Set in 1930s Edgbaston, A Beautiful Spy tells the tale of Minnie Gray. Minnie longs for a life away from that which is expected of her. She has no desire to marry and settle down to domestic life in the suburbs. When an opportunity comes her way to work as a spy for the British Government she grabs it with both hands - her top secret mission is to infiltrate Communist activity in London.

This was a beautifully written book, with enough suspense to keep the reader fully engaged throughout. The historical facts within have obviously been very well researched and together with an excellent storyline made for a most enjoyable read.

I highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for the review copy.

I have read a few Rachel Hore books and this did not disappoint.

It was a very intriguing book based on true events that happened to a spy who wants to help the government and she becomes involved with the communist to spy on them and help bring people to justice.

It kept you in suspense wondering if she would succeed or if nothing would happen in the end.

Minnie was a brave woman who at times found it hard and stressful.

I would recommend this book.

I often find myself drawn to spy stories and in particular stories which are loosely based on true stories. A Beautiful Spy by Rachel Hore, is set in the pre-World War II years, when there were concerns not only about the rise of the Nationalists in Germany, but also with the rise of the Communist Party in Russia, but also in Great Britain.

I loved how intrepid Minnie was, inspired by the excitement and intrigue of assisting the government in a time of great political change, but I also enjoyed how it was a glimpse into the darker aspects of living a double life. Our understanding of spies is usually all about the glamour and excitement, but as we see with Minnie, the darker side of spying was that Minnie felt constant fear of being found out, and dealt with by the Communists. It was normal for women to follow the usual route of marriage and babies, but Minnie was not like the other women, and wanted something more for herself. The strain living a double life caused on Minnie’s private life, and the loneliness she experienced certainly made it seem like there was a very high price to pay for all the excitement. There were moments when my heart broke for Minnie because of how alone she was made to feel, with little to no guidance or support, particularly when she was abroad. There were moments where Minnie was conflicted between her duty to her government, and the friendships she inevitably gained during her infiltration of the Communist Party.

This was such a dramatic story, even more so because it was based on a true story. It was a story of spies, intrigue, and finding the balance between real life, and a life created in order to spy on those under suspicion.

It's 1928; Minnie should be looking for a husband, but when she gets the chance to make a difference, she grabs it. She's recruited by the government as a spy. She moves to London where her work becomes increasingly dangerous and her double life takes its toll.
This was different to other books I've read by this author but still as engaging. I was interested in Minnie and her beginnings as a spy. There was a sense of danger throughout that kept me reading to see what would happen.

I’m a huge fan of Rachel’s so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for this, her latest book. One again this author has written a gripping and intriguing book which was hard to put down.

Firstly I absolutely loved Minnie, who I liked from pretty much the first page. She knows what she wants and doesn’t want to just get married like everyone else. She shows lots of courage and determination throughout the book which was wonderful to read about. It definitely made me warm to her more and I found I wanted to continue reading to find out what happens to her.

The author does a great job in setting the scene in this book and I loved how she describes the time period by adding in lots of historical detail. It was definitely an interesting time with lots of political things happening in the run up to the second world war which I always enjoy learning more about. It was a completely different time for women too with society expecting them to get married and then give up their careers or job to become a housewife. This made Minnie’s story even more interesting as she was completely different from the norm.

I felt this book gives the reader a unusual insight into what it’s like to be a spy as it doesn’t just focus on their mission like normal books but also gives the reader a look into their lives so that we can see how difficult it is to be a spy at times. As we follow Minnie throughout the book we become aware of her emotional turmoil as she struggles balancing her two worlds of spying and normal life. I’ve never properly thought about this before so I found this very interesting.

Overall I really enjoyed this intriguing, gripping read which has a very thrilling plot line. This book is actually based on real life spy Olga Grey which I always love and I spent too long googling up things on the internet as I wanted to learn more about her. I raced through this book in a couple of days which is no mean feat when you are homeschooling three children. I felt very sad to finish the book and have to leave Minnie behind.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book. If you are a fan of gripping historical fiction based on real life historical figures then I thoroughly recommend this book.

Life for Minnie Gray changed the day her mother Betty made her attend a garden party near her home in Edgbaston. For it was there she met Dolly Pyle who works for the government ministries. Dolly offers to pass on her name to the relevant people as she feels she would be good and useful. Minnie can’t believe her luck as she finds her life has begun to feel stuck. Working as a typist at the Automobile Association, nothing ever changes and her work offers no path of progress. Life should be opening out for her instead it remains staid and boring. Much times passes and in November of 1931 she receives a letter asking her to attend a house in London regrading a vacancy she had expressed an interest in.

