Susan Elia MacNeal (born 1968) is an American author best known for her Maggie Hope Series of novels set during World War II, mainly in London.
[1] While the initial books are mysteries, and Maggie is a secretary and mathematics tutor to Princess Elizabeth, she is subsequently recruited by the part of the wartime intelligence services known as the Special Operations Executive.
MacNeal's background is in publishing, working as an assistant to novelist John Irving and then as an editor at Random House, Viking Penguin, and Dance Magazine.
[10] MacNeal's third novel, His Majesty's Hope, also appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List[11] and was named on Oprah.com's Book of the Week and Seven Compulsively Readable Mysteries (for the Crazy-Smart Reader).
[14][15] The Maggie Hope series features many real-life characters including Winston Churchill, Kim Philby, Isoroku Yamamoto, Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth II and Coco Chanel.