The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNealMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Maggie is back in Britain, struggling with PTSD and depression, which she calls "The Black Dog." She retreats to Scotland to train aspiring spies, her only friend a stray cat who adopts her. When her supervisor forces her to attend the ballet to which she's been invited by her former flatmate, Sarah, Maggie finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery with ties to secret military experiments, and she discovers that sleuthing keeps The Black Dog at bay.
Meanwhile, at the Tower of London prison, Clara Hess, awaits her execution, insisting she'll only tell her secrets to Maggie, who refuses to go see her. She begins displaying multiple distinct personalities, but is she acting, or are they real?
On the other side of the world, the Japanese are preparing to attack Pearl Harbor. Despite ample clues and warnings, the U.S. fails to put the pieces together in time. However, the horrific attack brings enormous relief to the beleaguered British as the Americans finally join the war.
For reader's advisors: character doorway is primary, story and setting secondary. Some swearing. Characters are definitely flawed, but they grow and develop over the course of the book.
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