I'm so excited to see this is a book 1! What a great start to a series!

I was completely sucked in to this. Enjoying it as an audio book, the narrator really brought the story to life. I enjoyed the espionage - it's fun to see how some skills that make you a good thief can also make you a great spy!

I really enjoyed Ellie - she's a fun main character. She's spunky and fiery and is okay running with the boys but can also enjoy a good pair of stockings. I love that she was so versatile - she could be attending a party in one moment and then picking a lock in another.

The mystery kept me guessing, the story was easy to follow along. I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. ( )

Intriguing story with interesting twists and characters. I really enjoyed this one. Clean. Can’t wait for author’s next one …. Well and clearly narrated. ( )

Had to read for class. Basically like reading a book backward - the end was what held my interest the most. If we knew what transpired to get the characters to how they are in the beginning, it would've been a much more coherent novel. As it was it was far too poetic and flowery, many phrases seemingly put in as some sort of message to the reader about how awful people can be, or how life is just what it is: awful, apparently.

Really had to read whole pages over again to understand what was going on, and we never do find out who the narrator is telling the story - gives the whole novel a very 'outside looking in' feel that could've been handled better had the narrator actually have been shown as a character who survived, and who was telling us what transpired. At the very least, I would have felt more invested in the characters and story (there is no real plot), rather than just a vague sense that I 'should' care, but can't. 3 stars for the ending alone, otherwise it'd be a 1. ( )

This wasn’t terrible. I just couldn’t get into it. ( )

**I received and advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I really like Weaver's Amory Ames series, so I was anxious to read this new novel, featuring Electra McDonnell in WWII England. Much like Weaver's other series, this book has a murder mystery, a resourceful and entertaining heroine, and a dash of romance. A winning combination!

Electra "Ellie" McDonnell is a thief. But, she stumbles upon a much graver problem than being caught and sent to prison. This problem may just change the course of the war, and Ellie must use her ingenuity and her "skills" to keep England safe. The supporting cast of characters add much flavor to the storyline, especially Major Ramsey, whose secrets and at times stony disposition recall to mind strong, brooding male characters in classic literature.

A very engaging read. I would love to read more about Ellie and her escapades saving the world. ( )

Whoohoo this was a romping good read! A Peculiar Combination is the 1st installment of a new historical mystery series that reminded me a lot of the Billy Boyle series by author James Benn.

Ashley Weaver deftly blends WWII espionage, murder, humor, and romance to create a very clever character driven suspense novel that I couldn't put down. 5 stars without a doubt, can't wait for the next installment! ( )

This started off strongly for me: charming, witty, cozy, with an intriguing setup. But as the story developed, it lost me. Characters never really developed much beyond cardboard cutouts, and what had at first been charming became, for me, cutesy and trite and tedious. The story just dragged on and on and on. This ended up being quite a chore to get through. ( )

1940 Rather than join the war effort Electra McDonnell becomes a thief. When caught she and her Uncle are recruited by the British Government via a Major Ramsey to steal blueprints from a safe. But while on their mission they discover a body inside the house. Is there a double agent in their midst?
The story is more a spy thriller than historical mystery, with some light romance. Though I did quite like the character of Ramsey. Overall an enjoyable story and a decent start to a new series
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(I do wish that if a book is set in Britain that it is written in British English.) ( )

A good story: Ellie (Electra) was born in prison (her mother wrongly incarcerated for the murder of her father) & raised by her Uncle Mick, a locksmith.

When WWII hits England, Uncle Mick is forced to change careers from locksmith to lock pick and Ellie, being his best pupil works along side him; that is until they are set up & caught by the Government.

Ellie & Uncle Mick are then coerced into working for the government; opening a safe in order to steal munitions plans which are to be given to the Nazis. However, when Ellie & the Major get to the house where the plans are supposed to be, they find the safe opened, the documents missing and the owner of the documents dead with his throat slit open.

There is someone who is one step ahead of the Major & Ellie.... which was pretty easy to figure out.

It was a compelling, interesting, & attention holding read. ( )

After the death of her parents, Ellie (Electra) McDonnell was raised by her Uncle Mick and her two male cousins. She has been taught the family trade, safe cracking. In the past, it has been her uncle and cousins who have done most of the actual break-ins but it is WWII and they are gone so now she helps Uncle Mick to break into wealthy houses during the black-outs.

They have received some very reliable information about their latest _target but Ellie senses something is off. Still, they go ahead with the plan. Only turns out out her instincts were right and they are caught. Only it's not by the police but a government agency led by Major Ramsey and she is given the choice - help them uncover a traitor or find themselves at the mercy of His Majesty.

I wasn't expecting much from A Peculiar Combination, the first in the Electra McDonnell series by Ashley Weaver - just a nice cozy historical mystery - but I gotta say I found it unputdownable. I really enjoyed the characters especially Ellie who makes for a smart, interesting protagonist. There's plenty of twists and turns and red herrings galore. The mystery of who dunnit is compelling and kept me guessing right up to the big reveal. If the next books in the series are as good as this one, it's definitely one to look forward to.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

Enjoyable read!

