Perfectly Imperfect

London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined—and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.

Ensnared in a web of spies, murder, and intrigue, Maggie must work quickly to balance her duty to King and Country with her chances for survival. And when she unravels a mystery that points toward her own family’s hidden secrets, she’ll discover that her quick wits are all that stand between an assassin’s murderous plan and Churchill himself.

In this daring debut, Susan Elia MacNeal 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.


I loved this book and this author. I have always liked historical fiction and mysteries and this combines both. I know that many of you who have read here for any length of time know how very much I love books set during WWII  and this one is no exception. I think my fascination with this time period started way back in middle school when I read the  Diary of Anne Frank.
The book is the first in a series and tells of wartime Britain and Bletchley Park and the history behind the code breaking that went on there and a lot of this task fell to brilliant females.It also features some tidbits on Mr . Churchill who has always held a fascination for me as a historical figure.

I plan to mainly uses this forum from here on out to do book reviews and occasionally tidbits of life.
I do hope you will pick this one up and read it.
Here's hoping you all have a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend.

For my upcoming reads check the sidebar.