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Audiobook11 hours
Princess Elizabeth's Spy
Written by Susan Elia MacNeal
Narrated by Susan Duerden
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed debut, Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain's beloved royals against an international plot-one that could change the course of history.
As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous-and deadly-than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.
Praise for Mr. Churchill's Secretary
"Delightful may seem a strange word to describe a novel that takes place against the backdrop of the bombings of London during World War II, but it's appropriate for this debut novel. . . . As sweet as it is intriguing."-USA Today
"A captivating, post-feminist picture of England during its finest hour."-The Denver Post
"Daring . . . Blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character, Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel."-Bookreporter
"A ripping good yarn [that] enthralls and satisfies."-Richmond Times-Dispatch
From the Trade Paperback edition.
As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous-and deadly-than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.
Praise for Mr. Churchill's Secretary
"Delightful may seem a strange word to describe a novel that takes place against the backdrop of the bombings of London during World War II, but it's appropriate for this debut novel. . . . As sweet as it is intriguing."-USA Today
"A captivating, post-feminist picture of England during its finest hour."-The Denver Post
"Daring . . . Blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character, Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel."-Bookreporter
"A ripping good yarn [that] enthralls and satisfies."-Richmond Times-Dispatch
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Reviews for Princess Elizabeth's Spy
Rating: 3.812893152515723 out of 5 stars
4/5
318 ratings51 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the sequel to "Mr. Churchill's Secretary" (which I did not read), set in WWII England. Maggie's fiancee a RAF Pilot is MIA, which complicates a possible other relationship (but we find out more about this in the end of the book, which is a lead up to the next in the series).
So Maggie, flunks out of the Phys. Ed. portion of spy (MI-5) school and is sent back to England. Maggie is then assigned to Windsor Castle to ostensibly teach HRH Elizabeth maths, yet in reality to thwart a possible attempt on the life/kidnapping of HRH Elizabeth, by Nazi sympathizers, in order to restore the throne to Edward & Mrs. Simpson.
In the sub-plot: Maggie is to meet up with her estranged father, also an MI-5, who has the knowledge of the truth behind her mother's death. At a code camp, a decrypt has gone missing and the spy who stole it is found murdered in a London hotel. A Lady in Waiting at Windsor is also murdered...... and HRH Elizabeth is kidnapped......
I liked most of the story/plot, although Maggie allowed one of her obvious suspects to go unresearched.... I'm not overly fond of the upcoming installment, because it seems too "contrived" (I'm not going to add a spoiler).
I would recommend this book/series, it seems to be (in my opinion) lighter fare than Maisie Dobbs. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The reader here Susan Duerden ruins the pleasure of another well plotted Maggie Hope book. Her voice is singsong, her male characters spend their time shouting, truly awful. I'd give the audio reading a 1!!!
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I'm sure the story is wonderful as I enjoyed the first book in the series so much but the narration is horrendous, so irritating, it reminds me of a computer generated reader. Just read the paper version.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series (Mr. Churchill's Secretary), and picked up this sequel immediately after reading the first one. I was not disappointed. In this story, Maggie Hope is no longer working at 10 Downing Street, but is now a member of MI5, with an assignment to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. Twists and turns abound, and just when you think you know what's going to happen, the opposite occurs. Maggie is an multi-faceted character who is easy to like, particularly because she is an intelligent woman who isn't afraid to show off her smarts.I liked that elements of the sub-plot from the first novel were continued in this book, filling in more of Maggie's backstory. My only quibbles with this novel are that a few plot points seemed somewhat far-fetched or convenient.Overall, an engrossing read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/54.5 stars. The extra half star is because the princesses were such well-developed characters.