A
Beautiful Spy
Minnie Gray is an ordinary young woman. She is also a spy for the
British government.
It all began in the summer of 1928...
Minnie is supposed to find a nice man, get married and have
children. The problem is it doesn’t appeal to her at all. She is working as a
secretary, but longs to make a difference.
Then, one day, she gets her chance. She is recruited by the
British government as a spy. Under strict instructions not to tell anyone, not
even her family, she moves to London and begins her mission – to infiltrate the
Communist movement.
I jumped at the chance to review A Beautiful Spy, I have previously read one of Rachel Hore’s books and really enjoyed her writing!
Bored of her life and the prospects it brings in Edgbaston,
Birmingham, Minnie Gray meets a woman at a garden party who changes her life by
putting her in contact with the mysterious Max in London. He invites her to
work for him, spying for the MI5. Her mission is to infiltrate the Communist
movement and report her findings back to Max. Minnie’s decision and reasons to
become a spy are innocent and naïve. At first, she knows very little about the
people she will be spying on or why. She is very much caught up in the rush it
gives her. She assumes her new life will be filled with excitement and glamour
like the heroes in the spy novels she reads. However, she ends up extremely
overworked, paranoid, manipulated and unable to form close relationships due to
her secret double life. She even ends up liking some of the people she spies on
and feels guilty about it.
Minnie is caught between wanting a calmer life away from
the paranoia that spying brings, but not wanting to go back to the boring life
that awaits her in Birmingham. She craves the excitement of being a spy, but
soon finds out that the people she is watching are very dangerous and will go
to any lengths for their cause. Also a danger to her is Max, her boss, he uses her
and even when Minnie is seriously ill from stress, all he is interested in is
how fast she can begin spying for him again. Minnie forms an attachment to him and
constantly seeks his approval. Max is the only person who knows her secret, and
unable to chat to anyone else about her life as a spy, she looks forward to
their meetings and takes comfort in being able to talk to someone about her
mission. However, he is only interested in what information he can gain from
her, Minnie’s mental well-being and safety come second on his agenda…
Minnie was very likeable and during the darker times in the
book I felt so sorry for her. Whilst she was independent and brave, she was
also very naïve. It was sad to read how she tried to unsuccessfully navigate a
normal life and relationship alongside her spying duties. At the start of the
book, I really liked Max, he seemed like an eccentric, charming character, and at
one point I was even hoping he and Minnie would eventually end up together!
However, by the end of the book, I really disliked his treatment of her. Once
the mission was over and she was no longer useful to the government, Minnie was
given little to no after care or protection. She managed to forge a new life
for herself and courageously worked during the Blitz, taking care of the
injured. I was really pleased with the ending that Minnie was given, I got that
lovely warm feeling you get at the end of a good book!
I really enjoyed A Beautiful Spy, it is not a time period I
would normally read about, but I am so glad I did. Rachel Hore, the author, has
clearly researched the era thoroughly and you really do feel transported back to the 1930s whilst reading. I was intrigued to find out that Minnie was inspired by a
real person called Olga Gray and some of the other characters in the book were based
on real people too. I had heard of the name Olga Gray before, but never made
the connection whilst engrossed in the story. I am so looking forward to researching
them all now that I have finished reading!
Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she taught publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia until deciding to become a full-time writer. She is the Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of ten novels, including The Love Child. She is married to the writer D.J. Taylor and they have three sons. Visit her at RachelHore.co.uk and connect with her on Twitter @RachelHore
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