Closer to the Chest is the third and final book in The Herald-Spy trilogy, part of the Valdemar saga. I love Mags as a character; he’s one of my favorites in the entire saga of books.
In the other two books, the main conflict/intrigue was preemptive, stopping something before it could happen. The central conflict/intrigue of this book was different. In this one, they became embroiled in something already in progress. An unknown group was coming after the women of Haven, a group with a clear grudge against any woman who did not live their life in what that group believed was the proper way.
While I would have enjoyed a little more intrigue, as I like to be kept guessing, I loved the story of Mags and Amily as they sussed out the bad guys. What I appreciated the most was the message of the storyline, the place of women in the world. Because that was what was at the heart of the story… the place of women, the rights of women, bullying, victim-shaming. It’s a book, although released only five years ago, seems incredibly poignant in late of the times we live in.