It's the 1930s in Edgbaston Minnie is working as a typist supporting her mother and younger siblings doesn't want a husband yet and wants better for herself.

she is approached to work as a spy for the British government and soon finds herself living a dangerous double life in London.

What has Minnie let herself in for?

This is not my normal kind of read at all but something drew me to the cover and I thoroughly enjoyed Minnie's journey and I really feared for her.

Based on a true story this is well researched and beautifully written you will not be left disappointed.

This is a novel based on a true story, this for me is instantly a winner. This is one of those books that has been on my TBR for too long. I am a huge fan of this author so it is an honour to share my review for this book.

I adore Minnie Grey, she is such a gorgeous character Ana one who we go on the journey with. This is a book that allows us to go to 1930s MI5. We see the difficult and dangerous work completed by Minnie and why she fears for her life.

The novel moves at a great pace and we are given enough detail to set the scene and leaves us with enough suspense.

We are provided with vivid accounts if the journeys and I feel this is a book which has been well researched.

I am a huge fan of this author, this is a superb book which is absolutely worth five stars.

Rachel Hore always writes fascinating novels and this is a really brilliant one! It tells the story of real life spy Olga Gray who worked for M15 and became embroiled in a series of very dangerous missions. The spy angle for Minnie who is 'Olga' in the novel is interesting as she's a normal woman from Edgebaston who is told to meet someone in a station in London...and then she is recruited as a spy,

i was captivated and really involved in the story and it is a recommended read from me!

A lovely read as always. Although i didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as all her other ones. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t as good, 8/10

Oh my goodness, this book did not disappoint. having read many of Rachel Hore's previous books, I knew I was in for a treat, but this is her best yet. I felt the atmosphere from the beginning of a woman who wanted more than marriage and children and when an opportunity arose, Minnie Gray grabbed it with both hands. In this period of time, it would have been very unusual. As they story built, I felt the tension as it grew and at times could barely read on, for I was so worried that something was going to happen to Minnie. And could feel myself wanting to look over my shoulder! Was she being led down the proverbial garden path. The mental anguish of leading a double life was palpable. Her relationship with Max was intriguing as at times I felt he was a father figure and yet at other times that Minnie wanted romance with him. Affirmation of her role in some respect was wanting and I could feel when she was let down, although this would have been part of the job. It was only when I read the end acknowledgements that I discovered this was based on a true story and I quickly googled the 'real' people. This could so easily be made into a film.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this wonderful book, I shall be recommending and buying it for gifts when it is published next year.

A librarian recommended Rachel Hore to me and so I was excited to read this account of a 1930s female spy. It was fascinating to realise how much of MI5’s work involved patiently setting up situations in ordinary circumstances, and the devotion of ‘ordinary’ people like Minnie. I admit I was a little disappointed there was not more glamour and drama, and was frustrated that Minnie sacrificed so much for her employer, but this made more sense when I discovered it was based on true events. I enjoyed it as a gentle bedtime read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review available via Goodreads and Twitter

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoy this authors books and this was no exception, fantastic storyline, great characters. Loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and to Rachel Hore for this ARC in return for my honest review. I'm a massive fan of Rachel's so I was delighted to get my hands on this book. While it's a departure from her normal dual timeline novels I enjoyed it nonetheless. Based on a real beautiful spy, this well researched novel both captivated and enthralled me. I found it to be a very interesting book set during Britian's interwar years amidst the rise of Communism and Fascism. Minnie is a very engaging character that I found myself genuinely caring for. Absolutely loved it and would wholeheartedly recommend.

This novel is a bit of a change from Rachel Horse’s usual historical fiction with dual time/ narratives. A Beautiful Spy is a novel based on a real spy. It’s interesting and focuses on the rising threat of Communism in Britain in the inter war years. Rachel Hore has clearly researched her period and characters well and highlights the importance of the spies but also the isolation faced.
But to be truthful, I didn’t love this book. It’s a very slow burner covering a lengthy period. ‘A year passed...’ etc before jumping into WW2 blitz at the very end. The character came across as weak, naive and suggestible.
It’s interesting from relating an unusual aspect of pre WW2 history but if this wasn’t an author I had read previously I’m not sure I would have continued to the end.
I dislike writing negative reviews, and this book will interest many people. It just didn’t fully engage me!

