PamG's Reviews > The Last Hope
The Last Hope (Maggie Hope #11)
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PamG's review
bookshelves: historical-mystery, mystery-thriller-suspense, netgalley-2024, read-2024
May 02, 2024
bookshelves: historical-mystery, mystery-thriller-suspense, netgalley-2024, read-2024
The Last Hope
by Susan Elia MacNeal is the eleventh and final book in the Maggie Hope historical mystery series. Maggie Hope has had numerous jobs including secretary to Winston Churchill, a defuser of bombs that were dropped in London by the Germans, but had not exploded, and currently, a spy. In this one Maggie is sent to Madrid, Spain, with a few stops along the way. She has two parts to this mission. The first part is to meet with fashion designer and possible double agent Coco Chanel. The second task is to assassinate a German physicist, Werner Heisenberg. Meanwhile there are events and revelations occurring in Maggie’s personal life. The events occur in 1944.
The characterization is well done. Maggie is a mathematics major, enjoys recognizing patterns, word games, and puzzles. She’s also been trained as a spy, is a skilled marksman, and has a complicated personal and family life. Her internal conflicts felt realistic and appropriate.
The writing is well-done, the plot is engaging and thought-provoking, as well as heart-wrenching during at least one scene. It was interesting to get insight into the somewhat neutral countries and life within them. Several strong themes run through this novel including the horrors of war, betrayals, spies, collaboration, assassinations, double agents, blackmail, guilt, propaganda, and much more.
Overall, this novel is entertaining and moving. It’s a strong and impactful tale with plenty of action and suspense. I feel like this series is best read in series order. The back-story will enhance a reader’s enjoyment and understanding as the series progresses. Readers who enjoy historical mysteries and espionage novels will likely enjoy this book.
Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine – Bantam and Susan Elia MacNeal provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for May 21 2024.
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My 4.02 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
The characterization is well done. Maggie is a mathematics major, enjoys recognizing patterns, word games, and puzzles. She’s also been trained as a spy, is a skilled marksman, and has a complicated personal and family life. Her internal conflicts felt realistic and appropriate.
The writing is well-done, the plot is engaging and thought-provoking, as well as heart-wrenching during at least one scene. It was interesting to get insight into the somewhat neutral countries and life within them. Several strong themes run through this novel including the horrors of war, betrayals, spies, collaboration, assassinations, double agents, blackmail, guilt, propaganda, and much more.
Overall, this novel is entertaining and moving. It’s a strong and impactful tale with plenty of action and suspense. I feel like this series is best read in series order. The back-story will enhance a reader’s enjoyment and understanding as the series progresses. Readers who enjoy historical mysteries and espionage novels will likely enjoy this book.
Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine – Bantam and Susan Elia MacNeal provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for May 21 2024.
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My 4.02 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
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Reading Progress
May 1, 2024
–
Started Reading
May 1, 2024
– Shelved
May 1, 2024
– Shelved as:
to-read
May 1, 2024
–
Finished Reading
May 2, 2024
– Shelved as:
historical-mystery
May 2, 2024
– Shelved as:
mystery-thriller-suspense
May 2, 2024
– Shelved as:
netgalley-2024
May 2, 2024
– Shelved as:
read-2024
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Karen
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May 01, 2024 10:20AM
![Karen](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1648807470p1/149694522.jpg)
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![PamG](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1561125551p1/30803272.jpg)
Hi, Karen. Unfortunately, I've only read one other book in the series (# 9 The King's Justice). I believe # 11 is the last one in the series.
![TXGAL1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1646612601p1/5418447.jpg)
![PamG](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1561125551p1/30803272.jpg)
You're welcome. Happy Reading.
![PamG](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1561125551p1/30803272.jpg)
You're welcome. Happy Reading.
![Wendy Walker](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1710533320p1/172531467.jpg)
![PamG](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1561125551p1/30803272.jpg)
Thanks, Wendy. You're right. This one was packed with a lot to wrap up the series.