The Last Hope

Starred review from March 11, 2024
In the gripping swan song for the bestselling Maggie Hope series (following The Hollywood Spy), MacNeal weaves fascinating bits of real-life espionage into her intrepid British spy’s final mission. In January 1944, Maggie receives an assignment from Kim Philby, the head of the Iberian Section of MI6. Her mission is to go to Spain, where German physicist Werner Heisenberg, winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize, will be lecturing at the University of Madrid. Based on the contents of that lecture, Maggie is to determine how close the Nazis are to developing an atomic bomb, and to assassinate Heisenberg if necessary. That’s not her only mission: at the same time, Coco Chanel, who saved Maggie’s life during a 1941 mission in Paris, wants the British spy to serve as a go-between for herself and Winston Churchill. First, however, Maggie must suss out where exactly the fashion designer’s loyalties lie. MacNeal avoids playing too fast and loose with the historical record, proving that truth—including Chanel’s ties to both the Nazis and the British royal family—really is stranger than fiction. It all makes for a marvelously high-stakes adventure that sends off the series in style. Readers who’ve been with Maggie for the long haul won’t be disappointed. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary.

March 29, 2024

In MacNeal's Maggie Hope series finale (following The Hollywood Spy) World War II-era secret agent Maggie receives her most dangerous assignment yet: assassinating the German physicist Werner Heisenberg. British intelligence suspects that Heisenberg is working on fission bomb for the Nazis. As part of this mission, Maggie is also tasked with meeting up with possible double agent Coco Chanel, who is carrying a secret separate peace accord to be fulfilled by the Axis and Allied powers. Yet this adventure has more to it than averting world destruction, as Maggie has more to lose than ever before. All roads lead to Madrid, Spain, and as the stakes keep rising, a looming threat draws nearer, and Maggie will face some of her toughest choices yet. A dynamite ending to a fantastic series. This cat-and-mouse spy novel will keep readers on their toes and turning the pages, as the series beloved heroine brings the adventure to a close in true Maggie style. VERDICT It's sad to see the story end, but this novel, filled with MacNeal's signature character-centric plot and minute attention to historical details, does so magnificently.--Laura Hiatt

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2024
Maggie Hope, who began her career as a secretary for Winston Churchill, arrives in the final installment in her series as a would-be assassin. Once again, MacNeal adeptly weaves in the stories of Maggie's family, friends, and lovers with those of boldface names of the era Coco Chanel: fashion designer and Nazi collaborator; bull fighter Juanito Belmonte; Werner Heisenberg, the head of Germany's atomic bomb program; and, of course, Churchill. Once Maggie gets to Madrid, where her target awaits, the action is nonstop, and though taking a life is not new to Maggie, a deliberate kill is, and this weighs heavily on her, along with shocking news that will affect her relationship with her love, John Sterling. A fascinating historical note details which of these incidents are true (rather more than expected) and grants a look at how MacNeal did her research. It sure seems like there's material for one more book, but if this truly is the finale, series fans will appreciate that it ends with plenty of hope for Maggie's future.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.