To Minnie that party in 1928 seems so long ago, like the meeting with Dolly never occurred, but as she travels to London and meets with Max who works for British Intelligence, the changes she wanted so desperately to occur in her life are about to take place. By the time she becomes deeply involved in something so secretive that even her family have no idea what she is involved with I sensed Minnie was deeply questioning whether she wanted these changes to occur and perhaps did she long for the quiet old life of her previous existence. So sets in motion a life of spying hence the title A Beautiful Spy which also connects to a song sung in the book. I loved this connection to the title and an engrossing read ensued.

I flew through this book as I found the subject matter fascinating, intense and intriguing. I had never read anything about British spying activities in the years prior to the war and I found Minnie to be a complex yet brave character who navigates such a dangerous path with determination and grit. Yet she is not always strong and on the ball and before long she finds herself ingratiated so deep into a section of society perhaps she would rather not know much about. Her character is tested time and time again, particularly mentally, and this does begin to affect her. I was glad to see that she did struggle that it wasn’t all plain sailing and that the people around eventually realised she needed help. Her emotions, viewpoints and her sense of self were tested time and time again. She wrestles with her conscience an awful lot as she is forced to put on a front and this is so hard to maintain 24/7 but she agreed to something dangerous which would ultimately lead to her helping her country. She knows she can’t back out but how can she go on the more she discovers just exactly what is going on?

Minnie’s task is to go undercover and find out/report about those people who are members of the British Communist Party who have unnerving close ties to the Soviet Union. These extremists hold dangerous ideals which they put above loyalty to King and country. Max becomes her mentor, confidante and ally although as time progresses there are periods where Minnie feels abandoned and used as if she is but a small pawn in a much bigger game. I think she wanted to have Max as a father figure in her life given her experiences with her own father until his death. When this wasn’t always forthcoming and long periods without communication or progress ensued she began to think why am I bothering with this? Is everything I am doing just pointless? She questions whether what she is doing is right or is it just placing her in a position of stress and unnecessary danger?

These people she becomes ingrained with are dealing in illicit activities and she finds her world turned upside down whilst all the time she has to maintain a front and pretence and hope that no one will suspect that really she is keeping track of all of their movements, correspondence, meetings and plans. What a burden for her to shoulder, appearing to have a normal existence but all the time living in a parallel secret one. Minnie does all this because she wants to prove to all those that under rated her that she is worthwhile and can step outside the box of convention constructed around women at the time. That she can be strong, cautious and make solid judgements whilst maintaining a distance and therefore be able to infiltrate Communist groups and societies gaining crucial information. Life has finally given her the purpose she craves and she is doing something exacting and important but leading a double life is gruelling but will all the lies, pretence and watching her back prove just too much for one person to shoulder?

As Minnie’s work intensifies she becomes more burdened and terrified of discovery. On one hand you feel empathy for her but on the other you do think well you asked for something to change and spice up your life so to speak so now you have just go on and deal with it. When an old friend Raymond makes a reappearance in her life this is where she questions whether she should just stop what she is doing and follow her heart? But when one commits to working for British Intelligence there is no easy get out of jail free card and she can’t just drop everything.

I think this is the point where Minnie struggled and asks herself how can she want a thing yet resent it at the same time? Especially as in the last quarter things really became heightened and her activities ramped up even more. She was involved in something so complex and threatening that one wrong step, one misplaced word and her world would come crashing down and would be extremely difficult to build back up again. I genuinely feared for her and the eventual outcome of the book.

The last number of books I have read by Rachel Hore were good but they didn’t make the impact I felt from her earlier novels. At times I found them hard to get through and keep reading but here the story of Minnie, in my mind, is a triumphant return to form for the author with a solid, interesting storyline with lots of historical detail very well researched and written. The characters were complex, secretive and flawed but never dull and I found once I started reading this book it became impossible to put down. Before I knew it I was nearing the final chapters, yet I felt like I had only begun and I haven’t felt this way about the author’s most recent books.

