Maggie Flynn isn’t your average 1960s mum—she’s an MI5 spy, and one of the most compelling characters I’ve read in a long time!

Set against the colorful, chaotic backdrop of 1960s London, this novel is a captivating blend of historical fiction, mystery, and espionage. Maggie juggles her clandestine job with raising a Beatles-obsessed teenager, finding solace in her work after the sudden death of her husband.

But everything changes when a Russian agent claims to have known her husband—and hints that someone inside MI5 might have betrayed them both.

I was immediately drawn in by Maggie’s character. She’s sharp, resourceful, and so authentically well human. Whether she’s slipping into a new disguise or trying to connect with her daughter, her inner monologue is rich with emotion, humor, and vulnerability.

While the plot itself delivers twists that keep you guessing until the final pages. The real magic, though, is in the setting. The author paints a vivid portrait of Cold War London, filled with smoky pubs, secret codes, and the cultural whirl that was the Swinging Sixties. There are just enough nods to real historical moments to ground the fiction in reality.

If you’re looking for a smart, suspenseful read with a fierce female lead and a setting that leaps off the page, Maggie Flynn's story is one you won’t want to miss. I absolutely loved it!

I really enjoyed this story! Set in 1960's London, a time when the cold war was hot, Maggie Flynn is a middle aged, single mother of a Beatle's-crazed teenage daughter, and "watcher" for MI5, which means she spends her days donning disguises and expertly shadowing and gathering intelligence on suspects. Maggie's husband Davy (killed in London 3 years ago) was an MI5 operative. While babysitting a defecting Russian spy, he says something that makes Maggie realize that he not only knew her husband, but that Davy may have been betrayed and killed by one of his own colleagues. Determined to find out what really happened 3 years ago, Maggie teams up with her colleague and fellow watcher, Frank Tanner (a former police detective). Maggie's key skills are shrewd observation and gritty determination, while Frank brings humor and years of experience as a detective to the collaboration. The plot is suspenseful and full of action, and the characters are wonderful. Robotham does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere of the 1960's, and I love that Maggie and her mother were defying age-old standards of what women can/should do and be, as so many women in that time period were.

Well-written and very enjoyable spy thriller set in 1960s London. Maggie Flynn is a “watcher” on the lowest rung of the MI5 spy ladder in 1960s London. While the story is interesting, it is the characters that set this novel apart. From her fellow “donkeys” at the agency, to her somewhat kooky mum and her Beatles-obsessed teenaged daughter, each one is perfectly drawn. Characters seem to blend together in many spy novels, but not here. Even the “bad guys” have distinct identities. The setting is obviously well-researched. There are so many details which make it all seem believable. I hope there are more Maggie Flynn novels in the future!

Highly recommended. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I don't know if this should have been my first foray into the spy mystery genre, but I was intrigued by the idea of a middle-aged, widowed single mother working as a spy for Britain's MI5 agency. I wasn't expecting a lot of action, but I was expecting some espionage hijinks, some fun rogue characters, and a plot that would be adventurous and perhaps a little tense to follow along with.

Honestly, this didn't give me any of that.

I did like the main character to an extent. It was great that the author managed to make her a badass in her own right instead of giving her typically masculine characteristics that are par for the course in many WMC-led books in a genre predominantly filled with MMCs. The fact that we see her dealing with her family and the grief of losing her husband. She has flaws (That bunion!) and is aging. However, she also has exceptional skills, like being an expert at noticing her surroundings and clocking a person's intentions and surface personality by picking up on the more subtle details. I loved all of that.

However, I wish there had been some additional things and some things removed about the character. The level at which her drinking is mentioned is a bit much (although I'm willing to admit this could be a cultural thing). More could have been done about her relationship with her daughter and late husband. I was begging for more backstory here! It just never came. The subplot of her hunting down the Beatles tickets for her daughter wasn't as fun or cute as it could've been. It would've been improved had their relationship been better set up.

Regarding the main plot, I was a little disappointed that Maggie wasn't really a spy; she was just a watcher who stumbled into a situation she wasn't meant to know about, which just happened to involve why her husband was killed. This could've been handled so much better! When we are shown what her husband was killed for, it's very anti-climactic. Yet, she and her eventual accomplices cannot only plan for an escape but also execute an escape that allows them to come out better than they were. I don't buy it.

