-
Access Our
Best Book Club
Books of 2025!
Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Electra McDonnell Series #1
by Ashley Weaver
Book Reviewed by:The first in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, set in England during World War II, A Peculiar Combination is a delightful mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and the author's signature wit.
Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their living is slightly outside of the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but World War II is in full swing, Ellie's cousins Colm and Toby are off fighting against Hitler, and Uncle Mick's more honorable business as a locksmith can't pay the bills any more.
So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in the empty house of a wealthy family, he and Ellie can't resist. All goes as planned―until the pair are caught redhanded. Ellie expects them to be taken straight to prison, but instead they are delivered to a large townhouse, where government official Major Ramsey is waiting with an offer: either Ellie agrees to help him break into a safe and retrieve blueprints that will be critical to the British war effort, before they can be delivered to a German spy, or he turns her over to the police.
Ellie doesn't care for the Major's imperious manner, but she has no choice, and besides, she's eager to do her bit for king and country. She may be a thief, but she's no coward. When she and the Major break into the house in question, they find instead the purported German spy dead on the floor, the safe already open and empty. Soon, Ellie and Major Ramsey are forced to put aside their differences to unmask the double-agent, as they try to stop allied plans falling into German hands.
While the novel is certainly enjoyable, it's without doubt on the light side. There are some plot points that don't quite make sense, and others that are eye-rollingly predictable. When all's said and done, I did like the book enough to recommend it — with caveats. It's a perfect beach read and a wonderful diversion for those looking for an entertaining novel they can speed through and don't have to think too hard about...continued
Full Review
(490 words)
This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access,
become a member today.
(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
In Ashley Weaver's novel A Peculiar Combination, the heroine is a safe-cracker who breaks into houses by picking door locks. Locks that operate with keys, including those typically used on doors, haven't changed all that much within the past century and a half. In fact, personal door locks in use today are of the same basic design patented by Linus Yale in 1848.
The earliest known door lock was discovered during an archaeological excavation at the Palace of Khorsabad, which was constructed in ancient Assyria — what is now Northern Iraq. Dated to around 4000 BCE, the lock had wooden pins of various lengths built into a bolt that kept a door from opening. A lever-like key was inserted that would lift the pins out of the way, allowing...
This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.
If you liked A Peculiar Combination, try these:
by Jacqueline Winspear
Published 2024
The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity&#...
by Rebecca Starford
Published 2022
A twisting, sophisticated World War II novel following a spy who goes undercover as a part of MI5 - in chasing the secrets of others, how much will she lose of herself?
.gif)
Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries
A cracking good mystery! A Peculiar Combination, the first in a new series, proves that Weaver's writing chops are as strong as ever. She introduces readers to a smart and gutsy new heroine, and takes them on an adventure filled with clever twists, flourishes of romance, and her signature sparkling wit.
