Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Electra McDonnell #5
Publication Date: 6/3/25
Period: WWII
Number of Pages: 304

I know everyone is eager to read this exciting wrap-up to the series, but we’re also saddened by the series’ end. However, if the series had to end, this book was the perfect story for it. All of the characters get their happy endings, and the readers get an exciting, poignant, bittersweet tale of intrigue, betrayal, and espionage in the exotic city of Lisbon, Portugal. What more could we ask for – other than more books in the series?

Electra and Major Ramsey are still estranged after their previous argument when he fired her. However, Electra is determined to do everything possible to find her cousin Toby, who was a German POW but has escaped. Captain Billingsly offers Electra a chance to be a part of his mission to Lisbon, where they hope to trace the escape route POWs are using to make their way out of Germany. Captain Billingsly’s mission is to trace the route and then put measures in place to fortify the route so the crossings are safer for the POWs. Electra’s mission is to help Captain Billingsly and to discover and rescue Toby. Did I mention that Major Ramsey is also assigned to the same mission? Yep – Electra and Ramsey have to suck it up and learn to play nice.

Lisbon, Portugal, is everything London is not, and that intrigues, unnerves, and perplexes Electra. She loves how exciting and lively the city is, but can’t help compare it to London’s bomb pocked streets, the complete blackouts at night, and the general melancholy of its citizens. Of course, Lisbon is also full of spies, so it isn’t safe to trust anyone, and soon the body count begins to rise as they make contacts and ask questions. Will all of them make it through the mission? Will they complete the mission and find Toby? Will Electra and Ramsey finally allow their true feelings to surface? You’ll just have to read the book to find out the answers.

If you haven’t read the earlier books in the series, I highly recommend you do so because they are great. I also think reading those would make this book even more enjoyable because you’ll understand the characters’ histories and how it all came to be. Each book in the series is interesting, exciting, and filled with wonderful characters with whom you’d love to sit and chat. This final book in the series wraps up all of the loose ends and provides an intriguing, exciting mystery to boot.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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