Bree Parrish, the lead in this first installment of McGurk’s (Dark Before Dawn) Norwood Nanny Chronicles, has her sights set on becoming one of the Norwood Agency’s famously trained nannies, until she discovers the opportunity is nothing like she expected. In the course of her training, Bree—who has always believed she was orphaned as a young child when her parents died in a vehicle crash—stumbles onto decades-old secrets and baffling mysteries that haunt the agency, making her question what is real as she’s swept into a labyrinth of lies, betrayal, and espionage that threatens her life and puts her friends in danger. McGurk weaves a well-paced, suspenseful story rich with puzzling events, surprise turns, and an irresistible premise, all while always taking care to develop her characters, fleshing out the distinctive backgrounds that will make Bree and her three close roommates–Ruby, Dash, and Susie–relatable for thriller readers of all ages. There’s no shortage of action alongside the suspense, either: when Bree and her cohorts realize they’ve been tapped to become part of an intricate spy system controlled by the Secret Intelligence Service, they start a grueling training program that eventually drops them into the middle of political reconnaissance in Turkey, all under the guise of being elite nannies. When Bree’s mission goes south and lives are lost, she braces herself for the fallout–and in the process learns painful truths about her parents and her friends.
Readers who crave thrillers that keep them guessing, with doubts about who can be trusted at every turn, will delight in the hazards that Bree and her friends face. McGurk uses the straight-laced, old England nanny system to offset recklessly dangerous undercover work, and her skillful pacing will keep readers attentive–all the way to the cliffhanger ending. Backmatter includes Q&A with the author and a sneak peek into book two of this entertaining series.
Takeaway: A twisty thriller following undercover spies who pose as nannies, loaded with betrayal, action, and suspense.
Great for fans of: Jenetta Penner’s Configured, Jillian Dodd’s The Prince.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
