A Beautiful Spy by Rachel Hore

Synopsis
Minnie Gray is an ordinary young woman.
She is also a spy for the British government.

It all began in the summer of 1928…

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.

She soon gains the trust of important leaders. But as she grows more and more entangled in the workings of the movement, her job becomes increasingly dangerous. Leading a double life is starting to take its toll on her relationships and, feeling more isolated than ever, she starts to wonder how this is all going to end. The Russians are notorious for ruthlessly disposing of people given the slightest suspicion.

What if they find out?

Review
A Beautiful Spy is Rachel Hore’s eleventh novel and I think I have read all her previous ten over the years. This novel is a bit different to her previous ones, more of a thriller and based on the life of a real spy Olga Gray. The book is set over the years 1928 – 1955, and follows Minnie Gray from her suburban life in Edgbaston to London and her job for MI5. Minnie is such a wonderful character to read about, sometimes a mass of contradictions, but a young woman who wanted more to life than marriage, children and becoming a housewife. Minnie wants to be useful, and after a meeting with a friend at a garden party the wheels are set in motion for a job that will change her life forever. It is interesting that whilst wanting a life of independence, where she is in charge of her own life and not under the control of a husband (society was still patriarchal), she ends up answering to two very different men who she is constantly trying to please, Captain King of MI5 and Percy Glading a member of the Communist Party. It is her ordinary and unasumming character that makes her the perfect spy, and helps her progress in the FSU (Friends of the Soviet Union), and gain their trust. She really is a remarkable character, showing courage and determination in her work and loyalty to her country, even during the difficult times of loneliness and fear.

In spy novels we are use to seeing the glamourous side of the job, the secret assignations, the beautiful locations and the high life, think James Bond or Mata Hari, but Rachel Hore shows a more realistic and darker side. There is the emotional turmoil of not being able to tell anyone about the job, therefore lying by omission to the ones you love making it difficult to form relationships. The relationships formed are with her handler Max, and the people she is spying on. Whilst she maybe spying, bonds form with work colleagues forming a strange type of love triangle that can only end badly. The lonliness and pressure of the job, the constant fear of being found out, the paranoia all take their toll on mental health, giving rise to panic and nervousness.

Rachel Hore always manages to really capture the essence of her characters, their emotions, their individuality so that you feel like you really know them and thus come to care about them. As well as Minnie there is Max, or M, as he is known, a bit eccentric with his managerie of pets and unorganised paperwork. M could also stand for mystery, as he doesn’t give much away as his job requires, but shows interest in Minnie, and playing on her feelings for him; she is just a pawn for him. Rachel also captures the atmosphere of the period, a time where the extremes of Communism and Facism were on the rise across Europe, and the fear this caused as it was seen as a real threat. There is also the cultural and social aspect of a patriarchial society where once married a woman is ruled by her husband and definitely not allowed to work, a woman should be content with being a mother and wife. There is underlying tension throughout, will Minnie be found out, can she keep up with her secret life or will she just walk away? To learn the answers you need to read the book.

A Beautiful Spy is an intriguing and emotive read with a remarkable central character. It is very rarely that I will read a book of four hundred pages in one day, but I did with this book as it had me totally gripped. The underlying tension and thrilling plot line, together with a female heroine I was rooting for and the beautiful writing made this such an all encompassing book. It was wonderful to read about Minnie Gray/Olga Gray, an incredible and remarkable woman who put her life on the line for her country, and led such an extraordinary life. A brilliant read from an author who never disappoints.