From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies Choir comes a thrilling new WWII story about a village busybodythe mighty Mrs. Braithwaitewho resolves to find, and then rescue, her missing daughter Mrs. Braithwaite, self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed following her husbands selfish divorce petition. Never deterred, the threat of a family secret being revealed sets her hot-foot to London to find the only person she has lefther clever daughter Betty, who took work there at the first rumbles of war. But when she arrives, Bettys landlord, the timid Mr. Norris, informs her that Betty hasnt been home in days--with the chaos of the bombs, theres no telling what might have befallen her. Aghast, Mrs. Braithwaite sets her bullish determination to the task of finding her only daughter. Storming into the London Blitz, Mrs. Braithwaite drags the reluctant Mr. Norris along as an unwitting sidekick as they piece together Bettys unexpectedly chaotic life. As she is thrown into the midst of danger and death, Mrs. Braithwaite is forced to rethink her old-fashioned notions of status, class, and reputation, and to reconsider the question thats been puzzling her since her world overturned: How do you measure the success of your life? Readers will be charmed by the unforgettable Mrs. Braithwaite and her plucky, ruthless optimism, and find in The Spies of Shilling Lane a novel with surprising twists and turns, quiet humor, and a poignant examination of mothers and daughters and the secrets we keep.
