Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane RileySynopsis: “1948. The shadow of war still lingers over Britain and Beattie Cavendish, former Secret Operations Executive agent, refuses to settle into civilian life. When offered an undercover role at the newly formed GCHQ, the nerve centre of Britain’s intelligence network, she doesn’t hesitate. Her first mission is to infiltrate the powerful Bowen family and find out what she can about politician Ralph Bowen who is suspected of being a communist sympathiser. Her mission takes a deadly turn when the Bowen’s housekeeper, Sofia, has her throat cut. As the investigation spirals, Beattie teams up with war-weary detective Patrick Corrigan to expose a dangerous web of spies and secrets all leading back to The White Pearl Club, a Soho establishment that caters to gentlemen with dangerous appetites. As powerful forces attempt to bury the truth, Beattie must survive a ruthless game of deception and the dark underbelly of 1940s Soho at the dawn of the Cold War.”

My Review

I really enjoyed this historical spy thriller from new-to-me author Mary-Jane Riley. I loved the setting of postwar London, full of smog, rationing and definite class divisions. I really felt like I’d been transported back to 1948.

Beattie was an interesting character, a bit of a chameleon. Someone who had to be constantly aware of her surroundings, and who she was supposed to be in different situations. She did it very well though, which must be a hard thing to keep doing if you’re involved in espionage. There were a few suspicious people she had to deal with, knowing who to trust and who to definitely stay away from. 

I enjoyed following Beattie and Patrick as the worked together to bring about justice for Sofia, the murdered housekeeper, and mystery of who had committed the crime. I worked it out just as the big reveal came!

I really hope this in the first in a new series, as I’d love to get to know them better, and see them they get involved in more dangerous situations.

Highly recommended if you enjoy spy thrillers set in post war Britain.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for my digital copy.