A quick and fun read – great for a summer vacation…
I’ve read a few books by Ashley Weaver, and have enjoyed them, but hadn’t read any in her Electra (Ellie) McDonnell series. So I was happy to receive a review copy of Locked in Pursuit, which is the fourth and most recent title. And I liked it a lot.
Although I was starting late, I was able to pick up what was going on without much trouble. Ellie is part of a family of long-time burglars, who have been recruited to help the British government during World War II. (Part way through, I learned that the “recruitment” actually was a result of Ellie getting caught…) Apparently, though, their last mission ended badly, with their handler, Major Ramsey, badly injured and still recovering. So Ellie and her Uncle Mick haven’t had any assignments recently.
As the book opens, however, Ellie notices an odd report of a robbery in the newspaper. She can’t quite put her finger on what is wrong, but she figures it may be worthy of the Major’s attention. After initially being dismissive, he soon becomes aware of a couple of other thefts that may be linked to this one: all of the victims had recently been on the same plane from Lisbon. Then Ellie and the Major discover a dead body. And things really get moving.
Locked in Pursuit is a fun, quick, and engaging murder mystery/spy story, although there are some somber moments (Christmas without Ellie’s cousin, missing since Dunkirk; the Major’s ongoing pain; London’s nightly bombings). But it’s still great fare for a summer vacation read. My only minor complaint is that I’m not generally a fan of “muddled” romantic storylines, and one of the secondary story arcs in Locked in Pursuit is exactly that. Hopefully things will resolve in the next book, however, which I’m definitely planning on reading. And finally, my thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy!
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