the story, I did like the characters, although they were still, as I said before, rather one-dimensional. Overall, the novel lacked the color and living, breathing quality that I like to see in well-written novels, but I can't say I'll ever forget Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. Norris.
There was also immoral content that I didn't expect, but I probably just didn't do my homework well enough before reading this book.

Jilted by her husband and the Women's Volunteer Service, Mrs. Braithwaite runs away to London to find her daughter before anyone else can.

Set in 1941, the book follows Mrs. Braithwaite into a bombarded city that shows no sign of daughter Betty. She browbeats Betty's landlord, Mr. Norris, into helping her track Betty. Their quest takes them through bars and butcher shops, paying off drunken crooks to help them capture the fascists holding Betty hostage.

As Mrs. Braithwaite learns that Betty is no longer her little girl, she also finds herself discovering the importance of family and friends. The book is a mystery plus a great piece of chick lit and a heartwarming tale.

This could be the start of an entertaining series.

It seems odd to call this WWII spy story cozy and charming, but Jennifer Ryan has a knack for recreating a world which brings to mind the song, “There’ll always be an England.” There is no wondering who are the good guys or the bad, but going back to a time when honorable men and women fought against the Nazis and the reader knows exactly who to root for.
When first we meet Mrs. Braithwaite, the domineering, cold and supremely self confident head of the women volunteers in her village, we learn she is divorced from her philandering husband, estranged from her daughter who,has escaped to London, and soon to be toppled from her position of authority among the village ladies. She flees to London to escape the ignominy of her social defeat, only to discover her daughter has disappeared. Mrs. B marshals all her talents in the search to rescue Betty.. In doing do, she becomes embroiled in a spy ring of local fascists and learns a great deal about herself. Most importantly she finally understands that it is love not social status that determines if your life can be considered a success.
I had some quibbles with the writing of the story, finding myself sometimes lost in the twists of Spy vs.Spy, but in general this was a rollicking tale of good people fighting the good fight.

There's been an outbreak of World War Two novels in the past several years featuring brave women fighting Nazis, risking all for patriotism, for love, for family. Some are serious works of historical fiction that try to imagine the opportunities as well as the tragedies that war can offer women. Other titles have been flights of fancy that never convince the reader that this story could have happened, however well-researched. The Spies of Shilling Lane offers up a variation in that its lead characters are decidedly middle-aged and only reluctantly swept up in the war's domestic front. This is a jolly read, the plot revolving around the initially unpleasant Mrs. Braithwaite, who bustles off London at the height of the Blitz to locate her missing daughter Betty. Mrs. Braithwaite is getting used to her new and unwelcome status of village pariah, after being unceremoniously dumped by her husband and consequently, their social set. This doesn't stop the overly confident, socially snobbish, and bull-headed Mrs. Braithwaite from cutting a large path through London locales to find Betty. But her estranged daughter may not want to be found, especially as Mrs. Braithwaite begins to suspect Betty's ordinary wartime job might actually be something involving MI5, fascists, bombings and more. Will Mr. Norris, Betty's landlord, and Mrs. Braithwaite's reluctant guide pluck up his courage and help uncover the sinister plot that threatens them all? Will Mrs. Braithwaite discover humanity, and just how much she loves Betty, but also that she herself is capable of much more than she ever suspected, not least of all a bloody-minded Britishness well up for a spot of rescuing various characters, solving codes, enduring imprisonment and torture, and getting repeatedly soaked and deprived of sausages? Bring on the tea and scones, because Jennifer Ryan takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride with large lashings of sentiment, balanced by a surprising amount of sex, violence, and derring-do handily managed by the middle-aged protagonists. I was reminded of those old black and white Ealing films that managed to convey the terror of the bombs, the tedium of rationing, and the can-do spirit that got Londoners through the war through collective courage, muscle, and humor. Mrs. Braithwaite's growth from a stodgy, petty snob to a warm, mature heroine capable of facing down not just fascists, spies and thugs but also the vicious snobbery of her peers and the sexist, ageist bias of the prevailing culture, is a pleasure to encounter. Sequel, please.

Another great one from Jennifer Ryan. Wonderful evolution of characters. The story line kept me engaged. Can always count on Ms. Ryan for a win in historical fiction.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Mrs. Braithwaite is the town busybody who ropes a shy and fearful Mr. Norris into helping her find her daughter who has gone missing. Crazy, not very believable but still enjoyable, adventure ensues.

I loved this book! It was so fun and I surprisingly came to love the characters—I wasn’t sure if I would at first!