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The Undercover Bookshop
Katherine Reay
Publication Date: October 6th, 2026
Harper Muse
315 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Women’s Fiction
This was a wonderful cozy mystery that takes place in the 1950s during the Cold War, based on true events in a village called Great Rollright.
Gemma’s childhood took place during WWII, so all she wants now is a quiet life. She loves mystery books starring detectives, often wishes she could be one, and wants to open the very first bookstore in the village. She also starts taking baking lessons from her neighbour, Ursula. That’s when Gemma starts to notice odd things—shortwave radios and letters hidden in trees, to name a couple. Gemma doesn’t know if her imagination from reading detective novels is getting the best of her, or if maybe Ursula is actually a spy.
Of course, Gemma gets herself into a heap of dangerous circumstances, and her sleuthing ways lead to espionage involving both the KGB and MI5. I loved the game of cat and mouse Gemma was involved in and how smart she was—it goes to show that reading fiction can teach you a thing or two!
In a word, this book was charming. I loved the setting and the timeline, and the author did a great job making both come to life. It was amazing to see two completely different atmospheres in the same village: the everyday life of going to church, baking contests, and visiting bookstores mingled nicely with the secret lives of spies. I found this made the story very engaging, even if it made the pacing a little unbalanced at times.
Many of the plot twists and turns were completely surprising to this seasoned reader, but I still found it fun and enjoyable. This was a pleasant way to read away the weekend, and I give the author props for her wonderful research of a real person from history.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
