The Queen's Accomplice cover art

The Queen's Accomplice

A Maggie Hope Mystery

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 Spy and code-breaker extraordinaire Maggie Hope returns to war-weary London, where she is thrust into the dangerous hunt for a monster, as the New York Times bestselling mystery series for fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry continues.

England, 1942. The Nazis’ relentless Blitz may have paused, but London’s nightly blackouts continue. Now, under the cover of darkness, a madman is brutally killing and mutilating young women in eerie and exact re-creations of Jack the Ripper’s crimes. What’s more, he’s targeting women who are reporting for duty to be Winston Churchill’s spies and saboteurs abroad. The officers at MI-5 quickly realize they need the help of special agent Maggie Hope to find the killer dubbed “the Blackout Beast.” A trap is set. But once the murderer has his sights on Maggie, not even Buckingham Palace can protect the resourceful spy from her fate.

Praise for The Queen’s Accomplice

“Maggie is a thoughtful spy whose dangerous escapades never disappoint.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A fine historical mystery given a feminist slant.”—Booklist

“Plausible and elegant . . . Like all MacNeal’s novels, this one ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Maggie’s next adventure.”—Shelf Awareness

“Works as a suspenseful stand-alone . . . interesting and informative . . . wartime London is vividly portrayed . . . recommended for those who like their historical mysteries with a large dose of suspense.”—Historical Novel Society

“For those who are Maggie Hope diehards, this latest in the series is sure to satisfy.”—Reviewing the Evidence

“MacNeal’s meticulous research shines through on every page, and pays off with a wartime atmosphere that feels real.”—Crimespree Magazine 20th Century Detective Espionage Fiction Historical Fiction Mystery Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Women Sleuths Women's Fiction England Crime War Murder

Critic reviews

“Maggie is a thoughtful spy whose dangerous escapades never disappoint.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A fine historical mystery given a feminist slant.”—Booklist

“Plausible and elegant . . . Like all MacNeal’s novels, this one ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Maggie’s next adventure.”—Shelf Awareness

“Works as a suspenseful stand-alone . . . interesting and informative . . . wartime London is vividly portrayed . . . recommended for those who like their historical mysteries with a large dose of suspense.”—Historical Novel Society

“For those who are Maggie Hope diehards, this latest in the series is sure to satisfy.”—Reviewing the Evidence

“MacNeal’s meticulous research shines through on every page, and pays off with a wartime atmosphere that feels real.”—Crimespree Magazine

Praise for the Maggie Hope series

“You’ll be [Maggie Hope’s] loyal subject, ready to follow her wherever she goes.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
All stars
Most relevant
Like the previous Maggie Hope mysteries, this is an enjoyable, easy listen. The plot smartly entwines several different strands, all set in 1940s London. As such the story is held back a little by trying to enforce its historical setting a little too much, and is certainly not the most realistic of books- but if you enjoy a good crime novel which follows the path of Agatha Christie this is probably for you.

One thing that really irritated me was the narrator's attempts at various accents. This is probably just a personal preference, but I found her attempt at a Scottish accents particularly inaccurate and annoying- and unfortunately one of the main characters is Scottish. This definitely detracted from the enjoyment of listening, though did not stop me finishing the book- so don't let that put you off unless you are particularly sensitive to accents!

Good if slightly stereotyped wartime mystery

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.