I was easily transported to the fictional world of the characters but I was surprised to read at the end that it was inspired by the real life Olga Gray. This made me want to read more about this woman and what she was involved in and it’s not often these days that I want to do that after reading books. Sometimes you read a book, enjoy it at the time and then when finished park it, forget about it and move on to your next read but here Rachel Hore has written an inspiring story that awakened my mind to a different time in the world that I want to know even more about. A Beautiful Spy is an excellent read packed full of adventure, well developed characters and a riveting storyline. It’s well worth a read.

I became very fond of Minnie Gray as I started to read this interesting new novel by Rachel Hore. Based on the true story of Olga Gray, a young woman recruited by Maxwell Knight in the 1930s, to infiltrate The Friends of the Soviet Union, the author has cleverly blended fact and fiction to create an intriguing and interesting novel. I loved how Minnie felt a little like a square peg in a round hole - even at home in Edgbaston with her mother (where she feels most like she belongs) she’s restless and somehow a little different to the others. At a garden party, she gravitates towards a woman playing croquet; a woman of very individual and modern style. It’s as if she recognises a woman like this wouldn’t be afraid of shaking things up. They talk about the possibility of Minnie making a move to London, that maybe she could be recommended as someone to work for the government. Minnie is so excited, this might just be that direction and purpose in life she’s been looking for. She wants something for herself, not the stereotypical marriage to a nice middle class man to produce 2.4 children, that her mother expects. She’s fed up of being at parties, dangled before an ever dwindling pool of eligible gentlemen. Her excitement, turns to hope as she waits for a phone call and watches the letterbox, but nothing comes. It’s only when she’s lost hope that a call comes for her to interview and she meets her ‘handler’ Max.

I loved the eccentric ‘Britishness’ of the people Minnie meets in her new life. Most interesting is Max, who has a flat like a menagerie, full of various animals including a parrot. She goes to work at the communist organisation as someone interested in helping others, rather than the cause itself. In order to supplement her income, she takes another niche job, typing for a distressed gentlewomen’s charity. Here she makes friends with another typist and starts to have something like a social life. Minnie is thriving out there on her own, but we are privy to her inner thoughts. She’s plagued with self- doubt - ‘is she doing this right?’ It often seems to her that she’s achieving very little, not important enough within the party to make a difference or furnish Max with anything useful. However, espionage is a long game, and the more insignificant and innocuous someone seems the better. Eventually she seems so much a part of the furniture that she is chosen to do something she never imagined. Having never been further than London, Minnie will be undertaking a mission to India as her career in espionage really takes off.
I could see how much work had gone into research, as well as mixing fact and fiction in such a way that it becomes authentic. The author embedded Minnie into the 1930s from her clothes, to societal norms and mentions of world events such as the rise of Nazism. In snippets of chat at the communist organisation I could hear ideas and concerns about the working class and keeping them on board with a left leading political party. This disenfranchised class would be easy pickings for Oswald Moseley’s fascist party in a couple of years time. This is a time of political turmoil across Europe, as the tensions started in the aftermath of WW1 begin to boil over. The author really emphasises the fear and trepidation of choosing a double life, especially as a woman. I loved Minnie’s determination to be different and do something important, despite often feeling lonely and scared. I felt the author balanced this well with her need for adventure, as well as the excitement and thrill that keeps her going as the work gets more and more dangerous. I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating book. Rachel Hore has created a wonderful heroine who I found inspiring and authentic, with just a hint of vulnerability that made her so sympathetic. I felt completely transported to the 1930s, due to the author’s knowledge of this time period and her deeply layered descriptions of Minnie’s world. I could close my eyes and picture every setting - Minnie’s home, Max’s flat full of animals, an overcrowded train in India and the wall of heat before the monsoon rain. This was an excellent read for anyone who likes their historical fiction and enjoys determined and original heroines whose courage takes them on amazing adventures.

Minnie Gray longs to escape her mundane life in Edgbaston where the only excitement in her life is accompanying her mother to another tedious event. Employed as a typist, Minnie yearns for something more substantial than being a wife and mother, and so when she is approached by a contact to work for the British government as a spy she grabs the opportunity to do sometime worthwhile for her country.

What then follows is an interesting espionage story which sees Minnie become embroiled in the Communist movement, and with the political landscape of Europe about to change, her time spent undercover is fraught with both danger and intrigue. Based on the true story of Olga Gray, a British agent recruited by Maxwell Knight in 1932 to infiltrate the Friends of the Soviet Union, this clever mix of blending fact and fiction is done with a fine eye for political detail, and a clever understanding of the historical background to this tumultuous time in world history.