Minnie Grey is in her late twenties, she still lives with her mother and works as a typist. She is looking for a more interesting life and some excitement.
When she is approached by a government agency to do some work for them she is excited to move to London and work undercover.
This book is based on a true story about a young woman in the 1930’s who worked for MI5. She infiltrated the communist movement by working with them and reporting their activities. This was difficult and dangerous work and left her in fear of her life.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my e-copy in exchange for a honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book in kindle format from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I love Rachel Hore, so you can imagine my delight when I received this, and I had high expectations. A Beautiful Spy fits easily into historical romance and tells of the life of a female spy in the between-wars era in the United Kingdom. Once again Rachel writes with great pace and gentle suspense, giving enough detail to set the scene, but without lingering on unnecessary details; she is quite a master at striking this difficult balance. She deals eloquently with the intricacies of the complex relationships that were so vital to the success of these missionary’s, and with the terrible mental toll all parties are vulnerable to. There are also some vivid accounts of journeys to foreign parts and of the past times of people living in this era.

I found it a real page turner but without being too much of an emotional rollercoaster. There was a hint of romance and a heap of interpersonal relationships that filled my head with intrigue and expectation. I rate it four stars as I did very much feel that I was the audience watching the tale unfold... I didn’t feel especially attached to any character and found it easy to distance myself from their lives. It therefore didn’t quite have the emotional pull that some of Rachel’s works have had on me, but as I’ve already alluded to, I think if it had, i would have been on tender hooks for too long for my nerves to cope! Additionally it did feel a bit grey... I was quite happy to turn the last page and escape back to the safety of my current life, but then again that is a skilled thing to achieve. I think I’m in need of something glittery now to warm my reading bones.

All in all an insightful historical romance that deals sensitively with a less popular era in British History. I would absolutely recommend it and encourage you to read. Even if it falls slightly short of the ‘wow’ factor, it’s thoroughly enjoyable and very easy to read. Highly recommended.

This is a well researched historical spy story based on true events. As well as being enjoyable to read A Beautiful Spy also taught me something about an unknown aspect of these inter war years when the fear of Communism was equal if not greater than the fear of Fascism.
Minnie Grey is a young secretary living with her family in Edgbaston. After meeting the mysterious Dolly Pyle at a social event she attends with her mother, Minnie is attracted to a more exciting and fulfilling life which Dolly offers to her when she sets her up with an introduction to MI5 and the mysterious Max or M as he is known.
Minnie feels that espionage is the perfect antidote to her mundane life and Max plays on this, recruiting her to spy on English Communists who might be thinking of betraying their country to the Soviet Union. Minnie’s life changes forever as she finds herself in some very tricky situations when she undertakes this dangerous work for her country. She has to put her life on hold as she can tell no one what she is doing and the book examines in great detail how lonely and difficult the life of a spy can be. Minnie can only rely on her handler Max despite the fact she knows so little about his real life. Max is her only contact and confidant so he becomes everything to her in her solitary life.
Not only is this an interesting spy story it is also an examination of the turmoil and extreme pressure working as an agent can wreak in a person’s life. Minnie feels close to Max but there are several clues that for him, Minnie is merely the means to an end and just another one of his many agents.
This was an excellent read which transported me to pre World War 2 London. The period detail was excellent and it was obvious that it had been very well researched.
This was my first book by this author but after reading it I will definitely look out for others by her in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having read a few of Rachel Hore books this one is the first that isn't a dual time storyline telling the story both from the past and present . I suppose I was expecting it to be and was a bit disappointed to begin with.
It's very well written but very slow burn and it took me a while to get into the storyline . The character of Minnie appealed to me, she grew up in Edgbaston ,local to the part of Birmingham where I grew up so I could picture the setting at times.
We follow Minnie's recruitment into the secret service, this takes place over the course of years . Max, her contact is a shadowy figure and you can never be sure what his motivations are. He certainly has a controlling influence over Minnie that is used against her best interests for selfish reasons on his part. I didn't like his character and wished Minnie would get over her infatuation with him , which he uses to his advantage. I was often torn between admiration for her bravery and annoyance at her naivety .
It's a very absorbing book and a period of history I knew little about . Made more so because of the fact that Minnie's character was based on a real.female spy. It was full of intrigue and suspense and you could empathise with Minnie when she was feeling guilty because she liked the people she was betraying. You were on tenderhooks at times wondering if she was the one being betrayed.
I found the last part of the book , set during the wartime bombings a bit of an anticlimax . It explained what direction her life went in I suppose . The epilogue shows she never lost her adventurous spirit either .
On the whole I really enjoyed this book and found it interesting reading.

