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Susan Elia MacNeal

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Susan Elia MacNeal
Born
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Years active1991–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1999)​
Children1

Susan Elia MacNeal (born 1968) is an American author best known for her Maggie Hope Series of novels set during World War II, mainly in London.[1] While the initial books are mysteries, and Maggie is a secretary and mathematics tutor to Princess Elizabeth, she is subsequently recruited by the part of the wartime intelligence services known as the Special Operations Executive. The later books in the series are less in the style of mysteries and more in that of spy novels in which Maggie is directly involved with actual historical events.[1]

Early life and education

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MacNeal attended Nardin Academy in Buffalo, New York, then graduated cum laude with special honors from Wellesley College in 1991 with a degree in English.[2] She cross-registered for classes at MIT and attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course.

Career

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MacNeal's background is in publishing, working as an assistant to novelist John Irving and then as an editor at Random House, Viking Penguin, and Dance Magazine. Her writing career began with two nonfiction books and articles on ballet, modern dance, and puppetry.

MacNeal's first novel, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, was named as Best Paperback Original of 2012 by Deadly Pleasures, won a Barry Award[3][4], and was nominated as Best First Novel by Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award.[5] Mr. Churchill's Secretary was also nominated as Best First Mystery Novel for Mystery Readers International's Macavity Award in 2013[6] and for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's 2013 Dilys Award[7]

The next book in the Maggie Hope Series, Princess Elizabeth's Spy, was nominated for Macavity Award’s Sue Federer Historical Memorial Award in 2013[8][9] Audiofile, and was included on the New York Times Bestseller List on October 29, 2012.[10]

MacNeal's third novel, His Majesty's Hope, also appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List[11] and was named on Oprah.com's Book of the Week and Seven Compulsively Readable Mysteries (for the Crazy-Smart Reader).[12] It was also nominated for an ITW Thriller Award.

His Majesty's Hope was followed by The Prime Minister's Secret Agent, another New York Times Bestseller,[13] and Lefty nominee, and, in 2015, by New York Times-bestseller Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante, which was nominated for an Agatha Award.

The Queen's Accomplice was a USA Today bestseller, a semi-finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and nominated for a Barry Award.

The Paris Spy was the first book (and seventh) in the Maggie Hope series to be first published in hardcover, followed by a trade paperback edition. It was a New York Times bestseller, Washington Post bestseller, Publishers Weekly bestseller, and was nominated for an Agatha Award. Three further novels followed, with the concluding book in the series, The Last Hope, being published in 2024 to positive reviews.[14][15]

The Maggie Hope series features many real-life characters including Winston Churchill, Kim Philby, Isoroku Yamamoto, Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth II and Coco Chanel[16]. In Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidant the character John Sterling is based on the author Roald Dahl. The main protagonist, Maggie Hope, was inspired by the real life heroines who worked as secretaries and spies for the Special Operations Executive ("SOE") during WWII and in The Paris Spy (2017) large components of the plot have to do with Vera Atkins' experience as a senior SOE figure.

Personal life

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MacNeal married puppeteer Noel MacNeal on November 6, 1999 at the Union Theological Seminary.[17] They live in Brooklyn, New York with their son (b. 2005).[18]

Publications

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Non-fiction books

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  • Wedding Zen: Simple, Calming Wisdom for the Bride [Chronicle Books, 2004]
  • Infused: 100+ Recipes for Infused Liqueurs and Cocktails [Chronicle Books, 2006]

Maggie Hope Series

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  • Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Bantam. 3 April 2012. ISBN 9780553593617.
  • Princess Elizabeth's Spy. Bantam. 16 October 2012. ISBN 9780553593624.
  • His Majesty's Hope. Bantam Dell. 14 May 2013. ISBN 9780345536730.
  • The Prime Minister's Secret Agent. Bantam. 1 July 2014. ISBN 9780345536747.
  • Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante. Bantam. 17 October 2015. ISBN 9780804178709.
  • The Queen's Accomplice. Bantam. 4 October 2016. ISBN 9780804178723.
  • The Paris Spy. Bantam. 17 April 2018. ISBN 9781101965993.
  • The Prisoner in the Castle. Bantam. 30 July 2019. ISBN 9780525621096.
  • The King's Justice. Bantam. 2 February 2021. ISBN 9781984819598.
  • The Hollywood Spy. Bantam. 6 July 2021. ISBN 9780593156926.
  • The Last Hope. Bantam. 21 May 2024 | ISBN 9780593156988.

Stand Alone Novels

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  • Mother Daughter Traitor Spy: A Novel. Bantam. 20 September 2022. ISBN 9780593156957.

References

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  1. ^ a b Weinman, Saran (2024-05-31). "2 Legendary Detectives Take Their Final Cases". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  2. ^ "English/Alumnae/Susan Elia MacNeal". Wellesley College. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  3. ^ "List of Barry Awards from 1997". Barry Awards. Deadly Pleasures. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  4. ^ "MR. CHURCHILL'S SECRETARY". Kirkus Reviews
  5. ^ "Edgars Database". TheEdgars.com. Mystery Writers of America. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  6. ^ "List of Macavity Awards". Macavity Awards. Mystery Readers International. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. ^ "List of Dilys Awards Since 1996". The Dilys Award. Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  8. ^ "List of Macavity Awards Since 1987". Macavity Awards. Mystery Readers International. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Princess Elizabeth's Spy ". November 6, 2012 Bookpage
  10. ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Bestsellers for 29 October 2012". Best Sellers List. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Best Sellers for 27 May 2013". Best Sellers List. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  12. ^ "7 Compulsively Readable Mysteries (For the Crazy-Smart Reader)". Oprah.com. Oprah Winfrey. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Best Sellers for 14 July 2014". Best Sellers. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  14. ^ "The Last Hope: A Maggie Hope Mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  15. ^ "The Last Hope". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  16. ^ Clare, Nancie (2024-06-03). "Susan Elia MacNeal on the Conclusion of Her Series, Women's Role in War and Coco Chanel's Nazi Collaboration". CrimeReads. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  17. ^ Smith Brady, Lois (14 November 1999). "Weddings: Vows; Susan Elia and Noel MacNeal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  18. ^ "His Majesty's Hope". Story Circle Book Reviews, Reviewed by Laura Strathman Hulka April 30, 2013
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