Mother Daughter Traitor Spy brings us through a time in history during the 1940's in Los Angeles where Nazism was prevelant. Not only were they trying to over throw the government but trying to impeach Roosevelt. It was a dangerous time where the American Nazi's were growing all over CA , meeting in secret, spreading lies about the government and plotting ways to kill the Jews, Blacks, Asians, and all foreigners. They were receiving money from the Nazi's from Germany and receiving orders from them. The American Nazi were plotting to cause an uprising in CA. There was a network of American spies who worked with the government to stop them. It was made up of German American women, Jewish American men and others that believed in Democracy and in America! It was an important part of history and I for one was glad it was written!

Interesting story of a mother and daughter who spy on Nazis in Los Angeles just prior to World War 2. Based on real people and real events the story is certainly relevant in today’s world.

The year is 1940. But it feels like it could be from the current times. “There’s a real threat to our democracy, one that could – faster than you think – turn our country into a totalitarian dictatorship.” The story is fictional based on real characters.

Veronica was a prized journalism graduate, groomed by her boyfriend who worked for The New York Times. When his wife, from a prominent publishing family, found out about the affair, Veronica’s new job at Mademoiselle magazine no longer existed. In fact, she was told there wouldn’t be any position for her in NYC with any publication.

Her Uncle Walter was in town for her graduation ceremony. He asked her about a future with a husband and children. Veronica wasn’t interested. She wanted to be like Martha Gellhorn who enjoyed being a war reporter in Europe. Soon she and her mother, Vi, found themselves traveling to Southern California, the “land of dreams.” They would move into Walter’s Santa Monica beach house – rent free -- which happened to be vacant.

After stumbling trying to find work, both Veronica and Vi found themselves in situations that were ideal to spy on an organized group that was promoting Nazism. They would be working in two different ways for the FBI. Veronica would need to look like a “girl flirting with fascism.” She would have to grow her blond hair longer, wear lots of red and black dresses, have braids in her hair, wear a cross necklace and wish to marry with at least four children. While both undercover roles were dangerous, the plot didn’t feel as intense as it could have been.

However, the author did an impressive amount of research and this book opened my eyes to the activity of political extremes in the 1940s. I wasn’t aware that in 1939, there were 20,000 protestors in Madison Square Garden in support of Nazi Germany. I had no idea about the Bund, Silver Skirts, Copperheads that were trying to change the leadership in the US. Plus, the story made me think about how the past relates to the present times with information that is important for everyone to read. Vi told Veronica: “Do you think an eventual book, telling your story, might help people understand what’s happening in America.” Well, yes. That’s what this is all about. “No one believed Hitler’s Brownshirts could seize control of Germany in 1933. They did.”

My thanks to Susan Elia MacNeal, Bantam Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of September 20, 2022.

I have tried multiple times over the last several weeks to read this book, but it just doesn't grab my interest. I typically devour historical fiction, especially amything set during WW2. I will not be posting on Goodreads or Amazon.

I was very graciously given an ARC of this, and for that I will be eternally grateful!

I have been a fan of Susan's for years, and have gobbled up the "Maggie Hope" series. When I heard about this, I knew I had to have it. I was not disappointed! Susan's ability to weave a story while teaching you history is truly a gift. The research she puts in never ceases to amaze me, and I always find myself doing my own research after.

Susan being able to create characters that feel real, rather than 2-D as you often see in literature, is *chefs kiss*. Knowing that Vi and Vanessa are based off real people imposes a challenge to ensure you are doing the real-life inspiration justice, and Susan not only gives them the justice but goes above and beyond.

I am so excited to see if this will continue into a series. As always, another excellent book by Susan Elia MacNeal. Stoked to see what next is to come!

I enjoyed this fictionalization of the lives of several real-life spies who went undercover in American Nazi organizations during the 1940s. MacNeal clearly did significant research for the book--I appreciated the list of her sources--and it shows nicely. The characters are a bit one-dimensional, and MacNeal doesn't take the opportunity to flesh them out as the book progresses, which is a shame. Overall, it'll be a compelling read, particularly for readers who don't know about Nazi activities in the US. Book clubs will like the stories of two women at very different times in their lives, the question of keeping personal boundaries vs. getting potentially important information from a source, the concept of "nice" not being the same as "good," and other issues the book bring sup.