This novel has a slightly different feel from this author's other novels, perhaps because it's based on a true story. Set mainly in the 1930s when Communism was seen as the main threat to national security, Minnie is recruited to work undercover for M. The tension and anxiety she feels living a double life are vividly evoked and her bravery and resilience have to be admired. The period has obviously been well researched and it makes for a fascinating read.

As a huge fan who reads every book Rachel Hore writes, I was thrilled to receive an advance review copy of 'A Beautiful Spy'. I had just finished reading 'The Spy who Loved' about the incredible life of World War 2 spy, Christine Granville' and this segued perfectly. It is a thrilling slow burner of a read following the entry into espionage of Minnie Gray. Minnie represents a fitting fictional tribute to the real life espionage heroines through the decades as asserted by the novel's foreword '...it is curious in the history of espionage and counter-espionage a very high percentage of the greatest coups have been brought off by women.' These are the real-life words of British spymaster (and reputed inspiration for 'M' in James Bond). Minnie's story is utterly compelling laying bare the isolation and psychological impact of leading a double life. Rachel Hore skilfully explores the toll exacted by a life of subterfuge and I was gripped by every twist and turn. When I reached the end of the novel my initial reaction was that it seemed a trifle rushed. However, I had cause to revisit and completely reverse my initial reaction when I read Rachel's acknowledgements and discovered that Minnie's story is based event by event on the real life espionage experiences of Olga Gray whose handler was Maxwell Knight. 'A Beautiful Spy' is a compelling work of fiction but to reach the end and discover that it was a fictional recreation of true events added layers of poignancy and pathos to an already moving piece of writing.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

With thanks to netgalley and Rachel hore fir an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Having read a number of this authors books which I love i knew I was in for a good read.
A Beautiful spy takes you to places some might only dream of getting to know Minnie Gray was an amazing experience what really kept her going the adrenaline rushes the fear the hurt she felt from M.
This really is an outstanding read and totally captivating from beginning to end.
Can't praise it enough.

As with most historical fictions that catch my eye, this had an interesting premise. It was a break away from the usual early 20th-century historical fiction that I read as the focus was more so on the rising communist threat, rather than the ending of WWI and the start of WWII, although this does come into play later in the story. While I enjoyed the spy aspect, I found myself wishing that less time was focused on Minnie's romantic relations and more on the general history and plot. Despite certain time jumps that felt a little rushed, it was suspenseful at points and managed to keep my interest. A solid historical fiction, with an interesting twist of espionage.

A Beautiful Spy is based on a true story and tells the story of Minnie Grey who is recruited to spy for the British government in the 1930s. Her mission is to move to London and infiltrate the Communist movement. This is an absolutely beautifully written novel which looks at the danger, isolation and fear involved in being a female spy and the appalling way in which Minnie was treated by the British secret service. The period detail is exquisite and Hore portrays what it was like to be a woman during this time, who goes against the norm.
This is only the second book I've read by Rachel Hore and like her previous novel, The Love Child, I adored it and would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

It’s 1928 and Minnie Gray doesn’t just want to be a wife and mother, she wants something different. So when she is approached to work as a spy for the British government, she is interested and intrigued. But leading a double life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, leaving her isolated and alone. As life becomes more dangerous Minnie is left wondering just what she has let herself in for and if the sacrifice she has made for her country has been worth it?

A good suspenseful story which was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

This was a really fascinating read.

I loved the glimpse of interwar Britain and that feeling of growing tension starting to invade ordinary life as World War Two approaches.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Minnie and the role she played as a spy getting herself into positions where she could spy on the activities of leading Communists. Seeing the personal sacrifices she made and the way in which the job took over her life leaving her isolated and vulnerable made her feel very real as a character. The tension particularly in the last third made me not want to put the book down.

If you are looking for a realistic spy story which will draw you in and make you want to not put the book down this is the one for you.