Review: The Prisoner in the Castle

Title: The Prisoner in the Castle

Author: Susan Elia MacNeal

Publication Date: August 7, 2018

Genre: Spy Thriller/Psychological Suspense/Mystery

Recommended If You Like: homages to Agatha Christie entrenched in spy tales

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

A group of agents in World World II are secreted away on an isolated island, made prisoners because they know too many secrets. Maggie Hope is desperate to get back so she can help the war effort, but soon she finds herself desperate to stay alive as her fellow island inmates begin dropping dead. 

What I Liked:

This book had so many homages, big and small, to Agatha Christie and And Then There Were None, and I loved it! It was so fun finding them all, and made me really happy.

The mystery is twisty, and the setting and murders make this a creepy suspenseful page turner. I found myself invested in the characters and what was going to happen to them, especially Maggie. I also really liked the side plot about a series of murders that took place on the island years ago.

Anything I Didn't Like?

This is just a personal preference, but I wasn't as interested in the spy storylines. I think this was because the mystery storyline was so captivating that I wanted to stay with it.

So...?

This was a fun, scary, eerie, suspenseful, clever read that used its Agatha Christie references really well.