I was so excited to read this book! I love Susan Elia MacNeal and all the Maggie Hope books. Mother Daughter Traitor Spy is a great off-shoot of the Maggie Hope series. The historical references were amazing. So much of the pro-Nazi culture of California was foreign to me. I hope that this series will continue. Maybe someday Maggie, Vi and Veronica's worlds will collide.

I really enjoyed this book! I expected to see Maggie Hope in the main characters and I didn't even give her a thought. There was the historical vibe of the Maggie Hope books but with fresh characters and a sweet plot. Could this be the start of a new series?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. MacNeal has a really cute historical, mystery series that I am in the middle of so when I saw she had a new stand alone novel coming out, I wanted to read it. Mother/daughter duo - Vivian and Veronica moved to LA after Veronica was fired from Mademoiselle after having an affair. Wanting a fresh start, she finds a job as a typist but soon figures out he is a Nazi American. After trying to report him to the authorities, they recruit her to become spy to his operation. Vivian, in the same "thread" starts some embroidery projects for some ladies, finding they are too for the new "Clean America". Living double lives spying but also trying to stay alive. I felt this novel wasn't as entertaining as her series but quite an eyeopener with the traitors in LA before WW2. #MotherDaughterTraitorSpy #SusanEliaMacNeal #Sept2022

What a fascinating book - and, though it may seem odd for a historical novel, very timely. Departing from a series, this standalone sends two New Yorkers to Los Angeles to seek a new start just as the US is debating whether to join the Allies in World War II. One is Vi, a mother who is in mourning for her husband and the other Veronica, her loving daughter, who is burning to have a meaningful journalism career but has burned all her bridges by having an affair with a married man who turns out to be both a scumbag and the spouse of a vengeful woman. Without jobs or money, they move into a cottage belonging to a West Coast relative and begin to establish themselves. Veronica gets a job with a weird couple who run a newsletter that turns out to be a nest of Nazis who despise Jews and support America First, an isolationist movement that is aligned with the KKK and the German Bund. Since Veronica had reported on the notorious Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden, she recognizes immediately what she has stumbled into. But the local police and the FBI are only interested in pursuing communists. It's not until they connect with a Jewish activist who's monitoring the rise of Nazi sentiments in Southern California that they know what to do: infiltrate the organization and gather intelligence.

What follows is tense and well-furnished with historical material, both in terms of popular culture and daily life and the political scene in that time and place. I sometimes found the emotional responses of the characters a little unlikely for undercover agents, a bit less complicated than I would expect. I was also skeptical the two could avoid detection as easily as it seemed, such as not letting the Nazi plotters know where they lived. Vi was somewhat underutilized as a character, and I think there could have been more development of her interesting support of isolationism - that could have been a useful way of teasing out the nuances between "of course we have to fight" and full-on Nazi fandom. To be fair, it's there - I just wanted more of it, and of Vi!

It's illuminating to read this story, based on historical facts and actual figures. We tend to forget America First is not a new concept, and it was a noxious white supremacist notion the first time around, too. We tend to think of the US as being heroic in fighting Nazis back in the day, and completely united in the struggle, and overlook the history of fascism in this country. While the author, through her characters and their actions, does make a strong case for pluralism as an American virtue, she leaves it up to readers to connect the dots to our current crisis of democracy. But the connections make the book especially compelling.

I hope it reaches a lot of readers, if only to help us see our present moment in historical context, so we don't blithely say "this is not who we are" without stopping to think.

This is a standalone novel from the author of the Maggie Hope series and takes place in the same area and situation--Los Angeles and fascists--as The Hollywood Spy, the previous entry in the series. Two women, a mother and daughter, leave New York City and move to Los Angles for a new start after a mistake by the daughter causes her to lose her NYC job. While finding a new position she unearths evidence of Nazi activity in Los Angeles. Both she and her mother, blond, blue-eyed German-Americans, are hired to infiltrate the movement. What follows is a fascinating and chilling saga, one that shows a part of American history not often seen. This is a story that is as important as it is entertaining.

