Musing - 2024 Book of the Year

 My second annual Book of the Year where I share the best out of the books I read in the year.  I looked over the books I reviewed for 2024 by month and filtered it down to one standout book for 2024.  Many of the books I read were fun and entertaining, but this book stayed with me well after I finished it.  This has turned out to be a favorite series.

Book of the Year: 

Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver 

Book Blurb:  "Safecracker Ellie McDonnell hasn’t seen Major Ramsey—her handsome but aloof handler in the British government—since their tumultuous mission together three months before, but when she hears about a suspicious robbery in London she feels compelled to contact him. Together they discover that a rash of burglaries in the city all lead back to a hotbed of spies in the neutral city Lisbon, Portugal, and an unknown object brought to London by a mysterious courier.

  As the thieves become more desperate and their crimes escalate, it becomes imperative that Ellie and Ramsey must beat them at their own game. Fighting shadowy assailants, enemy agents, and the mutual attraction they’ve agreed not to acknowledge, Ellie and Ramsey work together to learn if it truly takes a thief to catch a thief."

  My Thoughts:  Ellie continues looking into her mother's death in jail for the murder of her father, but she is soon busy with helping Major Ramsey which only gets her into bigger trouble.  Major Ramsey the disciplined military man with high society background has stayed away from Electra, but will he remain so stoic as they work together again? Felix Lacey is still in the picture but what is he involved in with travel he won't talk about?  Uncle Mick gets enlisted to aid again and the housekeeper Nacy is the nurturing presence Electra needs in this uncertain, ever changing time.

  This outing is just as thrilling as the others and doesn't disappoint.  There is plenty going on beyond just spys around the mission, Electra "Ellie" manages to get herself indebted to a gangster plus another man for favors that could backfire on her.  The pacing is brisk and even though I'm normally a slow reader, I flew through this book.  Several heart-pounding and heart-wrenching scenes that make this a compelling read.  This is a great addition to the Electra McDonnell series, kudos.

   The two runners up from my reviews are:

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly (click here)

Murder in Westminster by Vanessa Riley (click here)