A Peculiar Combination
- Downloads：5251
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-21 11:31:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ashley Weaver
- ISBN：1662081731
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Lori Bonkoski
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This new series begins with a crime and moves on from there。 When Electra and her uncle are caught breaking into a safe， they are taken into custody and recruited for the war effort in London。 An interesting connection between the crooks and the military is the basis for this story。 I loved the combination of suspense and humor in the story。 If you enjoy Amory Ames， you will delight in this book。 I look first to more to come！
K。 East
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The title of this book is intended， I expect， to suggest how peculiar it was to employ crooks to do the legitimate work of the British government during WWII [the irony of that statement with regards to the current status of crookedness in government will not escape you， I'm sure]。 So while the juxtaposition of what is crooked vs what is moral during war time is an interesting premise， the book wasn't as good as I had hoped。 My primary complaint is that the mystery was almost overwhelmed by the The title of this book is intended， I expect， to suggest how peculiar it was to employ crooks to do the legitimate work of the British government during WWII [the irony of that statement with regards to the current status of crookedness in government will not escape you， I'm sure]。 So while the juxtaposition of what is crooked vs what is moral during war time is an interesting premise， the book wasn't as good as I had hoped。 My primary complaint is that the mystery was almost overwhelmed by the romantic tension that permeated the entire novel， from chapter 2 until the end。 Every time Ellie was in the room with one of the two good looking young men in the book， her internal monolog was hijacked by pheromones！ In fact， being awake seemed to be enough to trigger that kind of diversionary thinking。 While Ellie came off as feisty for a female of the period， she lacked the kind of independence that the character seemed to promise at the beginning。 She started off being resourceful， but then the plot seemed to sideline her and she ended up the hapless female victim that has to be rescued by the strong， silent man。 A bit of a turnoff for me。 I've read one of the author's books in the Amory Ames series， and I have to say that this type of flimsy female was present in that series， as well。 Too bad。 I thought the premise had potential。 。。。more
Nancy
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enjoyable summer read
Deborah
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Ashley Weaver has outdone herself with her new Electra McDonnell series。 A wonderfully spunky heroine with delightful supporting characters such as Felix and Uncle Mick。 Safecrackers and jewel thieves and forgers add to this WW11 spy thriller with some romance thrown in to add to the delight。 Can’t wait for the next in the series。
Emaincharm
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I’ve read Ms Weaver’s Amory Ames series and have enjoyed them tremendously， so I was eager to start on this new Electra McDonnell series。 I have to say I like Electra even more than I liked the Amory series。 The setting is wonderful and slightly more unique than these typical glided/Golden Age mysteries。 I really like how Electra comes from a family who dabbles on the wrong side of the law， which makes her skillsets plausible， and her rebellious nature very appropriate。I also like the motley cre I’ve read Ms Weaver’s Amory Ames series and have enjoyed them tremendously， so I was eager to start on this new Electra McDonnell series。 I have to say I like Electra even more than I liked the Amory series。 The setting is wonderful and slightly more unique than these typical glided/Golden Age mysteries。 I really like how Electra comes from a family who dabbles on the wrong side of the law， which makes her skillsets plausible， and her rebellious nature very appropriate。I also like the motley crew of individuals being introduced in the series。 Uncle Mick for example， seems lovely， and the little glimpses we have of the rest of Electra’s family， like her cousins and Nacy， is wonderful。 I’m eager to learn more about them in future novels。 As for Electra’s love interest？ I’m not quite certain where it’s headed at the moment。 I have my suspicion and a preference， but I’m happy to go along with Ms Weaver for now。 Hopefully she has the same favourite candidate as me！ 😃 。。。more
Kate
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While I enjoyed A Peculiar Combination， it also took quite a while to really get good。 It had an extremely slow start。I would recommend the Amory Ames series over the Electra McDonnell series。 I will read the next book， though as hopefully it will skip past all the setup that this required。
Mandi
