Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Playing It Safe in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: May 9, 2023
Summary:
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.
My thoughts:
This is the third book in Ashley Weaver’s Electra McDonnell series, and I am really enjoying this historical mystery series. The writing is quite witty, and the plot is so engaging that I find myself completely captivated from start to finish.
While this book can certainly be read as a stand-alone, I do think that for the character development alone, it is always better to read the series in order. But, there is certainly nothing wrong with jumping in here and if you do, I think you will find yourselves loving the characters so much that you will want to go back and read the earlier books. To me, while I do love historical mysteries, it really is the characters that make this series shine.
What I loved about this particular installment is that we see Ellie on assignment without her family – she is tasked by Major Ramsey to head to Sunderland with little information – it’s a case of information given on a needed-to-know basis. Of course she complies and makes the best of it. We see her use her lock picking skills a few times and I always love seeing her in action – she’s definitely a flawed character, headstrong and determined, but she’s also incredibly smart and resourceful.
The love triangle is back in full force and I have to say, I usually can’t be bothered with these, but I am totally for it here. I think maybe because it’s happening within a mystery series with a war going on that makes it a bit more dramatic, I don’t know but whatever it is, I’m loving it! I keep going back and forth as to whether I am #TeamFelix or #TeamRamsey, but after this installment, I just might be #TeamRamsey…I need the book 4 to see what happens next to see if that changes.
This book really kept me engaged from start to finish. There are just enough twists and turns, filled with just the right amount of red herrings to keep me guessing as to what was going to happen next. And the one thread from the first book, the plot line involving Ellie’s mother takes a rather interesting turn at the end…again, I need that next book sooner rather than later! If you enjoy historical mysteries with a charming set of characters, I highly recommend picking up this series!
Books in this series:
- A Peculiar Combination
- The Key to Deceit
- Playing it Safe
- Book 4 – ???