Keeping a fictional story so closely linked with factual evidence brings a genuine authenticity to the narrative and the author does a great job of building up the tension and showing the unease and trepidation involved in leading such a dangerous and, at times, exciting double life. The story is a little bit slow at the start but then as Minnie becomes more involved in the challenges ahead of her, it all starts to flow well. I enjoyed learning more about Minnie’s life, she is an interesting protagonist, determined to live life her own way and yet there’s a vulnerability to her which makes her character all the more fascinating.

Beautifully written, and impeccably researched, A Beautiful Spy is a cleverly controlled espionage story which brings to life the uncertainty of living in a time of political, and emotional, turmoil.

I love Rachel Hore's books and this was no exception. As you come to expect, this was beautifully written and the reader is drawn into the story.


Based on a true story ... I found this really interesting and absorbing. I suppose that we mainly think of spies being in enemy territory but here, we have Minnie Gray, the girl next door who because of a chance meeting at a party, finds herself escaping her humdrum life and falling without really understanding into the spy game. By staying in the background but making herself indispensible, slowly over quite a few years, she finds herself building an undercover life. A slow burn read but I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot about an era that I was unfamiliar with.

Thank you to Net Galley for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Rachel Hore's A Beautiful Spy tells us the story of an ordinary young woman from Edgbaston, who changes her destiny by working as a spy for the British Government. Young Minnie is expected to get married, start a family, and live happily in the role of a house-wife. But she has other plans. She doesn't want to live an ordinary life, with no excitement. So when a friend offers the chance to be something more and work for a cause, she jumps at the opportunity. Minnie is recruited by MI5 as a spy to monitor the activities of the communists in London. She works with all of her heart and puts all of her efforts into being the best agent possible. Slowly the stress of leading her double life takes a toll on her and makes it impossible to work. With the dangers of her being exposed, she needs to manage her career and keep the mask in place. Will she succeed? Is she going to be in danger from the communists?

Overall, I wasn't happy with the book. I wanted to like the character and connect with her. It didn't happen. So, this is more of a personal preference. I have seen a lot of people say good things about this book. My issue was mainly the execution of the story and I didn't connect with the character much. I gave the book 2.5 stars and I am really disappointed I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Having said that, don't let my rating be the reason you don't pick it up. If you like historical fiction and character-driven stories, make sure to check this one out. The story is inspired by a real-life spy and her involvement in the takedown of Percy Glading in the 1930s.

An amazing story, completely engaging!

Minnie Gray is a normal young woman, a secretary living at home with her mother. Convention dictates that she meets a man and settles to being a housewife and mother. However, Minnie wants more and her chance comes when she is approached to work for the British Government - as a spy. Without divulging what's really going on to anyone, Minnie moves to London, finding a job and a flat, then starts attending Communist party meetings with the aim of finding out their secrets. As she is accepted and begins to prove her worth, the secrecy begins to wear her down and her health suffers along with her relationship. Well aware of how the Russian's react to infiltrators, Minnie is in a constant state of worry and despair. Can she complete her mission?

I had no idea until I had completed this novel that it was based on fact; and that makes it even more astounding. I can honestly say I've never read another book quite like this, and it pulled me in from the very first. Such a smooth telling of a riveting tale made this an incredible read and one which kept me hooked from the very beginning to the final word. For anyone who thinks all spies are James Bond, this is a must read. Rachel Hore has excelled herself with her latest novel creating a beautifully written attention-grabbing read which I found very hard to put down. A stunning story, and one I'm extremely happy to both recommend and give all five sparkling stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this book.

It had so much in it, was hooked in wanting to know what happens next. I loved the character if Minnie, her dilemmas about her work and home.

I didn’t know it was based on true incidents and then I didn’t want it to end - wanted it to go on and read more of the story.

I absolutely enjoyed it.

Minnie Gray is going to be one of my favourite book characters. In 1928, she knows her own mind and it doesn’t involve settling down just because everyone expects it. Minnie is looking to make a difference to the world, and through a chance encounter, she finds herself in a very different world.

When we think of a spy, of course, we tend to think of James Bond. We never see him wrestling with trying to keep the very different elements of his life apart or find out how emotionally draining it is to keep so many secrets, or to miss out on having proper friendships with work colleagues and neighbours.

