Spy stories aren't usually my thing, but a middle-aged, single-mum spy? In 1960s London? With humour and sass and secrets? Yes, I'm sold!

Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for my review copy. Opinions are entirely my own.

Maggie Flynn isn't your regular spy - she's a 45-year old mum to a sassy teenage daughter (so far, so relatable!). She's also taken on a role with MI5 as one of their Watchers, the lowest rung of espionage, as she is tasked with following suspicious characters as she sports a range of disguises (although being a middle-aged/older woman renders her practically invisible....of course). She's working to support her mother and daughter, the latter of whom has expensive requirements for concert tickets (the Beatles in Maggie's case, Sabrina Carpenter in mine...still pretty relatable). When Maggie meets a captive Russian agent, she starts to uncover the secrets of her dead husband's spying career - and even bigger secrets that put her in extreme danger.

I really enjoyed this peek into 1960s London - there's lots of historical and cultural references, even though Maggie sometimes has curiously modern sensibilities. I also loved that the pace was fast - the later stages of the novel in particular are exciting as Maggie races through London to do what's right. And Maggie herself is a joy - she's tough, brave and wonderfully funny.

Overall, this is a fun and lively novel and one I'd recommend - you'll love Maggie, be caught up in her chaotic life and absolutely root for her to triumph. The only thing I don't love is the title of the book - it sounds far too cutesy and cosy for such a strong character!

Maggie Flynn is 45 and working as a 'Watcher' for MI5, who were her late husband's employer, she is fairly happy with life until the day she is sent to babysit a Russian defector. A chance conversation makes her think that he knew her late husband, was his death really an accident or was he killed deliberately?

Aided by Frank, a colleague and former police officer, she hunts for the truth. A thrilling read.

What a delightful and heartwarming read.
Maggie Flynn is a 45-year-old widow in 1960s London and has promised her teen daughter hard-to-find tickets to a Beatles concert, while dealing with the antics of her own eccentric mother. But Maggie has a lot going on – she’s also a spy, has to keep this a secret from her family and is dealing with a painful bunion that’s practically developing its own heartbeat.
She’s a watcher for M15 during the Cold War, and her job is to “watch, track, report” on the activities of Communists in London. This means days in and out tailing targets, reading body language, switching disguises and trying to ignore her growing bunion as she ponders that “James Bond was never in need of foot balm”.
But everything changes when Maggie is instructed to step in briefly to babysit a Russian spy defector at a safe house. He reveals he knew her late husband, Davy, a fellow agent, and that he was possibly betrayed by his own side. Thus begins a madcap, dangerous search to uncover the truth of what Davy was doing and why he was killed even if it means putting her own life at risk. Oh, and she still needs to get those elusive concert tickets.
The book takes place mostly over 10 days in May in 1965 and is filled with all sorts of pop culture references to the era. The story has plenty of suspense but still manages to keep things light as it moves along at a good pace. Maggie is a breath of fresh air, she’s an engaging and witty narrator who is well-supported by an interesting bunch of cohorts. It’s a charming story and let’s hope this was not a one-off outing for a new favourite spy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4* Mrs Spy - MJ Robotham - a sparkling, quirky and distinct espionage thriller set in 1960s roaring London.

Maggie Flynn is a widowed single mother, living with her Beatles mad teenage daughter and eccentric mother. By day Maggie is a ‘watcher’, the lowliest rung of MI5, observing ‘targets’ while wearing a plethora of disguises or, bunion permitting, following them to catch them in compromising positions. When Maggie’s family ties lead to an unexpected journey out of the city, she puts herself and those she cares about in the ultimate peril.

MJ Robotham not only brings 1960s London to life, but lights it up with a middle-aged character who you can’t fail to be utterly entranced by. With a wider cast of characters, not least Maggie’s colleague Frank, who also light up the page, Mrs Spy is an absolute delight. The plot zips along with a middling pace - it’s not high octane, it’s not Le Carre - it feels like a genre of its own. Hugely enjoyable and fingers crossed not the first outing for Maggie.

Thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for an ARC.

Sent in 1960s Maggie became a spy when her husband Davey was killed in an accident. Maggie lives with her mother Gilda and teenage daughter Libby.She had to follow people thought to be spies for other countries dressed in various disguises. She finds out that her husband was murdered and goes about trying to find who killed him

What a completely unexpected story! Maggie, a middle aged lady with hidden talents. discovers that her husband was working for MI5, and that his death was actually a murder. She is herself, a Watcher, and we see her traversing London in the 60s, using any manner of disguises. The inimitable Frank is her sidesman. Memories of London in the 60s came flooding back to me, the coffee bars, the fashions, all so well drawn in this book. I'm not sure how probable the spying adventure really is, but it kept me gripped. Thank you for an excellent choice to red and review.

An enjoyable book that tells Maggie’s story, where she attempts to find out why her husband died and finish his work. Set in the 1960s world of espionage in swinging London.

Maggie Flynn is not the type of person you would normally imagine as a spy, but that just makes this book more enjoyable. It is a delightful and mesmerising read about a middle aged woman who finds herself in all sorts of scrapes whilst still keeping her day job a secret from her family. Brilliantly written, funny and engaging..

London, 1965, Maggie Flynn is an MI5 watcher, the lowest rung of the security service reporting on the daily activities of her targets. Life has been hard after her watcher husband died unexpectedly three years earlier, but she keeps going for the sake of her daughter and mother. However, a stand-in job suddenly reveals unexpected information about her husband's death and she is very quickly on the trail of something very dark at the heart of the British establishment.
What a brilliant plot! I could not put this book down as I followed Maggie's search for answers. The author's character descriptions really bring these people to life and you find yourself desperately wishing them on to succeed. The plot twists and turns as you discover more keeping the reader in pure suspense until the very end. I loved it!

