Several years ago, I visited the war rooms that Winston Churchill and his staff used during World War II. When I came upon a relatively new novel, “Mr. Churchill’s Secretary,” my interest was piqued. This novel was set in the war rooms and revolved around the lives of the women who worked as typists. The author, Susan Elia MacNeal, has really done her research. She describes in detail clothing, food, the bombing of London, how the war room was run, code breaking and many other aspects of life during wartime England.
Unfortunately, the plot which begins on a high note, fades very quickly. The twists and turns of the novel are so fanciful that in spite of the very dramatic events that were occurring in that time and place, the story is nothing more than a soap opera. The bad guys are IRA members trying to disrupt daily life in London, including an attempt to blow up St. Paul’s Cathedral. Our heroine, Maggie Hope, brilliant Wellesley graduate, of course, breaks the code and foils the plot.
“Mr. Churchill’s Secretary” is a quick read, but extremely disappointing.