The Spies of Shilling Lane, Jennifer Ryan
The Spies of Shilling Lane, Jennifer Ryan
3 Rating(s)
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
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The Spies of Shilling Lane

Author: Jennifer Ryan

Narrator: Jayne Entwistle

Unabridged: 11 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/04/2019


Synopsis

From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir comes a thrilling new WWII story about a village busybody—the mighty Mrs. Braithwaite—who resolves to find, and then rescue, her missing daughter
 
Mrs. Braithwaite, self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed following her husband’s selfish divorce petition. Never deterred, the threat of a family secret being revealed sets her hot-foot 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, the timid Mr. Norris, informs her that Betty hasn’t been home in days--with the chaos of the bombs, there’s no telling what might have befallen her. Aghast, Mrs. Braithwaite sets her bullish determination to the task of finding her only daughter.
 
Storming into the London Blitz, Mrs. Braithwaite drags the reluctant Mr. Norris along as an unwitting sidekick as they piece together Betty’s unexpectedly chaotic life. As she is thrown into the midst of danger and death, Mrs. Braithwaite is forced to rethink her old-fashioned notions of status, class, and reputation, and to reconsider the question that’s been puzzling her since her world overturned: How do you measure the success of your life?
 
Readers will be charmed by the unforgettable Mrs. Braithwaite and her plucky, ruthless optimism, and find in The Spies of Shilling Lane a novel with surprising twists and turns, quiet humor, and a poignant examination of mothers and daughters and the secrets we keep.


About Jennifer Ryan

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Ryan writes suspenseful contemporary romances about everyday people who do extraordinary things. Her deeply emotional love stories are filled with high stakes and higher drama, love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find.Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.For information about her upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter: www.jennifer-ryan.com/newsletter


Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie on May 24, 2019

2.5 stars Not quite what I expected. Given the story is about a woman searching for her missing daughter during World War 2, I assumed going in this would be a heavy read but instead it had more of a cozy mystery vibe to it. So that threw me for a loop and probably had some effect on my enjoyment of......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on February 19, 2019

I was charmed and delighted by The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. Unfortunately, Ryan’s second effort was neither charming nor delightful. The characters are caricatures and the dialogue is cliché. Would you believe the leader of a gang of thugs would signal an attack by shouting out “charge?” Seriously, “......more

Goodreads review by Amy on June 06, 2022

You guys know I read a lot of WWII. Spies and resistance and what not. So in my eyes, anything new on the market, or new to me, has to be very good, or explore something very different. Or else it won't stand up. But this one, which I enjoyed very much, was different for a reason you wouldn't expect......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on May 30, 2019

Jennifer Ryan is the author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir,one of my favorite reads of the past couple of years -- and she strikes gold yet again with her newest novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane.Here, we meet the intimidating Mrs. Braithwaite, pushed out of her leadership position with her village......more

Goodreads review by Darla on May 30, 2019

Meet Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. Norris. She is a recovering village busybody and he is a mild-mannered landlord. When Mrs. B comes to London looking for her daughter Betty, she meets Mr. N at the house where Betty was renting a room. To solve the mystery of the missing daughter, the two join forces an......more


Quotes

“[A] quick and delightful mystery.”The New York Times Book Review

“A crisp and energetic book . . . with a tight plot [that will] keep a reader gladly bouncing along.”—NPR

“Richly detailed . . . This tale swept me away!”First for Women

“With its eccentric, believable characters and plot of home front intrigue, this delightful drama will appeal to fans of Martha Hall Kelly.”Publishers Weekly