I enjoyed the way this story was written, so that we could understand the emotions Minnie felt during the various stages of her journey from living in Edgbaston, travelling to India and appearing in court. She had to deal with a large number of changes and secrets without very little help. I also loved the ending of the book, which reminded me how spirited Minnie is. A fascinating book that I will be awarding 5 star reviews to

An interesting story based on a true life story. Starts in the late 1920s, Minnie Grey is a young and beautiful woman who is looking for more in her life. A chance meeting leads to her agreeing to become an agent for MI5, undercover and reporting on Communist activities in Britain. Much of what she did was very mundane and not particularly exciting. As a trained typist she completed admin tasks, slowly becoming accepted by those she worked with. Her relationship with her handler is interesting- he was clearly very charming and an unusual character. This story really highlights the strain that working undercover can put on a person. The continual watching and trying not to get caught out. The story itself has a bit of a slow start, much like the life of an undercover agent, but the fact that it is based on a real woman definitely makes it more interesting.

A very readable account of how it really is to be a spy. Not all glamour and secret assignations but worry and grind and living a lie and for what? I liked that the bad boy Commies were not portrayed as just that but as human beings with strong beliefs who treated women as equals. I enjoyed this, wasn't wowed by it but Rachel Hore always writes a good story and I was intrigued by the real-life aspects of this account.

Absolutely thrilling, previous books of Rachel’s have had a dual timeline which I enjoy so I was slightly disappointed that this one didn’t but it had so much in it, I really liked Minnie and felt for her with her home and work dilemmas and then discovered it was based on a true story , I didn’t want it to end and wanted more.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Minnie is supposed to find a nice man, get married and have children. The problem is it doesn’t appeal to her at all. She is working as a secretary but longs to make a difference. Then, one day, she gets her chance. She is recruited by the British government as a spy. Under strict instructions not to tell anyone, not even her family, she moves to London and begins her mission – to infiltrate the Communist movement.

This is such a well rounded, researched, spy story with the correct elements of history involved. The book is a very enjoyable read, has excellent detail, and does have an element of suspense. This was my first read by this author and one I would read from again.

This historical read is based on the real life of Olga Gray, a British Intelligence Spy. Set in the 1930s this is an insightful and fascinating story from one of my favourite authors. The main character, known as Minnie, is in her twenties, a typist and living with her mother. She is a woman who didn’t want an ordinary life filled with marriage and children and when offered the opportunity of being an undercover agent she grabbed it with both hands. Moving to London and gaining her independence she puts her life at risk, undertaking difficult and dangerous work, as she infiltrated the communist movement. With a hint of romance this is a beautiful, captivating and atmospheric read. Well researched with excellent attention to detail.

A Beautiful Spy is an enthralling novel based on a true story. Minnie Gray works as a secretary in an ordinary job before a chance encounter at a party leads her into the world of espionage. Despite making great personal sacrifices, she is successful in infiltrating the communist party in the 1930’s while working for Max. Her family were completely unaware of her double life despite the immense stress she was under.

This is a fascinating story which goes into great detail regarding the operation of espionage before the Second World War. Minnie leads an exceptional life and shows great bravery in order to do her bit. A well researched and gripping novel.

"Minnie Gray is an ordinary young woman.
She is also a spy for the British government..Minnie is supposed to find a nice man, get married and have children. The problem is it doesn’t appeal to her at all."

Minnie meets an enigmatic man called 'Max' who enlists her as a spy under the umbrella of the M branch to go undercover to find out information about the Communist party in 1930s London. It follows her journey of friendship, doubt and growth over several years through pre-WW2 Europe and across the seas to Bombay. She faces the challenges of hiding secrets from her loved ones who don't understand the choices she makes as she navigates her way into the inner workings of the very party she is gathering information on.

The writing is excellent, and really mirrors the tense, almost Cold War-like stance Minnie must take in order to fulfill her duty to her country.

I really enjoyed this book. Rachel Hore is an author I have always enjoyed in the past and was very excited to get a pre-release copy It is set in pre-WW2 Edgbaston and London and covers subject matter that, although I have done a lot of reading and studying around the area of the Secret Service, brought the ideas and information out into a fresh new perspective. This book is written in a slightly different way to the other Rachel Hore books that I have read but fans should appreciate how the writing mirrors the subject matter and enjoy the story all the more for it.
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a pre-release copy in exchange for an honest review.