Weaver brings in a heavy layer of a love triangle that overshadows all and everything. I was doubting that this book was written by the same author. Ashley Weaver did a smacking good job with the first book, A Peculiar Combination. What starts out as a crackin' good spy novel quickly hits the dirt with a thud. It appears that this woman may have been caught up in espionage. She clicks open the bracelet lock and discovers a small camera inside. It's a trip to the morgue where Ellie also notices how refined the woman had been dressed. Ramsey knows that Ellie can open even the most difficult of locks. She's wearing an unusual cameo bracelet around her wrist that has a strange lock attached. But they've turned over a new leaf and are using their wits for the government during war time.Ī woman's body has been found floating in the Thames. Ellie and her family are crafty locksmiths who have used their unusual talents on the other side of the law in the past. They worked successfully in A Peculiar Combination.

Major Ramsey of the Intelligence Service contacts Ellie McDonnell to assist him on another case. Londoners live with impending danger around every corner. It's August of 1940 in London during World War II with the fear of potential bombings arriving at their doorsteps. It’s clear this woman was involved in espionage, but whose side was she on? Who was she reporting to? And who wanted her dead?Īshley Weaver presents her second edition of the Electra McDonnell Series. A woman’s body has been found floating in the Thames, with a bracelet locked onto her wrist, and a cameo locket attached to it. So when Major Ramsey turns up unannounced with another job, she can’t say no. What she does miss is the challenge of unlocking an impossible code and the adrenaline rush that comes from being somewhere she shouldn’t. It’s true that the straight-laced Major Ramsey didn’t give them much choice, but still, Ellie must admit she doesn’t miss breaking and entering as much as she might have thought. After years of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor―well, to themselves, anyway―Ellie McDonnell and her family have turned over a new leaf as they help the government’s war effort.

The second in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, The Key to Deceit, is a delightful World War II mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and wit.

The key to deceit ashley weaver