(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Bossy Mrs. Braithwaite is used to being in charge—of her marriage, her family, the Women's Volunteer Service, and the small town of Ashcombe Village.  When news of her divorce from her philandering husband comes out, the scandal rocks her nice, orderly world.  All of a sudden, the anchor of her ship-shape life has been yanked out from under her, leaving her adrift.  With the threat of a family secret being exposed if she doesn't step aside gracefully, Mrs. Braithwaite flees to London.  There's one last person over which she can assert control—her daughter, Betty.  Anxious to help with the war effort, the 20-year-old has been living in the city for two years now.

When Mrs. Braithwaite arrives on her daughter's doorstep, however, the landlord informs her that he hasn't seen Betty in days.  With the recent bomb droppings, the shocked mother can't help imagining the worst for her only child.  Refusing to accept defeat, she ropes Betty's landlord, the timid Mr. Norris, into helping her scour the city for any sign of her daughter.  What they find is more than either one of them bargained for.  Before they know it, the unlikely duo is embroiled in a dangerous game that will put their lives in peril.  In the midst of all their derring-do, the formidable Mrs. Braithwaite and the reluctant Mr. Norris will both be forced to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about life—and each other.

WWII novels are a dime a dozen and while I love stories from this time period, sometimes it seems they're all the same.  Not so with Jennifer Ryan's sophomore effort, The Spies of Shilling Lane.  With a heroine like Mrs. Braithwaite, you can only expect a funny, delightful read.  Which this book absolutely is.  It's filled with fun characters, exciting adventures, and amusing, upbeat prose.  Because of what our leading lady learns about herself, however, it's also a thought-provoking tale.  True, the plot gets a bit redundant, but all in all, The Spies of Shilling Lane is a pure joy to read.  I adored it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Spies of Shilling Lane from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.