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the second book in a series, the first being Mr. Churchill's Secretary. I had the good fortune to have read that first book but don't feel you have to read both to enjoy Princess Elizabeth's Spy. It stands alone quite nicely. In fact it had been quite a while since I had read the first book and I could honestly say that I didn't recall much anyway.Maggie Hope is a very intelligent young woman who after saving Winston Churchill's life is sent off to spy school so she can further help the war effort. While her mind is very well developed she has some problems with the rigorous physical demands of the school. She does not pass with flying colors as she expected but her old boss still has a task that will utilize her skills. There has been a threat against young Princess Elizabeth so Maggie will be placed at Windsor castle as a tutor to keep an eye on her and to see if she can figure out who the traitor at the palace might be.Maggie moves to ingratiate herself into the royal household and learn as much about the people within. It's not easy as there is a certain reserve and distrust at first and her prejudices do her no favors. She is also dealing with some earth shattering personal problems that don't help her concentration.This was a light and breezy read if such can be said of a book that takes place during WWII. There is a lot of action and suspense that really doesn't let up much in the reading. That being said there isn't a lot of depth. This is not a book if you are looking for true historical record or anything close to a reality based book. It is a book if you are looking to be entertained with a fast moving plot and enjoyable characters who find themselves in crazy situations and yet manage to MacGyver their way out. Despite its implausibilities I liked this tale of Maggie Hope and her efforts to save the young Princess Elizabeth.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Maggie Hope has washed out of the training that would let her spy in Europe because she lacks physical skills but that doesn't mean that her bosses at MI5 don't have a job in mind for her. Maggie is assigned as tutor to the young Princess Elizabeth to try to track down a German spy.Maggie is grieving the loss of her almost-fiance John Sterling whose plane went down over Germany and this puzzle will help take her mind off him and his fate. As she settles into Windsor Castle, she meets many of the characters there including the soon-to-be-deceased Lady in Waiting Lily. Lily was beheaded by a wire strung between two trees when she was out riding with the young princesses. Maggie had just met her the night before and learned she was pregnant.Wound into the investigation of her death is the mystery of missing coded messages from Bletchley Park which is tangled up with the mystery of her father. Maggie's handler in this case is Hugh Thompson who is a new romantic interest and who is also connected through his father to the events at the time of her mother's death. The story was filled with great historical detail. I liked Maggie's take-charge attitude. I liked the setting and the interesting characters.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After washing out of spy boot camp, Maggie is sent to Windsor Castle to tutor Princess Elizabeth in Maths and keep a lookout for Nazi spies. Maggie is unhappy to be relegated to the role of tutor after having anticipated an assignment in Occupied Europe, but she finds more excitement than she expected at Windsor, including the murder of a Lady-in-Waiting. The book was fast-paced and I finished it quickly, but some events toward the end strained my credulity a little too far. Saying any more would constitute a spoiler, so I won't. I loved the first book in this series, but was somewhat disappointed by the second.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I liked book 2 more than book 1!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This second book in the Maggie Hope series in some ways was much more exciting than the first one (which I thought was pretty thrilling when I read it). I loved the premise and the setting at Windsor Castle during the Second World War is hard to be beat. Maggie is sent to Windsor Castle on assignment from MI-5. As far as the public is concerned, she is there to teach a 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth math. Her actual assignment though is to keep both princesses safe as word has circulated in English intelligence that the Germans would try to kidnap Elizabeth, who is the heir to the throne, and then when Germany invades England, they will put the abdicated Duke of Windsor and his bride Wallis Simpson on the throne. Maggie finds herself in the middle of a hodgepodge of lies and deceit at the castle, and her job protecting the royal princesses is dangerous and turns quite deadly. I like Maggie. She is an intelligent and strong woman who is used to thinking on her feet, and she is not usually deterred by unexpected and dangerous occurences while she is completing a mission. Ms. MacNeal does a good job of keeping up the tension in this book, and it's a page-turner for sure. And I must say she has a different take on book endings. They do set the reader up to read the next book in the series. And Maggie's no-holds-barred approach in these books is addicting. I certainly will be reading book number 3.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Where I got the book: ARC won on the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.The plot: In WWII Britain, Maggie Hope is assigned to teach math to Princess Elizabeth as a cover for investigating a possible danger to the young princess, as it's known that the Germans would love to replace her father, George VI, with the abdicated King Edward VIII (widely rumored in real life to be a Nazi sympathizer).Nice idea, on the surface, and I can see how American readers who love a bit of royal glamor would like this one. But to a Brit, even a long-expatriated one, this story just grated on me like nails on a chalkboard. As it was an ARC I can't get into the text, but bits of research kept popping up and interrupting the action and the Princesses seemed far more like American schoolgirls than members of a family who were notorious for bowing and curtseying to each other even when only the servants were looking. There were some terms used that I KNOW (and I checked) were not in use in the 1940s, and the stoplight accident in 1917 could only have happened if Doctor Who had stopped by and brought a stoplight from the 1930s, when they came into use in Britain (other than the one that exploded in the late 1800s).In a word, it was farfetched. Too much so for me. But, YMMV.