It was a cute read, I wish it had more substance. It definitely feels in line with the classic The Avengers TV show, but lacks the spy thriller flair. I needed the stakes to be just a bit more dire.

The writing was good enough; I don't have anything more to say one way or the other. I just wanted more narratively.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for free in exchange for an honest review.

On the surface, this book should have worked for me, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly why it didn't. Maggie Flynn is a low-level MI5 staffer in 1960s London, raising her teenage daughter after the death of her husband and doing mostly ho-hum surveillance work for the agency. When she uncovers secrets about her husband's death, she and her fellow agent Frank try to root out the truth, leading to dangerous discoveries and powerful enemies. Doesn't that description sound right up my alley? Well, the book took a loooong time to get interesting, and even when the action heated up, it was far too easy to put the book down. The book has its lighthearted moments, but it's not a comedy, and it seemed to have trouble figuring out exactly what genre of spy novel it wanted to be. The endless bunion references, as well as to Maggie's quest to get Beatles tickets for her daughter, were tedious and contributed to my struggle to stay engaged. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA | Aria for a digital review copy.

After losing her husband, Maggie wants to uncover all of his secrets, and even ends up working for the same agency. However, it has been years since he passed, and she is still questioning it. Her current job as a spy gives her even more resources and tactics, but who can she trust? As a spy, she and her team are given various watcher positions, which leads her to meet Yuri. He knew of her husband and is the start of her uncovering the truth about her husband’s death, but maybe someone close to the organization caused it? She wants to leave a better life for her daughter, but how much can she take before she breaks? I loved her undercover disguises and the fight with her bunion, but especially her Mary Poppins bag; it shows how different her and her team were than what you typically think of for a spy. This was a really fast paced read, taking place in the 1960s.

Mrs. Spy by Mandy Robotham is a tale about life post-war during the Cold War. In London, Maggie Flynn isn't your typical 1960s mother, she is a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London's streets in disguises. Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession – providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death. Maggie's world turns upside down when an encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what's worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him. As Maggie searches for answers, she'll question everyone – and everything – she thought she could trust. In the world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?

Robotham does a wonderful job creating an inspirational story of mystery in London during the Cold War. Mrs. Spy had me turning the pages to the very end. This book is an easy 4 stars. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

I received a free advanced copy and all opinions are my own. I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Great debut featuring an era - the 1960s - that hasn't had as much traction yet! Fans of the Bletchley Circle (PBS) or The Rose Code by Kate Quinn will enjoy Maggie Flynn's machinations as an MI5 'watcher' as she tries to observe her assignments in compromising situations. The London setting against the backdrop of the Beatles, her daughter's obsession, is as compelling a character as Maggie herself. Maggie is a widowed, single mother sandwiched between her colorful mother and headstrong daughter, which adds to the charm and complexity of the story. The addition of colleague Frank teases future connections and gives hope that this is the first of many installments to come!

Thanks to #NetGalley and publisher Bloomsbury/Aria for the opportunity to read an eARC of #MrsSpy!

I was really intrigued by the premise—Cold War intrigue unfolding in the heart of 1960s London, with a former store detective turned MI5 “Watcher” at the center. Sign me up! And while the setup has all the ingredients (spy games, swinging '60s, Beatles mania, secret files), the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The first half moves at a crawl, weighed down by Maggie’s internal monologue, especially her bunion woes and her daughter’s Beatles ticket obsession. I wanted more action, more Cold War tension, and less domestic detour. That said, things do pick up in the second half. Once Maggie joins forces with her quirky-but-capable crew—including a fellow Watcher and a surprising new ally—the pace improves and the plot starts to deliver on its promise. There’s a genuine thrill in watching Maggie unravel the truth about her husband’s death and the MI5 secrets lurking beneath the surface.

All in all, a solid idea with a mixed execution. I stuck with it—and I’m glad I did—but I wish the suspense had kicked in sooner.

Thank you to M J Robotham, Bloomsbury USA | Aria, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. On Sale June 3rd, 2025

If it's a tale of twisty intrigue you're after, keep looking. "Mrs Spy" is le Carré or Furst extra-lite. The intrigue at the center of the plot is slight, and there are plot holes large enough for an elephant to charge through. The narrator, our titular widowed mother MI5 grunt, also tends to repeat the same thoughts in only slightly varying ways. The book could easily have been reduced by a third without losing anything.