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I love a good historical fiction mystery and this one did not disappoint。 The storyline flowed well and kept me intrigued from beginning to end。 Definitely recommend and can't wait to read more by this author！ I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 All opinions are my own。 I love a good historical fiction mystery and this one did not disappoint。 The storyline flowed well and kept me intrigued from beginning to end。 Definitely recommend and can't wait to read more by this author！ I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Gail
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I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery。 The characters were so well developed and there were a few unique personalities among them。 The story takes place mostly in London during WWII， and the plot was very well developed。 The ending was completely unexpected。 This is the first of her Electra McDonnell series， and I look forward to reading those to come。
Abigail Young
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3。5 maybe。 Not much to it but if the characters get fleshed out more in the next one it could be good。 Fun easy story。
ljk
，
A Heroine to LoveAs a reader I must enjoy some of the characters in each book。 This has some lovely ones along with an excellent plot and more to come。Who could resist？
Andrea
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This was an enjoyable palate-cleanser book for me！ It was predictable but in a comforting way。
Mariko Tsubaki
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This was a great start to a new series set in England during WWII。 The heroine is Electra "Ellie" McDonnell， a smart and sassy thief。 After being caught in the act of robbing a house， she is blackmailed into the espionage game。 Her "handler"， the dashing Major Ramsey， is everything Ellie is not。 Together， they race against the clock to outwit the Germans。 I love this new series with it cast of misfits banning together to do their part to help win the war。 I cannot wait for the next for the next This was a great start to a new series set in England during WWII。 The heroine is Electra "Ellie" McDonnell， a smart and sassy thief。 After being caught in the act of robbing a house， she is blackmailed into the espionage game。 Her "handler"， the dashing Major Ramsey， is everything Ellie is not。 Together， they race against the clock to outwit the Germans。 I love this new series with it cast of misfits banning together to do their part to help win the war。 I cannot wait for the next for the next adventure。Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing a copy of this book for review。 。。。more
Kimberly Ann
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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 th 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 。。。more
Panda Incognito
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This was delightful。 The story is more of a spy thriller than a traditional mystery， but I haven't enjoyed a new entry in a mystery series this much in a long time。 The author creates a solid sense of time and place despite her occasional anachronisms （e。g。， inconsistent attention to WWII rationing）， the POV voice is convincing and consistent， and the story is full of vivid scenes， witty banter， exciting twists and turns， and easy-to-visualize settings and action sequences。The book is also delig This was delightful。 The story is more of a spy thriller than a traditional mystery， but I haven't enjoyed a new entry in a mystery series this much in a long time。 The author creates a solid sense of time and place despite her occasional anachronisms （e。g。， inconsistent attention to WWII rationing）， the POV voice is convincing and consistent， and the story is full of vivid scenes， witty banter， exciting twists and turns， and easy-to-visualize settings and action sequences。The book is also delightfully clean。 There are references to attraction and sexuality， but there is nothing in here that I， the biggest prude imaginable， wouldn't have been chill with reading at age fourteen。 （view spoiler）[There is a scene where the main character and the love interest are about to be caught snooping in a private room at someone's house， and they start making out as a decoy to explain their absence from the party， but this is just a step up from the hilarious escalator scene in the second Captain America movie。 It's played for drama and laughs， and a little bit of sexual tension here， but it isn't smutty at all。 （hide spoiler）] This was a very fun read， and I would recommend it to adults and teens who enjoy clean and lighthearted historical mysteries or spy thrillers。 。。。more
Belen
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I can't wait to see what Electra McDonnell does in the future。 It was a fun adventure。 I can't wait to see what Electra McDonnell does in the future。 It was a fun adventure。 。。。more
Beth