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I like Maggie Hope, but this one was a little too Nancy Drew. She is assigned inside Windsor Castle to be Princess Elizabeth's math tutor, but really to find German spies. All moves quickly and somewhat improbably.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This is the second book in this series and this one finds Maggie Hope being washed out of the Special Ops spy school for physical limitations and sent instead to Windsor castle under the cover of tutoring Princess Elizabeth in Mathematics while really being there to protect the princess from Nazi kidnappers. The plot is pretty far fetched. One of the Queen's ladies in waiting, along with one of the King's equerries, along with a parlor maid and a footman attempt to assassinate the King and kidnap Princess Elizabeth and transport her to Germany in the middle of a Christmas Eve house party with Winston Churchill in attendance.But even more irritating is the authors blatant mistakes in the protocol of a royal household. The Queen's Ladies in Waiting most certainly would not take their meals with the servants. And under no circumstances would our heroine call Princess Elizabeth Lilibet.. This was just a case of sloppy research.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another fast -paced enjoyable WWII Maggie Hope mystery read from Susan Elia MacNeal. This time our heroine is assigned math tutor duties at Windsor Castle in an effort to protect the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret from those who wish to unseat the current king and usurp the throne. It's a Nazi plot involving the deposed and presumed Nazi sympathizer, King Edward VIII. No one is as whom they seem and Maggie knows not whom to trust - certainly not her recently resurrected father working out at Bletchley. Definitely holds your attention and has lots of action.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5 stars, really.
I liked this book a lot as a snapshot of a moment in history. I liked it a little less as a mystery. I have not read Mr. Churchill's Secretary, but that was not problematic for the reading or enjoyment of this story.
We meet Maggie Hope as she is failing out of a British equivalent of basic training, and I immediately liked her for that. I liked her for being a fan of math and logic, while not being a strange anachronism who was magically perfect at everything. In fact, I found almost all of the characters in the story likable and well-drawn.
MacNeal's grasp of history felt good to me, though I am not an expert on her time period. Historical accuracy aside, I felt she did an excellent job creating the mood of 1940 London and Windsor, which is what I liked best about the novel. I saw one reviewer mention, regarding Mr. Churchill's Secretary, that he found the story dull, even though it was set in the middle of one of the most exciting conflicts in world history. I disagree. Hundreds or thousands of authors have told stories of World War 2 featuring battle scenes and heroic deeds and dog fights and U-boats and all the rest. What I've never seen before is a story that is about the war, but the war as seen from the home front - the every day concerns of the people who are not on the front lines, but doing everything they can to further the efforts of their country. I enjoyed seeing images of dealing with the small horrors of food and clothing rations, bombing raids as common as overcast skies, everyone knowing someone who has died, or someone who is missing, and how everyone keeps going despite it all.
The storytelling was generally good, though felt a little choppy in the center. I got a bit turned around on how fast time was passing a couple of times, but the writer's voice was very readable and I was always interested in what was going to happen next.
(Light spoilers in this paragraph.) The mystery itself presented several problems for me, however. All was fine until the final conflicts began. I liked the red herrings MacNeal left for us, and I liked the many possibilities she provided for the bad guy. Then the climax began. The king was shot and the princesses herded up to their tower for safekeeping, and Maggie began acting irrationally. If I was a higher-up reviewing the facts of this MI-5 case, I would conclude that the agents involved were all incompetent and should be put on desk duty for a good long while. The problem is, I don't think any of the agents - especially Maggie - were meant to be incompetent. I think they were forced into their foolish actions by the author in order to heighten the conflict. Maggie is too smart to focus on Louisa the way she did and disregard all her other hunches about "nice" people, but she did anyway. Why would they take the long route through the dungeons when they could cut the bad-guys off by just meeting them at the exit, which location she knew? Was knocking on the door where the well-armed bad guys were hiding the ONLY thing she could think of?
