The Spy and the Snake

LoveReading Says

Maggie Flynn returns in irresistible form in this second outing for Mrs Spy, proving once again that some of the best spies are the ones everyone overlooks and underestimates.

Set in 1968, Maggie has traded the adrenaline of MI5’s legendary surveillance unit for life as an assistant case officer at Leconfield House - “the Spy Shack” - where she appears to have become little more than a desk detective.

When a Soviet KGB officer defects in London and an MI6 asset in Budapest suddenly wants to come home, Maggie is drawn into what should have been a straightforward extraction. Instead, she finds herself navigating a Hungary still firmly behind the Iron Curtain, with the KGB never far behind, every border crossing a potential death sentence and every decision carrying life-or-death consequences.

What makes this series such a joy is Maggie herself. At 48, Maggie’s refreshingly different from the stereotypical spy. Resourceful, endlessly determined and armed with her Mary Poppins bag of disguises, Maggie relies on tradecraft, quick thinking and sheer bloody-mindedness. You can’t help but root for her.

The supporting cast is equally memorable. From the formidable registry queen Bea Baglan to the charming Zoltán, the Budapest café owner, the friendships Maggie forms along the way provide humour and warmth amid the constant danger. There’s even the faintest hint of romance, though the novel never loses sight of the emotional pull of Maggie’s late husband or the enduring bond she shares with her ex-partner Frank.

The Budapest setting is vivid, full of cafés, torte, pálinka, goulash, thermal baths and the mighty Danube, all contrasted against the ever-present fear of Soviet surveillance.

Running beneath it all is a wonderful late-1960s soundtrack, with The Beatles providing the perfect backdrop to the story.

The Spy and the Snake is another hugely entertaining outing for one of modern spy fiction’s most likeable heroines. Maggie Flynn continues to prove that courage isn’t about being fearless - it’s about keeping going when every nerve is on edge. 

Deborah Maclaren

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