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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Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Electra McDonnell #4
Publication Date: 5/14/24
Period: WWII London
Number of Pages: 272

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! While it isn’t as action-packed and suspense-filled as the last book was, it is a pivotal book for the series and the characters. We see the introduction of some new characters – will they stay? We also see a resolution to the relationship triangle, but not in the way you thought it might go. Plus, we get some exciting news and a cliffhanger that sets up the next book. Nicely woven through all of that is a spy story that has to be resolved. Yes, a very satisfying read indeed!

It has been three long months since Major Ramsey was shot four times and nearly died during their last case at Sunderland. Electra (Ellie) hasn’t heard a word from the Major and she’s had no jobs with his intelligence agency. Boredom and fretfulness are creeping in when she notices an article in the paper. It details a robbery having taken place during a dinner party – but – something about it just doesn’t seem right. As a master thief, Ellie knows all the elements of a robbery being ‘right’, and this one just hits a wrong note. She’s not sure why it strikes her as wrong, but she thinks she should bring it to Major Ramsey’s attention.

Major Ramsey doesn’t seem particularly delighted to see her, nor does he think much of her ‘feelings’ about that robbery. However, it seems he did take her seriously as he has found two other robberies that fit that same ‘odd’ mold and they begin their investigation. They aren’t sure what they are looking for – if anything – but they are looking into all of the robberies and those who were robbed. Soon, they discover the reason for the robberies and what they should be looking for.

In the meantime, Ellie continues to look into the murder of her father. In the last book, she was told that he was a spy for the Germans. She’s found a small book with a coded letter inside – she just has to decode it – if she can. Getting it decoded causes her to owe a ‘favor’ to someone and repaying that favor causes her a great deal of pain and grief. It might also get her killed.

By the end of the book, Ellie is in a great deal of emotional pain and despair – when – out of the blue – comes the saving grace – a cliffhanger! Ellie has the opportunity to do something momentous for herself, her country, and her family. Whew! I’m betting that the next book is going to be a doozie!

This is a quick, interesting, well-told tale and I recommend it – especially if you like spy stories, romance, intrigue, danger – and a cliffhanger. I hope you will love it as much as I did. Happy Reading!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.