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This is the first book in a new series by the author of the Amory Ames mystery series （which I love）。 It's 1940 in London and Ellie McDonnell is on a job with her uncle， breaking into a safe， when they are arrested。 But things take a turn when they are asked to put their skills to use to help in an intelligence operation。 The attractive Major Ramsey is leading the operation， and both he and Ellie have their secrets。 I enjoyed the book， and the story moved quickly - I look forward to future insta This is the first book in a new series by the author of the Amory Ames mystery series （which I love）。 It's 1940 in London and Ellie McDonnell is on a job with her uncle， breaking into a safe， when they are arrested。 But things take a turn when they are asked to put their skills to use to help in an intelligence operation。 The attractive Major Ramsey is leading the operation， and both he and Ellie have their secrets。 I enjoyed the book， and the story moved quickly - I look forward to future installments in this new series。 。。。more
Mhd
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More than 4-star but not really enough for the fifth star here。。。yet。。。but I can understand & accept the 5-star ratings！ Really quite pleasant and enjoyable。 I'm eager for #2 to be written。 Some similarity in setting to Maisie Dobbs and， at least so far， it may be even better （and thankfully， no attempts at regional accents）。 Interesting characters and clever mystery with complications。 More than 4-star but not really enough for the fifth star here。。。yet。。。but I can understand & accept the 5-star ratings！ Really quite pleasant and enjoyable。 I'm eager for #2 to be written。 Some similarity in setting to Maisie Dobbs and， at least so far， it may be even better （and thankfully， no attempts at regional accents）。 Interesting characters and clever mystery with complications。 。。。more
Carla Bunch
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Lovely mix of history， drama， and romance in a caper-type story。
Beth Anne
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Super fun！ A mystery/espionage quick read set in early WWII London。 Solid intro to quirky （but not too quirky） characters， a feisty female lead， and some great twists。 I think this will be a fun series to look forward to！
Megan Sanks
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A bit of a slow start， but once it got going， I had a great time！ I'm always a fan of the "we have to pretend we're dating， and then to avoid suspicion when we get caught spying， we have to make out" trope。 A bit of a slow start， but once it got going， I had a great time！ I'm always a fan of the "we have to pretend we're dating， and then to avoid suspicion when we get caught spying， we have to make out" trope。 。。。more
Kathleen Freeman
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I really enjoyed this book， I really liked the premise of the story and the characters。 I hope there are more books to come in this series。
Anne
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I am a massive fan of Weaver's previous Amory Ames series， so I had to pick up this book as soon as I could。 And for the most part， I enjoyed it。 The mystery was fun， full of twists and turns and daring adventures。 However， I did find the book was a bit slow and focused all too much on the romance。 Don't get me wrong， I love a bit of added romance to spice up a mystery series， and some of my favorite mystery series （Her Royal Spyness， the Gaslight Mysteries， etc。） contain some romance。 But I fel I am a massive fan of Weaver's previous Amory Ames series， so I had to pick up this book as soon as I could。 And for the most part， I enjoyed it。 The mystery was fun， full of twists and turns and daring adventures。 However， I did find the book was a bit slow and focused all too much on the romance。 Don't get me wrong， I love a bit of added romance to spice up a mystery series， and some of my favorite mystery series （Her Royal Spyness， the Gaslight Mysteries， etc。） contain some romance。 But I felt like more than half of the book focused on a romance that didn't seem to go anywhere。 If it had been more in the backdrop， I would have loved this book ten times as well。 However， it's still an enjoyable read about a semi-criminal girl who is pulled into a plot to break into a safe by the military as an alternative to prison during WWII， only to discover murder and spying intrigue on the way。 。。。more
Linda
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I read some， but not all of the author’s Amory Ames mystery series that started off in 1932。 I remembered I enjoyed her Agatha Christie-like style of writing。 A Peculiar Combination begins in 1940 with the thief， Electra McDonnell。 War has broken out and times are tough。 Electra’s extended family has been stealing for a short while。 Logic dictates they choose people who can afford it。 Since her cousins are now actively serving in the war， it is left up to ‘Ellie’ and Uncle Mick to break into the I read some， but not all of the author’s Amory Ames mystery series that started off in 1932。 I remembered I enjoyed her Agatha Christie-like style of writing。 A Peculiar Combination begins in 1940 with the thief， Electra McDonnell。 War has broken out and times are tough。 Electra’s extended family has been stealing for a short while。 Logic dictates they choose people who can afford it。 Since her cousins are now actively serving in the war， it is left up to ‘Ellie’ and Uncle Mick to break into the homes。 What they weren’t counting on was getting caught and by someone from the military。 Major Ramsey offered them a deal: work for him or go to prison。 Don’t worry， all of this is revealed in the first few chapters。 Needless-to-say， there is plenty of friction between Ellie and Ramsey。 There is also another man， Ellie’s childhood friend， Felix， who gets involved。 You can tell the men only tolerate each other。 The suspense was good with a nice little twist that I did not see coming。 I assume Ms。 Weaver will have Ramsey and Felix vying for Ellie’s affections in future stories。 It will be interesting to see what the next mystery reveals。 3。75 stars 。。。more