Alas.
I really liked the family reveal at the end of the story, which redeemed the novel's conclusion for me.
Overall, an easy and enjoyable read, excellent for those who enjoy atmospheric tales, a bit of history, and a bit of intrigue. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Based on the last two chapters, my review will have to consist of !!!!!!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/52012, Random House Audio, Read by Susan DuerdenPublisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.comMaggie has completed her training to become a spy for MI-5, and fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous – and deadly – than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.My Review:There is a lot going on here, to say the very least: murder, an assassination attempt, kidnapping, theft of several Bletchley decryptions, discovery of a double agent. MacNeal manages the plot beautifully, and I found myself engaged in the story and needing to know what would happen next, and how the complexities would work themselves out – or if they would. I am still having something of a challenge sorting out the number of secondary characters, but it’s getting better – and I expect the challenge may have to do with listening rather than reading. Further, I maintain that the series would be stronger without the Maggie-family-drama, but I am thoroughly invested in Maggie’s character, and love the relationship she enjoys with the little princesses here. I am also throughly enjoying Sir Winston Churchill, what we “see” of him. I wasn’t certain about this series after the first novel, but having now read Princess Elizabeth’s Spy, I will definitely see the series through. In fact, I’ve got the next installment on queue: His Majesty’s Hope. Recommended!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was okay, but could have used a bit of editing...a common complaint these days, it seems. The first was better: I hope this is not the beginning of a downward trend.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeil
Challenges read for: Goodreads, Ebook, Historical Fiction
Book Cover: I like these covers. They are colorful--just like Maggie
I would certainly classify this series as cozy mystery's, but maybe with a little bit of an "edge". Maggie finds herself embroiled in another assassination plot--this time involving the King and the kidnapping of Princess Elizabeth. With this second book, we get a wee glimpse into what life may have been like for the Princesses during WWII, and I thought it was very interesting! Maggie is assigned by MI5 to watch over Princess Elizabeth under the guise of math tutor, but of course, things go terribly awry--the King is shot, the Princess is abducted, and Maggie and David along with Elizabeth end up on a German U-Boat!
But with Maggie's determination, will to survive, and some Yankee ingenuity, she is able to save the day! Poor Maggie, however, suffers her own personal losses--it is concluded that John Sterling is now missing and presumed dead (is he really?), and Maggie's mother--well, you may just have to read this great book to find out! An easy read, lots of history and a great mystery! - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fun to read with the famous real life persons woven into the plot. Some implausible moments, but entertaining.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really enjoy reading mysteries as well as historical fiction, and this book is both. The book begins with Maggie trying to become a full secret agent however she is unable to keep up with the physical aspects needed for the job. I really liked the idea of Maggie having some difficulty because it made her very relatable. I also liked that she didn't take this lying down and continued to work harder and harder at it. Maggie is also a strong female who knows how valuable she is as an agent and refuses to let anyone make her think otherwise. The historical research was well done because MacNeal created a perfect World World II setting that made the reader feel like they were there with these characters. The book also had some great and colorful characters that added to the story. The story's mystery was well done and kept the reader and Maggie guessing. Overall this was a great read that I would definitely recommend, and I am looking forward to the next book especially with this book's ending.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This historical mystery was a good read overall. I liked the characters a lot, though the plot seemed to have a few weak points. I also really liked the look at life in Windsor Castle during the war, and the young woman who would become Queen Elizabeth. I also read the first book featuring these same characters and think it's shaping up to be an interesting series. If you like this genre like I do, then this is a good addition to it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maggie Hope, former secretary to Winston Churchill, is now a spy-in-training with MI5. Her maths and code breaking skills are non-paralleled but in the physical competitions, she fails miserably. MI5 is afraid she wouldn't last long if dropped behind enemy lines in France so she is assigned to be a maths tutor to the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. That's her cover anyway.Need less to say, Maggie is not happy with this assignment at first but then her natural curiosity, good instincts and deduction skills come in handy when a murder occurs the first day she is in residence at Windsor castle. Part of her job aside from tutoring is to keep her eyes and ears open as MI5 is sure there is a traitor at Windsor.What ensues is an other murder, an unexpected kidnapping, a daring rescue, the