I thoroughly enjoyed this standalone novel by bestselling author, Susan Elia MacNeal. Mother/daughter Violet and Veronica leave New York City to begin a new life in Southern California during WWII. After Veronica starts a new job, she realizes that she is working for Nazi sympathizers who are intent on acts of sabotage and killing anyone who gets in their way. Soon after, the FBI approaches both Veronica and Violet to work undercover to stop the Nazi sympathizers. Can they complete their mission without getting caught or worse?

It is evident that the author performed a significant amount of research in writing this book. Although works of fiction, I enjoy books by Susan Elia MacNeal as they’re often based on historical facts. I come away learning a bit of history,

The excellent Maggie Hope series author takes a break and dives into a standalone novel based on real-life Nazi supporters in Los Angeles in 1941. I had never heard of Sylvia and Grace Comfort, the inspiration for Veronica and Violet Grace. Susan Elia MacNeal gives them life and visibility for their important war work.

Reading about Hitler's rise to power and how it parallels the eating away of democracy today is horrifying. They, and we, are in a slow motion car crash. So inspiring to hear regular citizens doing there part to take a stand.

4.4/5

As a fan of historical fiction, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on another Susan Ella MacNeal novel. She really knows her stuff. Mother Daughter Traitor Spy is a fascinating story based on a real life mother and daughter who worked as spies in California prior to the USA entering World War 2. The research that went into this book made this such an interesting read. It was high-anxiety, nail-biting, and wonderful dramatic reading. I worried for their safety, applauded their successes, and felt proud of these women. Historical fiction at its best.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another good book by one of my favorite authors. I found it interesting this was based on actual people. I learned a lot about events during this time.

This novel is a fictionalized story about facts that occurred on Los Angeles in 1940 and 41. Sylvia and Grace Comfort are the real heroines of the stories, but Veronica and Violet Grace are their fictionalized counterparts. The stories tell about a young woman and her Mother, a Navy widow, who move to greater Los Angeles in 1940. They are American and of German ancestry and have Aryan looks. The daughter is job hunting and meets a woman whose husband is looking for a typist. She goes to a meeting at their home and discovers they are Nazis and attempting to subterfuge America. Without going into more of the plot because of spoilers I can let future readers know both Veronica and her Mother become spies for the US and work with the government to undermine the Bund. It is very well done and includes an extensive bibliography documenting the accuracy of the events that took place. The Author did allow herself room for creativity however. It is an amazing prequel for many of the polarizing things happening in the US today and well worth reading. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam (Random House) for an ARC for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The setting for this work of historical fiction was Los Angeles in 1940 and 1941 before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II. Pro-German sentiment is very strong in many areas of the country.

Veronica Grace and her mother Violet have just moved from New York City to LA. Veronica is an aspiring journalist who is looking for a job. During her first day at work as a typist, she discovers that her employers publish a variety of violently pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic, anti-Black newsletters and pamphlets. She is shocked! Instead of just quitting, she decides to take action!

At the same time, her mother finds herself doing embroidery and sewing for a group of pro-Nazi women! She, also, knows that she must do something to combat evil.

Based on a true situation and real people, this novel is the best that historical fiction can be. It tells an exciting story and engages the reader as the author describes events in this country at a critical time in history.

After picking up this book several times, I was unable to find a desire to keep reading it. The characters didn’t hook me right away and the plot seemed very ho-hum.

Normally I try to continue reading to see if it gets better, especially when I’m leaving a review but nothing sparked my interest.

If you enjoy plots that are set in the WWII era, then you will enjoy this book most likely. Spies and foreign enemies on American soil!

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I really liked the idea of this one but something felt like it was missing for me. I think I might have liked more scenes from Vi’s perspective. I really enjoyed all the information to show the historical ties to the fictional versions of the characters. It did feel like it was a bit rushed at the end, although that may be due to the nature of the ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to enjoy this book. This is a fast paced story based on true events. I could not put this book down! If you're a historical fiction junkie like I am, you'll love it!