The Prisoner in the Castle

A Maggie Hope Mystery

By: Susan Elia MacNeal

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

A series of baffling murders among a group of imprisoned agents threatens the outcome of World War II in this chilling mystery from the New York Times best-selling author of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.

November, 1942. World War II is raging, and former spy Maggie Hope knows too much: what the British government is willing to do to keep its secrets, who is lying, who the double-crossers are. She knows exactly who is sending agents to their deaths. These are the reasons Maggie is isolated on a remote Scottish island, in a prison known as Killoch Castle.

When one of her fellow inmates drops dead in the middle of his after-dinner drink - he’s only the first. As victims fall one by one, Maggie will have to call upon all her wits and skills to escape - not just certain death...but certain murder.

For what’s the most important thing Maggie Hope knows?

She must survive.

Praise for The Prisoner in the Castle:

“The colonel sums it up best on page 10: ‘If you take a pretty girl and teach her how to kill, it can cause problems.’ Not just problems - electrifying action and nonstop surprises. I loved this book!” (R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series)

"One pleasure of a mystery series is connecting with a character that changes and grows with each novel.... Maggie's intelligence and loyalty to the war effort continue to evolve in [Susan Elia] MacNeal's series.... Solid twists keep the plot of The Prisoner in the Castle churning until the surprise finale." (Associated Press)

"Evocative." (Publishers Weekly)

©2018 Susan Elia MacNeal (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Another literary tour de force... From the book's perfectly calibrated plot to its incisively etched characters, everything is handled with perfect finesse by the author." (Poisoned Pen Newsletter)

"A mystery...tailor-made for readers in the post-election, #MeToo era.... If you love a tricky puzzle that requires you to keep track of multiple alibis over time, this is your summer read." (The Washington Post)

"MacNeal uses [Agatha] Christie's And Then There Were None as a framework for a character-driven mystery/thriller that successfully emulates the original." (Kirkus Reviews)

Great book! The accent & history is spot on!

This is part of a series so needs to be read with that in mind. A great book!

WWII

I am a big mystery and WWII buff. Getting them both together is such a great treat. I really enjoy this series and feel I learn from the books as well as enjoy the mystery. This is another good outing.

Best one yet?

I read the whole series finishing just in time to listen to this addition when it was released. I think it might be my favorite yet! I am now sad to have to wait another year for the next one. It was different than the previous novels, being much more a mystery and taking cues from classic Agatha Christie. The social justice themes were a little lighter in this book than previously in the series as well, as well as coinciding historical events.

I don't understand the hate for this narrator. She does a fine job. I actually thought the narrator for the first book, Mr. Churchill's Secretary was hard to listen to/understand and was glad that a new narrator was picked up for the rest of them.

Outstanding Novel and Series

Very well written story! Perhaps the best of the series! Must this series in order to enjoy the experience!
Excellent job by the narrator! She makes the Story come alive!
Well done! Hats off to those women like Molly!

Another very enjoyable book in Maggie Hope series

I delayed reading this one after it came out because I thought the description sounded dreary. I was so wrong! This is a very suspenseful book reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which author MacNeal references in the book (albeit by its original racist name). And the ending is very satisfying!

Agatha Christie mystery in WWII

Very Christie style mystery set around Maggie Hope. Most excellently done. Outstanding narration as always. Highly recommend this one.

The best one so far!

I really enjoyed this book. The narrator is great. The story line, characters and plot were exciting and suspenseful and hard to stop listening.

Great mystery,I never knew what to expect next

As always with this series, things move quickly. The unexpected is just around the corner.great story

Love this narrator

Susan Duerdon’s narration is masterful. At a couple of points inthe book I found myself marveling that this was only one person reading. I’m writing this review because I read other reviewers low rating this narrator. I’m pretty picky and I can’t imagine why they didn’t like her.

Maggie in prison for doing her job well and not talking.

I was disappointed in the ending as it was the same as two of her other books. One being a plane and the other a boat. O surprise. As to how she was going to get out this.