The depiction of just-starting-to-swing London from the POV of an everyday, middle-aged person is just entertaining enough to make up for those drawbacks, though. The book kept me entertained during a long flight, so I imagine it would make a nice beach read.

Thank you, Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #MrsSpy. I loved this book! I read the first 50ish pages and really wasn’t invested in the story, so I almost shelved the book. I am SO glad that I didn’t! This was such a unique read and I ended up reading it in a few hours. I hope there will be more stories involving Mrs Spy and her friends and family.

London resident Maggie Flynn had once been a store detective, but after her husband’s death, she wangled her way into a job with MI5 as a “Watcher.” London in the 1960s was known for its swinging pop culture, but also as one of the leading cities in the spy-vs-spy culture of the Cold War. Maggie’s Watcher job is to keep her eye on Soviets to see where they go and who they meet, and to follow those Britons who just might be the next turncoat à la Kim Philby or Guy Burgess.

Maggie has been widowed for three years and now lives with her mother, a free spirit named Gilda, and her teenage daughter, who is obsessed with her mother somehow getting her tickets for the upcoming Beatles concert. Maggie has suspected for a long time that MI5 has misled her about the cause of her husband Davy’s death, and her suspicions are confirmed through an encounter with a defecting Soviet spy. Now Maggie is determined to get to the bottom of what happened, finding along the way that some in the upper reaches of MI5 may be as dangerous as the Soviets.

I was excited to read about Cold War London in the swinging 60s. The first half of the book is a bit of a slog, though. The plot is slow to develop, and we spend a lot of time inside Maggie’s thoughts, which for my taste too often strayed to her bunion and those Beatles tickets. The second half still has those bunion-and-tickets references, but they’re much easier to ignore, as Maggie, with the aid of her work partner, a friend who is an assistant to a government minister, and a most unexpected ally work together to find out the dirty secret that led to Davy’s death and conjure a way to make things right as much as possible.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The idea of this book sounded interesting, but I just could not get into it. It was very wordy, and the writing was not my style. It was a chore for me to slowly work through this.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 17%

I heavily struggled to get into this one, and I'm finally DNF'ing because I just can never motivate myself enough to pick it up. I didn't jive with it: the writing (especially), the dialogue, the characters, the plot. I feel horrible because I don't usually DNF a book so early before it's had a chance to show enough of its colors, but I simply got the vibes quickly that this wasn't the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and @AriaBooks for this ARC. Maggie's husband is killed on the job. While she thought he was just a stationary salesman, he was actually KGB. They asked for her discretion and sign some paperwork but reeling from the secrets, she in turn asks to become a spy or she won't sign. Now in the field, she is babysitting a Russian that has defected when he tells her the story of his handler that sounds a lot like her husband. He has a few answers to her questions but she starts digging around for more. Can she get to the bottom of his death or find herself dead as well? Fast read! #MrsSpy #MJRobotham #BloomsburyUSA #AtriaBooks #June2025

Maggie Flynn may seem like a normal mom on the outside but in truth she is anything but typical. She holds a secret job as a "watcher" with MI5, which just happens to be considered the low rung of the spy ladder.
I had a fun time reading about Maggie as secrets were brought to her attention not only about her assignments, but personal ones as well. It was interesting to see how she dealt with being a female member of MI5 in the 1960s. MJ Robotham did a great job with placing you in whatever locale and trouble Maggie found herself in.

Mrs. Spy by M.J. Robotham is a gripping and emotionally charged historical thriller that blends espionage, danger, and resilience in a wartime setting. The protagonist is compelling—sharp, courageous, and layered—and her journey through a world of secrets and betrayal is both tense and heartfelt. Robotham masterfully balances suspense with emotional depth, creating a story that’s as moving as it is thrilling. It’s a riveting read that fans of historical fiction and spy novels won’t want to miss.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Absolutely loved this! I couldn't put it down, especially the thrilling last third of it. Great concept. Loved the time period of 1960s London and all the Beatles references. Maggie and Frank made for a fantastic partnership. I also loved the snippets of Maggie's late husband Davy's "voice" in her head in certain situations. Fans of spy novels and thrillers, add this to your list!

I mean a spy story with a middle aged woman who is also a mom? IT’S MINE! And I loved it! It’s fun and interesting. The story is well written and the characters are amazing. I hope this is the first of a series because I NEED MORE! Please, give me more! I’m hungry for this kind of stories!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.