Thrilling new World War 2 spy/mystery series that frames itself well in the war years. Robbers, spies and an unlikely group populate this series. A female lead Electra (Ellie) McDonnell who’s grown up with her Uncle Mick and stalwart cousins breaking into wealthy homes and selling on the fruits of their illegal labours. From early on Ellie learnt to hold her own against the hulking Irish cousins. When Ellie, through a series of mishaps, finds herself working for the British government under the direction of the chiselled and determined Major Ramsey looking for a traitor, and planning to confuse the Nazis. The relationship between Ellie and the Major has a temptuous underlying frisson. In Ellie the cool Major may just well have met his match. I love the combination of these two.
There’s a further mystery developing—around Ellie’s mother. That’s obviously going to be a thread part of the ongoing series.
I find Electra to be my kind of gal. I did enjoy her quick wit and finely honed intelligence.
I’m looking forward to more!

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley ( )

I loved this story! How often does a female professional safe cracker get to become an important assent to the British as she helps a rather stuffy British Major capture a double agent. Filled not only with suspense, but it is also at times humorous as Ellie McDonnell finds herself and her father’s rather dubious friends helpful to the survival of the British empire. And of course, there is a little romance, as Ellie finds herself unwillingly becoming enamored of the British Major. There are many cozy British spy mysteries, but author, Ashley Weaver, has found a heroine who stands out from the others. I look forward to more books in the series. ( )

This audio book was sent to me by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. Thank you.

Electra McDonnell, Ellie for short, is a member of a hard-working London family. The McDonnells are locksmiths with a bit of safe-cracking on the side. They take care to only break and enter empty homes to make absolutely sure no one is hurt. Plus they leave the scene just as spotless as they found it, minus the safe contents, of course. So it is a complete shock when Ellie and her Uncle Mick are apprehended at the scene of their latest job. They had cased the house for days; it should have been a piece of cake!

It is even more of a shock when the "police" turn out to be military intelligence who blackmail Ellie and Uncle Mick into helping them crack a safe in order to retrieve stolen top secret documents about a new weapon. To avoid prison, they have to comply. Plus there is a war on and the McDonnells are as patriotic as any British family. And they'll get paid for their help. What's not to love?

Well, Major Ramsey, the aristocrat in charge of the secret department, for one thing. He might be tall, blond and handsome but he has an irritating way of getting on Ellie's nerves. He might be super sophisticated and educated but she took great pleasure in assuring him that she knew what fork to use at a posh dinner party and could hold up her end of a conversation about art and the theatre.

So Ellie, Uncle Mick and assorted friends on both the sunny and shady sides of society find themselves fighting Nazi spies and English traitors for the war effort. If, at first, things do not turn out well, like a dead traitor next to an empty safe, they carry on. Ellis shines at a house party as she scopes out the five possible suspects. She did her research on each one, much to the Major's surprise. In fact, he has to admire her ingenuity....she can think on her feet and almost single-handedly saves the day!

This is going to be such an enjoyable series. Ellie is a wonderful heroine, smart, sophisticated, and sassy. Major Ramsey is already losing some of his stiff upper lip. And the secondary characters from London's hard-working not-quite-legit class are a pure delight

I listened to the audio version and Alison Larkin did a marvelous with the various voices. ( )

One of these days, I'll tire of reading historical mysteries set during World War II, but I don't show any signs of slowing down-- especially when books like Ashley Weaver's A Peculiar Combination are being published. If you're a fan of series like Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope or Allison Montclair's Sparks and Bainbridge, you're going to enjoy adding this new series to your reading list.

Ellie is smart, brave, and definitely a quick thinker. Her reasons for distrusting law enforcement give her character more depth and will definitely have readers on her side. Once Ellie begins working with Major Ramsey, she likes the feeling it gives her; she feels that, for the first time in a long time, she's doing something good. Ellie gets stubborn when anyone tries to intimidate her, and I really appreciated the fact that, although there are times she doesn't want to tell the irritating Major Ramsey everything she knows, she's smart enough to realize that keeping things from him will only cause her grief in the long run.

Naturally, the major with a titled background, Hollywood good looks, and ramrod down his back is there to provide a hint of impending romance as well as a source of annoyance. Normally, I don't care for romance in my mysteries, but Weaver has such a light touch with it that I enjoyed the sparks, and she makes the major's backstory so intriguing that I have to know more.

The mystery is a good one in A Peculiar Combination, the story flows smoothly, and with the main characters so skillfully introduced, I'm looking forward to more burgling, safecracking, and romantic sparks in the books to come.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) ( )

Ellie McDonnell is drafted into the British Intelligence effort when she and her Uncle Mick are caught trying to break into a safe in a supposedly empty house. British Intelligence in the person of Major Ramsey has a need for a safecracker.

There is a scheme to substitute false plans and false intelligence to send to the Germans but first they need to recover the papers. Ellie is willing to do her bit for king and country but she really doesn't get along with Major Ramsey who seems unnecessarily rigid and secretive.

The original plan goes awry when they find the safe empty and the body of the suspected traitor with his throat cut. Now they have to discover where the papers went and who is involved in the possible treason. Ellie finds herself attending a society party potentially filled with traitors along with Major Gabriel Ramsey. She's supposed to be his new girlfriend which is an uncomfortable situation since his old girlfriend is also at the party and is also one of the suspects.

This was an enjoyable mystery with an interesting World War II setting. Ellie is an interesting character and so is Gabriel Ramsey. I look forward to further adventures. ( )

theft, espionage, London, romance, family-dynamics, family, WW2, murder, historical-fiction****

Perhaps it takes a thief to catch a --spy?
Ellie usually works the safes and locks with her uncle but gets blackmailed by a supercilious army major apparently working in espionage. They get along like flint and steel but he needs her peculiar skills to plant false documents to out another agent and give false information to the Germans. There's a murder or two and some interesting adventures complete with suspense. Nice start to a new series!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. ( )