Kim
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Enjoyable new series。
Nadine
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This clever novel takes place in London during the Blitz。 The narrator and her family are accomplished thieves。 After being given a tip that an empty house has a full safe waiting to be cracked， Ellie and her Uncle Mick are apprehended。But instead of being in the custody of the police， they become recruited by military intelligence。 Their particular skill set is required to find a nest of Nazi spies。 This book is the start of a series that proved to be entertaining。
Marta
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Fabulous in every way: Electra is a charming， family loving，beautiful thief who very much wants to serve her country when it turns out her skills could aide England from the schemes of German spies。I love all side characters。The mystery was excellent- involving double crosses， both unexpected but also not too difficult to follow。There is a love triangle brewing that actually seems intriguing and fun。 Good for Electra！ She's too nice to want to hurt anybody， but I have my vote in。If this wasn't g Fabulous in every way: Electra is a charming， family loving，beautiful thief who very much wants to serve her country when it turns out her skills could aide England from the schemes of German spies。I love all side characters。The mystery was excellent- involving double crosses， both unexpected but also not too difficult to follow。There is a love triangle brewing that actually seems intriguing and fun。 Good for Electra！ She's too nice to want to hurt anybody， but I have my vote in。If this wasn't going to be a series， I'd be very sad。Alison Larkin narrates and she does such a good job， it is impossible for me to tell if I would have liked the book less if I were reading it。 The whole experience came to life。 。。。more
Christina Cook
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Very fun！！
Beachreader
，
Weaver has created an interesting protagonist for her newest historical mystery series。 Electra， who goes by Ellie， is involved in the family locksmith business and in their illegal side business of safecracking。 She and her uncle are drawn into helping an espionage agent foil the attempts of the Nazis to obtain a set of secret plans。 This is the setup for the series。The characters are well drawn and the settings are fully described。 The story is a bit muddled and drags at times， but there is en Weaver has created an interesting protagonist for her newest historical mystery series。 Electra， who goes by Ellie， is involved in the family locksmith business and in their illegal side business of safecracking。 She and her uncle are drawn into helping an espionage agent foil the attempts of the Nazis to obtain a set of secret plans。 This is the setup for the series。The characters are well drawn and the settings are fully described。 The story is a bit muddled and drags at times， but there is enough mystery to keep it interesting。 I think most of the plot is evident to the reader and any twists or surprises the author thought she had created are not actually effective。There are hints of romance and two possible suitors between whom Ellie might need to choose。 There are unanswered questions about Ellie's mother that will probably thread their way through the series。I think the author's other mystery series featuring Amory Ames got off to a better start。 The Electra McDonnell books may improve as the series progresses。 I hope so。 I am willing to try the next one。 。。。more
Megan Williams
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Book #1 in a new series！ And yes， it's good。 It's WWII and London is finding it needs the 'specialized' skills of the criminal society。。。and they do it with disdain。 In this outing they needed safe crackers to retrieve some important documents that are being leaked to Germany。 There is Upper class and Middle class， wealthy vs poors， spies and romance。 A great start！ Book #1 in a new series！ And yes， it's good。 It's WWII and London is finding it needs the 'specialized' skills of the criminal society。。。and they do it with disdain。 In this outing they needed safe crackers to retrieve some important documents that are being leaked to Germany。 There is Upper class and Middle class， wealthy vs poors， spies and romance。 A great start！ 。。。more
Susan
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