solution to a family mystery and the start of a possible romance. Phew! That's a lot going on in this story; a lot that I thoroughly enjoyed from page one. I loved the WWII timeframe, the setting and the loveable (for the most part) characters. Now I just need to go back and read MacNeal's Mr. Churchill's Secretary, the prequel to Princell Elizabeth's Spy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed reading this book. Delightful characters and a great setting. The writing was average. I could set this book down with absolutely no problem. The story held my interest while I was reading it, but it never eally drew me in like great novelist have a way of doing.I would recommend this book to anyone who like this genre, historical mysteries. I have nothing bad to say about the book and I may pick up the first book in the series to see if I enjoy it any better.I would have liked more depth in the characters, they feel almost like TV show characters. you get just enough information to describe the character, but not enough to really empathize with enough to care about what happens next.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Second in the WWII series has Maggie Hope having a difficult time with the physical aspect of spy game and is afraid she's going to be booted from the program. Meeting with her superiors they have an assignment for her to protect the teenage future Queen of England and her younger sister at Windsor Castle under the guise of a math tutor. However, Maggie feels it's a step backward and also is a little distracted mourning the loss of her boyfriend who is missing in action and focus' her attention on the wrong people. The ending is setup for the next book in the series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Edge of the seat follow up; action, adventure, romance, and a great plot.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series (Mr. Churchill's Secretary), and picked up this sequel immediately after reading the first one. I was not disappointed. In this story, Maggie Hope is no longer working at 10 Downing Street, but is now a member of MI5, with an assignment to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. Twists and turns abound, and just when you think you know what's going to happen, the opposite occurs. Maggie is an multi-faceted character who is easy to like, particularly because she is an intelligent woman who isn't afraid to show off her smarts.I liked that elements of the sub-plot from the first novel were continued in this book, filling in more of Maggie's backstory. My only quibbles with this novel are that a few plot points seemed somewhat far-fetched or convenient.Overall, an engrossing read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I quite enjoyed this book. I found Maggie Hope to be a likeable character and the plot while not super elaborate or deep kept me entertained. The character herself is a bit emotional, more that I would have expected considering her character descriptions, but all in all she is a smart, capable character and that is always wanted with a female protagonist. I am looking forward to the next book in the series already.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the second book in a series, the first being Mr. Churchill's Secretary. I had the good fortune to have read that first book but don't feel you have to read both to enjoy Princess Elizabeth's Spy. It stands alone quite nicely. In fact it had been quite a while since I had read the first book and I could honestly say that I didn't recall much anyway.Maggie Hope is a very intelligent young woman who after saving Winston Churchill's life is sent off to spy school so she can further help the war effort. While her mind is very well developed she has some problems with the rigorous physical demands of the school. She does not pass with flying colors as she expected but her old boss still has a task that will utilize her skills. There has been a threat against young Princess Elizabeth so Maggie will be placed at Windsor castle as a tutor to keep an eye on her and to see if she can figure out who the traitor at the palace might be.Maggie moves to ingratiate herself into the royal household and learn as much about the people within. It's not easy as there is a certain reserve and distrust at first and her prejudices do her no favors. She is also dealing with some earth shattering personal problems that don't help her concentration.This was a light and breezy read if such can be said of a book that takes place during WWII. There is a lot of action and suspense that really doesn't let up much in the reading. That being said there isn't a lot of depth. This is not a book if you are looking for true historical record or anything close to a reality based book. It is a book if you are looking to be entertained with a fast moving plot and enjoyable characters who find themselves in crazy situations and yet manage to MacGyver their way out. Despite its implausibilities I liked this tale of Maggie Hope and her efforts to save the young Princess Elizabeth.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Should be subtitled Maggie stumbles on. Excellent protagonist handled poorly. Interesting plot idea cluttered with all sorts of disconnects and unbelievable activities. Why would a team of spies only wound a British agentn, while killing their own team members and just about every policeman and Coldstream Guard in sight?. Why did the gardener kill the Lady? Silly me, so that Maggie could find the code decrypts in the only book that she chose to read from the Lady's discards. How do the Brits keep track, find and destroy a German U-Boat in the days before radar? Liked the first book and will read the next, hopefully?