An inescapable island dooms all!

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The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal 
                          

 Maggie Hope finds herself in a dire situation in friendly territory. Sequested on the remote Scottish island of Scara (aka 'the cooler' and the 'Forbidden Island') by the Special Operations Executive for nebulous reasons, along with other rogue agents, things take a sinister turn. Meanwhile  Maggie's friends think she's on another mission. No one is aware of Maggie's incarceration. No one is looking for her, until Maggie's needed as a witness for a court case, and even then information is not forthcoming from SOE. Her friends have to take other routes to suss out what's become of her.
Meanwhile, the inhabitants (a rather motley crew, incarcerated for good and not good reasons) of the island begin to meet with foul play. The island becomes a death trap, and there is no way to leave. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's 'Then There Were None', the tension ramps up as Maggie and her companions are left not knowing who to trust and what the end game is.
Another macabre story about the island and it's previous owner underscores the seclusion of the island, adding grist to the mill as the current inhabitants look to surviving.
I enjoyed this further Maggie 'dare doing' but was not as taken with this Hope novel as I have been with previous titles.

 A NetGalley ARC

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