Another fast paced and light hearted thrill of a read from Mandy Robotham! Mrs Spy is brilliant and full of great characters! I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc.

Fast moving and highly entertaining with an engaging main character.. My only quibble was that the book read more like a modern day novel than a period piece and it lacks the atmosphere of a genuine 1960s set drama, in fact occasionally I forgot what period I was reading about.

I’m a sucker for a spy story, and “Mrs Spy” is an excellent new, mainly light-hearted, variation of the genre. All the characters are well portrayed and mostly credible, and the author manages to convey the paranoia (the “can I actually trust anyone?”) which troubles most operatives in the world of espionage. The plot moves along quickly, focusing on the eponymous Mrs Spy Maggie’s home life as well as her work for military intelligence. Set in 1965, when I was a few years older than Maggie’s daughter; this novel evokes the cultural and social atmosphere of that era well. I do hope we have not seen the last of Mrs Spy.

This book was unexpectedly fun and charming! An engaging premise, well written, well paced and good characterisation. London in the swinging sixties was brought to life, and Maggie is a protagonist you can really root for. A real breathe of fresh air in the spy genre.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

For my final novel of 2024, I can sum this up “brilliant”.

Maggie Flynn’s husband David dies. Not content to accept misadventure Maggie and fellow Watcher, Frank, undertake a dangerous mission to uncover a dastardly illicit government plot. Full of twists, suspense and surprises with an excellent cast of characters. Maggie is entertaining, bright and totally fearless. I can’t sing the praises of this book more highly, it’s superb! Bring on a sequel.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in return for an unbiased review. This book was clever , funny and I kept reading as I was invested in the characters and the outcome. However it could have done with more editing. The author evokes 60's London and the spy world very well, however the descriptive passages tended to get in the way of the plot.

"Mrs. Spy" is a humorous spy novel set in 1960s London. It follows Maggie Flynn, a widow who discovers her husband was an MI5 agent—and that he was murdered. Determined to uncover the truth about his death, Maggie becomes a spy herself, juggling motherhood, espionage, and day to day life
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A charming and engaging read! Here’s to more adventures with Mrs. Spy!

Not the usual sort of spy story. What do you do when you discover that your dead husband was a spy, and you had no idea? Of course, become a spy yourself for MI5. Set in London in 1965, the cold war and plenty of Russians who need keeping an eye on in London. But are the Russians the only “baddies”. A good story, including references to London and the culture scene of that time. A good read. My thanks to Net Galley and the author for an ARC

Mrs Spy follows the Cold War path of espionage, Russians and a male dominated profession. Set in 1960s London Maggie Flynn is the Mrs Spy of the title and she is intelligent and witty bringing a different narrative to the genre. Maggie is dogged through the book with a bunion who makes very witty appearances, almost as a character.

Interesting plot-line set against the Swinging Sixties which is quite funny – she uses a pen camera and hides in phone boxes.

I have always found Molly Robotham doesn’t disappoint and with Mrs Spy I would be hoping that there will be a second novel in the series.

Something new and bright in the espionage genre.

"Mrs Spy" opens in London, May 1965. Maggie Flynn works for MI5 as a Watcher - tasked with following and observing persons of interest, at a time when revelations about Burgess and Maclean still hurt, and Communist spies are seen everywhere. We learn that Maggie is a widower, dealing with a teenage daughter and a bohemian mother. However she is good at her job, and enjoys it, so when she is asked for specifically, to babysit a recent Russian defector, she follows orders. However a chance comment by the defector plunges Maggie into a maelstrom of emotions, when she realises not only did her husband also work for MI5, he was murdered, and not killed in an accident, as she was told.

And with that the reader and Maggie are drawn into the true world of espionage - not the following of suspects, but the Game of lies, deceit, revenge and conspiracy. As she moves slowly closer to the secret behind her husband's murder, she uncovers plots, counter-plots and betrayals. As a lowly Watcher she has to work hard to navigate the old-school network that is MI5 and MI6, but she uses her natural talents, and her ability as a woman to invisibly worm her way through the maze of secrets. Helped by Frank, another of the Watchers, and an ex-copper, she is soon neck-deep in the mystery.

The book is alive with the sights and smells of 1960's London. Every page has a little observation on Carnaby Street fashion, coffee bars, tube rides, Beatle-mania and so much more. The writing is light and airy for a spy novel, with more than a little pathos and humour to offset the darker story of a woman whose life has been turned upside down. Indeed, it's unusual to read a spy story, written in the first person, through the eyes of a woman, and this alone adds a further dimension to what is a very satisfying read. The story moves along at a brisk pace, and the plot unfolds nicely. There's more than a few reflections on the intelligence establishment's lack of foresight, when it came to female operatives, but by the end of the book, things look set to change, and hopefully this is not the last we'll see of Maggie.

The book may not appeal to die-hard espionage fans of Len Deighton or John le Carre, and indeed, the authors admits her love of spies comes from The Man from Uncle more than The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. But any fan of spy books deserves to read this refreshing new take on the Cold War shenanigans.

What an unexpected delight this book was! I was not expecting such a fun and ironic heroine in Maggie Flynn, but she's such a delight. And Frank, the perfect sidekick to Maggie's sleuthing. I was particularly drawn in by Maggie's wit, the incredibly attention to detail, and how this felt one of the most relatable 'spy' stories I've read. I don't want flash Bond, I want bunion-toed Maggie Flynn!

I really hope there is more to come for Maggie's adventures. Absolutely one to add to your TBR!