‘A Beautiful Spy’ by Rachel Hore is a novel that’s inspired by a true story. A spy thriller set from 1928 -1955. I have not had the pleasure of reading Rachel Hore’s previous work, but I now know she has written plenty of books and I plan to read them all eventually.
Minnie Gray is a woman who longs to do something different with her life. She wants more than the suburban life she has in Edgebaston. The domestic life of a wife and mother is not for her. Her mother makes her attend a garden party and it is there she meets Dolly Pyle, a woman who works for the government ministries.
She offers to pass her name on to people who Dolly thinks Minnie could be useful to. This gives Minnie hope that she may just be able to use her brains and not be stuck in her typist job with no hope of progression. Time passes and Minnie almost forgets the conversation she had with Dolly. Then a letter arrives in 1931 requesting for her to go to a house in London in regards to a vacancy she had expressed an interest in. From this point on Minnie has her greatest wish fulfilled, she becomes a spy for the British Intelligence. Minnie has to infiltrate The Friends of the Soviet Union and ends up so deeply entrenched that one false move and there is no way back for her. As she becomes more and more paranoid of discovery we see her becoming so burdened. She knows that you can’t just turn your back on the Intelligence departments of Britain…
A historical fiction novel that is a fantastic blend of fact and fiction. It is do well written you cannot tell where the facts stop and the fiction starts. Inspired by a female spy from the same time period this is such a well-researched novel with plenty of historical details as well. The authors skill with making such 3d characters is excellent. Every character had depth. We see these complex, flawed people who keep secrets so well and I was obsessed with what was going to happen to everyone as the story developed.
An emotive and definitely intriguing story with a main character that is a strong and very remarkable woman. The tension that bubbles under the surface keeps you obsessed with turning the pages until the very end.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Simon & Schuster UK for the gifted copy of the book.
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