annieb123's Review of The King's Justice (Maggie Hope Mystery, #9)

by Susan Elia MacNeal

Can a stolen violin lead secret agent and spy Maggie Hope to a serial killer terrorizing London? Find out as the acclaimed World War II mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal continues.

“A wartime mystery to sink your teeth into.”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress

Maggie Hope started out as Winston Churchill’s secretary, but now she’s a secret agent—and the only one who can figure out how the missing violin ties into a series of horrifying murders.

London, December 1943. As the Russian army repels German forces from Stalingrad, Maggie Hope takes a much-needed break from spying to defuse bombs in London. But Maggie herself is an explosion waiting to happen. Traumatized by her past, she finds herself living dangerously—taking huge risks, smoking, drinking, and speeding through the city streets on a motorbike. The last thing she wants is to get entangled in another crime.

But when she’s called upon to look into the theft of a Stradivarius, one of the finest violins ever made, Maggie can’t resist. Meanwhile, there’s a serial killer on the loose in London, targeting conscientious objectors. Little does Maggie know that investigating this dangerous predator will pit her against a new evil—and old enemies. Only Maggie can uncover the connection between the robbery, the murders, and a link to her own past.

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The King's Justice is the 9th book in the series featuring Maggie Hope written by Susan Elia MacNeal. Released 25th Feb 2020 by Random House on their Bantam imprint, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This was the second book in the series for me, with a long hiatus since having read the first book some years ago. As such, I don't feel like I enjoyed the full experience of connecting with the returning characters and easily placing them in their relationships with each other. The plot worked well enough as a standalone, there was just a lot of backstory referenced in the narrative which I wasn't familiar with (including big spoilers from the last couple of books). I recommend reading them in order.

The plotting and narration themselves are superb; the author is an adept and skillful wordsmith. This is a period wartime mystery and the realities of WW2, rationing, violence, racism, homophobia, and the leftover remains from England in siege under the blitz are very well rendered by Ms. MacNeal. The dialogue is believable and well written.

There are some uncomfortable themes: substance abuse, domestic violence and abuse, racism, war, etc, but the denouement and resolution are satisfying and well written. The language is clean and unobjectionable. I liked that the narrative is worked around a framework of actual historical events, people, and occurrences. The author is skilled enough that it's sometimes difficult to distinguish where one ends and the other begins.

This is an enjoyable quick read. Highly recommended. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The King's Justice (Maggie Hope Mystery, #9)

by Susan Elia MacNeal

Reviewed by annieb123 on Mar 7, 2020

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