I would categorize as a cozy mystery. KIRKUS REVIEWRyan (The Chilbury Ladies? Choir, 2017) presents a social climber in reverse in Mrs. Braithwaite, a recently divorced, not very well-off granddaughter of an earl just deposed from her position as head of the Women?s Voluntary Service in her English village during World War II.Raised by her Aunt Augusta, a heartless snob, Mrs. Braithwaite has always been told her family is superior to others. When her WVS nemesis, Mrs. Metcalf, forces her out, Mrs. Braithwaite realizes that a secret Mrs. Metcalf knows about her will always make her vulnerable, so she decides to go to London to tell her daughter, Betty, about the secret, thus denying Mrs. Metcalf the upper hand. Arriving in Wandsworth Common, she meets Mr. Norris, Betty?s landlord, and finds out that Betty has been missing for several days in the midst of the Blitz. Undeterred, Mrs. Braithwaite sets about searching for Betty, eventually enlisting Mr. Norris in this quest. As they make their way around war-torn London, unraveling the mystery of what kind of war work Betty has been doing and where she?s been, Mrs. Braithwaite engages in some self-reflection. As the story unfolds, she and Mr. Norris become a team, thwarting a group of British fascists and helping a number of other people along the way. Mrs. Braithwaite transforms from a somewhat bossy and imperious person to a more likable one. The transformation is believable as she begins to turn outward and do her bit not because of any misplaced sense of rank or privilege, but out of more selfless concerns. Some of the minor characters are less-than-fully fleshed out, and the last part of the story feels superficial. The very end of the book leaves the door open to a possible sequel, and readers will want to know what Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. Norris will get up to next.A cozy, entertaining historical spy story.

I enjoyed this a lot, and really admire Ms. Ryan's writing. But I admit I was not as absorbed as I was by the Chilbury Ladies Choir or The Kitchen Front. The addition of more action/adventure was great, lots more suspense than her other two, and one or two surprises I did not see coming (but one I did guess, which is always fun!).

However, I had a little trouble believing some of the characters, and the ending was .. hmm... okay. But just okay. ( )

Funny and tender, this isn’t the usual war story. It celebrates women, mothers and daughters, and how the war changed people allowing them to shine. Start of a series? ( )

Digital audiobook performed by Jayne Entwistle.

From the book jacket: A thrilling new World-War-II tale of a village busybody who resolves to find, and then rescue, her missing daughter. Mrs Braithwaite, the self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed at the age of fifty following her husband’s selfish divorce petition. She sets off to London to find the only person she has left – her clever daughter, Betty, who took work there at the first rumbles of war. But when she arrives, Betty’s landlord, Mr Norris, informs her that Betty hasn’t been home in days – and with the chaos of the bombs, there’s no telling what might have befallen her.

My reactions
What a delightful romp! Ryan writes the formidable Mrs Braithwaite so the reader has no doubt that she will prevail. She may bumble and misconstrue most clues, but she is resolute and WILL find and rescue her darling daughter. Mr Norris gets dragged into the adventure, and comes to rather like his role (and Mrs B, as well). A mother’s love knows no bounds, and my money’s on Mrs B to get the best of anyone threatening her cub!

While this is a novel of espionage and daring deeds in a time of war, and the background of the blitz adds a consistent and real danger, there are many lighter moments to lessen the tension, and the focus is really on the characters and their personal journey rather than on the war.

Jayne Entwistle does a marvelous job of narrating the audio version. She is a talented voice artist, but I couldn’t help but picture 11-year-old Flavia de Luce as I listened. ( )