Maggie Matheson: Last Orders: (The Maggie Matheson Collection Book 3) by Ian Hornett

Maggie Matheson: Last Orders: (The Maggie Matheson Collection Book 3) Reviews

• 
  Laura

  Diamonds are forever in the ongoing return from retirement of Maggie  Matheson, Senior Spy, now back from operating Down Undercover. It’s not long before she finds herself—along with Agent Meera Basu and a helpful taxi driver named Adil—with cover blown, up North, and up at the top of the legendary ‘199 Steps’ of Whitby, fish ‘n chip capital of Great Britain.
  
  The almost-theme of surf ‘n turf (I know, but spuds do grow under the turf. Gimme a break) continues not long afterwards, when Maggie’s to be found sitting in a Bromley chippie, eating a fish supper and telling her story to one Arthur, the proprietor, who questions the veracity of her extraordinary tale.
  
  ‘If I could make up stories like this, I’d be writing books for a living,’ is Maggie’s response. Tell it to author Ian Hornett, who’s once more woven a wonderfully-tangled web of a storyline, in which the chippie gives place to the bistro, cod and chips to boeuf bourguignon and frites as a colourful cast of characters in a disparate in-league (or not) of nations—British, Australian, Russian, Pakistani, French and more—converges on Paris for multicultural mayhem, including an appropriately-named Mexican standoff.
  
  Maggie’s once more open to the machinations of her arch-enemy, international criminal Tina Sheldon, and it’s not looking good. Has Fate called Time for the Senior Spy? Will her Last Orders lead to her last tango in Paris, or even her last stand? Will she be Custer, or the crème de la crème anglaise? Film Noir to the final 'Fin', or Carry On Maggie? The files aren't Classified. On the contrary they're for your eyes only—required reading, innit bruv?
• 
  Angela Cairns

  Book Review
  
  Maggie Matheson - last orders
  
  Full of slick one liners and the cleverly penned inconveniences of older age the redoubtable super-spy is out of retirement yet again and on the trail of criminals determined to threaten world peace.
  She’s also on the trail of her son whom she dares to believe could be alive despite the evidence to the contrary. Darker and more poignant than the previous books in the series because we sense Maggie seriously wounded by personal loss and more frail than previously.
  An interesting mix of emotions as we follow our octogenarian spy through her last adventures - perhaps?
• 
  Julia Blake

  It's Maggie Matheson’s last escapade and it’s a good one. Having faithfully followed Maggie through her two previous adventures, I looked forward to discovering how the story ended. Could this book possibly match up to the previous two? I needn’t have worried. “Last Orders” delivers and then some and is my favourite book in the trilogy.
  
  All the old gang are there — except Bill, Maggie’s son — and the story opens with Maggie and her friends mourning his loss. After that, it’s business as usual as Maggie must contend with drug dealers, crazed assassins, and a master criminal who wishes to rule the world. So, pretty much a typical Monday for Maggie Matheson the octogenarian spy. Maggie deals with all this malarky like she does everything else in life — with copious amounts of tea and a nice sit down now and then.
  
  I have enjoyed the Maggie books so much. It’s a refreshing change to have a spy thriller set in Britain and for the main character to not only be female but also be in her eighties. Seeing the world of espionage through Maggie’s eyes is a very different experience to viewing it through the vision of James Bond. Less jumping out of planes and more struggling to get up from low chairs. Maggie must use her brain, her quick wits, and her ever-mobile mouth, to get her and her gang out of trouble, rather than rely on muscle and fancy weapons.
  
  The writing is whimsical and gently humorous as the author pokes affectionate fun at Maggie and her list of ailments. The Maggie trilogy is a great read for all ages and a wonderful demonstration to the younger reader that life does not end at forty — or even eighty — and that senior citizens can be valuable members of society, even if they do need to find a lavatory every twenty minutes. Overall, the trilogy is one I highly recommend and receives a solid five stars from me.
  
• 
  Barbara Lennox

  This is the latest comedy spy thriller series featuring the octogenarian MI5 veteran and technophobe, Maggie Mathieson and her formidable array of sidekicks. In this novel Maggie returns to Europe and the action moves from England to Paris. Maggie, of course, takes centre stage in what is probably the last in the series and (spoiler alert) I was delighted to see she was awarded a HEA ending, something that was very much in doubt at several heart-stopping moments in the story. With its many twists and turns, characters popping up from the dead, or changing sides as swiftly as a chameleon changes its colours, you need to keep your wits about you to follow the plot, but the details of what’s going on matter less than the splendid character of Maggie herself, the sparkling dialogue and the many clever pieces of wordplay. ‘For a straight-talking outbacker, he does tend to back out of talking straight’ was just one of my favourites, referring to the brilliantly written character of Dingo, Maggie’s love-interest, who ‘tosses about metaphors like a kangaroo flinging around a box of boomerangs’. A satisfying end to an enjoyable series.
• 
  Rachel Reads

  Maggie's back! The Octogenarian's final outing introduces new allies and new enemies, and keeps Maggie drawing on her years of experience as a spy to stay alive, solve the case, and keep the world from nuclear disaster. Her journey takes her to Whitby, London, and eventually Paris for an absolutely heart-stopping showdown with the ever-present bad guys.
  
  I'm a big fan of this series. I love Maggie, and her ability to get out of (almost) any situation by being variously charming, sweet, cunning, clever, acting the clown, taking every opportunity that comes her way, gathering a loyal team to support her, and stubbornly refusing to act her age. Her long years of experience outwitting bad guys and using teamwork to get the job done give her an advantage over her younger adversaries, and it is wonderful to see this experience in action.
  
  As for the ending ... I might forgive the author. One day. And in the meantime I'll give the book a very well deserved five stars.
  
  For more reviews, visit my blog –
  Unsupervised in a Bookstore.
• 
  Michele Packard

  Is this the final chapter in Maggie's thrilling saga? This series provides a reassuring embrace that evokes laughter, joy, action, contemplation, and a genuine eagerness to delve into the next page. Maggie's charming escapades are a source of delight, inspiring us all to embody her unique blend of humor, wisdom, and unwavering dedication to safeguarding our loved ones.
• 
  Susanne Perry

  Perfect addition to the Maggie Matheson saga. Big changes continue for Maggs (my hero!) as she travels to Paris, takes up with a new Significant Other, outwits more villains with her vast spy experience, and reunites with family members. But is this truly goodbye? Or will Maggie return for another adventure? I can only hope!
• 
  Nannette Kreitzman

  Another winner!
  
  I don’t know what kind of wizardry Hornett uses to understand the inner working of an elderly woman’s mind, but he nailed it yet again in Maggie Matheson: Last Orders, the final book of The Maggie Matheson Collection. These humorous musings and antics, combined with intriguing secret agent shenanigans, have made for a must read trilogy I’m sorry to see the last of. I recommend starting with the first book for the best reading experience.
• 
  Bruce Spydar

  Wonderfully entertaining!
  Such a brilliant mix of ‘silly old gran’ and ‘observational genius;’ if this really is Last Orders, Maggie Matheson will be missed.
  Having been in Australia last time out, Maggie is whisked around the exotic localities of Bedford, Whitby, and Bromley, before ending up in Paris for the finale. We travel with some familiar characters as well as new ones while, alongside Maggie, we try to distinguish friend from foe, and work out all the links between them.
  While the plot hangs together beautifully, it is the observational wit and throwaway lines that set this series apart. Whether you see the gags coming or not, you’ll laugh at them anyway. If you enjoyed Maggie’s first adventure, there’s no doubt you’ll enjoy them all. I only hope there might be another comeback … after Last Orders, perhaps ‘One for the Road.’