Playing It Safe
An Electra McDonnell Novel
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2.0 • 2 Ratings
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- £8.99
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- £8.99
Publisher Description
The third in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, Playing It Safe is a delightful World War II mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and wit.
“Ellie is a smart and gutsy new heroine.” —Ann Lee Huber
As the Blitz continues to ravage London, Ellie McDonnell—formerly a safecracking thief, but currently determined to stay on the straight and narrow to help her country—is approached by British Intelligence officer Major Ramsey with a new assignment. She is to travel under an assumed identity to the port city of Sunderland and there await further instructions. In his usual infuriating way, the Major has left her task as vague and mysterious as possible.
Ellie, ever-ready to aid her country, heads north, her safecracking tools in tow. But before she can rendezvous with the major, she witnesses an unnatural death. A man falls dead in the street in front of her, with a note clutched in his hand. Ellie’s instincts tell her that the man’s death is connected in some way to her mission.
Soon, Ellie and the major are locked in a battle of wits and a race against time with an unknown and deadly adversary, and a case that leads them to a possible Nazi counterfeiting operation. With bombs dropping on the city and a would-be assassin shadowing their every move, it will take all of Ellie’s resourcefulness and Major Ramsey’s fortitude to unmask the spymaster and avert disastrous consequences—for England and for their own lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Weaver's outstanding third Electra McDonnell adventure (after 2022's The Key to Deceit) sees McDonnell, a former safecracking thief, take on a murky new assignment from British intelligence: she knows only that she's expected to assume a new identity and leave behind her family in blitz-era London for the city of Sunderland. Shortly after arriving at her rooming house, McDonnell sees a man fall dead in the street. She quickly learns he's part of the reason she's been summoned: McDonnell's assigning officer, Major Ramsey, informs her the man was part of an ID counterfeiting scheme that makes it possible for German spies to operate in England. Despite their different working approaches, Ellie and Ramsey go undercover as a couple and develop a plan to take down the mastermind behind the scheme. Weaver populates this bright, fast-paced thriller with engagingly flawed characters and breathless action. Readers will delight at the dynamic between the leads and look forward to future adventures.
