The Spies of Shilling Lane cover art

The Spies of Shilling Lane

A Novel

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Spies of Shilling Lane

By: Jennifer Ryan
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.37

Buy Now for £14.37

About this listen

 From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir comes a thrilling new WWII story about a village busybody—the mighty Mrs. Braithwaite—who resolves to find, and then rescue, her missing daughter
 
Mrs. Braithwaite, self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed following her husband’s selfish divorce petition. Never deterred, the threat of a family secret being revealed sets her hot-foot to London to find the only person she has left—her clever daughter Betty, who took work there at the first rumbles of war.
 
But when she arrives, Betty’s landlord, the timid Mr. Norris, informs her that Betty hasn’t been home in days--with the chaos of the bombs, there’s no telling what might have befallen her. Aghast, Mrs. Braithwaite sets her bullish determination to the task of finding her only daughter.
 
Storming into the London Blitz, Mrs. Braithwaite drags the reluctant Mr. Norris along as an unwitting sidekick as they piece together Betty’s unexpectedly chaotic life. As she is thrown into the midst of danger and death, Mrs. Braithwaite is forced to rethink her old-fashioned notions of status, class, and reputation, and to reconsider the question that’s been puzzling her since her world overturned: How do you measure the success of your life?
 
Readers will be charmed by the unforgettable Mrs. Braithwaite and her plucky, ruthless optimism, and find in The Spies of Shilling Lane a novel with surprising twists and turns, quiet humor, and a poignant examination of mothers and daughters and the secrets we keep. 20th Century Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Women's Fiction Village Exciting Witty

Critic reviews

“[A] quick and delightful mystery.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A crisp and energetic book . . . with a tight plot [that will] keep a reader gladly bouncing along.”—NPR

“Richly detailed . . . This tale swept me away!”—First for Women

“With its eccentric, believable characters and plot of home front intrigue, this delightful drama will appeal to fans of Martha Hall Kelly.”—Publishers Weekly
All stars
Most relevant
Despite the narrators annoying quavering voice for Mrs Braithwaite, who she made sound like Miss Marple a far more elderly lady sleuth, and her irritating voices for other characters, the story itself was engaging enough to plough through it and hopefully another adventure will follow narrated by someone with a more engaging voice like the Jacqueline Winspear “Maisie Dobbs” series narrator. I live in hope

Enjoyable easy listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was good clean fun. A great way do blow off some steam after a busy day.

Enjoyable, endeering and entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Brilliant, could not stop listening, plenty of chuckles, cliff hangers, and thought provoking moments with a perfect ending 🥰

Another Fantastic Book by Jennifer Ryan

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.