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Olive Bright Mystery #3
A Courage Undimmed
British pigeoneer Olive Bright is proud of the role her racing birds have played in the war effort and has hopes of becoming an agent herself . . . but first there is a baffling murder to solve.
As the weather turns bitterly cold in the dark days of November 1941, fewer pigeons are being conscripted for missions into occupied Europe and Olive fears her covert program may be dropped altogether. In fact, the new CO of the Baker Street intelligence operation at Brickendonbury Manor, Major Blighty, has expressed his doubts regarding her birds--not to mention Olive herself--and assigned her to a far more insignificant role: escort to a visiting officer of the Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch.
She's none too keen on her assignment or her charge--the aloof and arrogant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming--but the last place she expects to accompany him is to a s�ance. Self-proclaimed medium Velda Dunbar--new to the village of Pipley--has drawn fascination and skepticism after a very public channeling of a doomed seaman aboard the HMS Bartholomew, which she claims has sunk. Fleming remains tight-lipped about his reason for attending her s�ance, but his arrival with Olive raises eyebrows as she is still maintaining the ruse of dating Captain Jameson Aldridge. When murder occurs before her very eyes, Olive must trust her own instincts and not rule out anyone as a suspect--including the secretive Fleming--for one of them is harboring a hidden deadly agenda.
As the weather turns bitterly cold in the dark days of November 1941, fewer pigeons are being conscripted for missions into occupied Europe and Olive fears her covert program may be dropped altogether. In fact, the new CO of the Baker Street intelligence operation at Brickendonbury Manor, Major Blighty, has expressed his doubts regarding her birds--not to mention Olive herself--and assigned her to a far more insignificant role: escort to a visiting officer of the Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch.
She's none too keen on her assignment or her charge--the aloof and arrogant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming--but the last place she expects to accompany him is to a s�ance. Self-proclaimed medium Velda Dunbar--new to the village of Pipley--has drawn fascination and skepticism after a very public channeling of a doomed seaman aboard the HMS Bartholomew, which she claims has sunk. Fleming remains tight-lipped about his reason for attending her s�ance, but his arrival with Olive raises eyebrows as she is still maintaining the ruse of dating Captain Jameson Aldridge. When murder occurs before her very eyes, Olive must trust her own instincts and not rule out anyone as a suspect--including the secretive Fleming--for one of them is harboring a hidden deadly agenda.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published January 24, 2023
13 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Graves
3 books80 followersStephanie Graves is the author of the Olive Bright Mysteries, as well as four novels under the pseudonym Alyssa Goodnight. As a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, she worked in Austin as a product engineer on automotive application microcontrollers before returning to Houston and becoming the mom of two boys. She is a self-professed connoisseur of British mysteries of all sorts and has done extensive research on the little-known role of pigeons during the war, as well as the Special Operations Executive, particularly their school for sabotage, Station XVII: Brickendonbury Manor.
source: Amazon
Stephanie Graves also writes as Alyssa Goodnight
source: Amazon
Stephanie Graves also writes as Alyssa Goodnight
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 23, 2023
This is the third book in the series and while I read book one I am pretty sure I haven’t read book two,, but it wasn’t a problem to follow the story. Olive Bright is a fun character. I love her admiration of mysteries in literature and use those stories to help her solve real crimes. I also like how front and center are the efforts women men for the war instead of the more traditional focuses on combat or espionage. I thought Olive did some good growing int his story which makes it my favorite so far. I did think the mystery was a little disappointing but it had some good twists and turns. Olive is invited to a seance but they’re in for surprise when instead of communication with the dead someone joins the dead. And while local law enforcement is on it Olive can’t help but investigate on her own as well.
December 5, 2022
Another fabulous entry in a stellar historical mystery series! Seriously, this one has it all--a smart and witty heroine, well-drawn characters, insightful history, intricate mysteries, and a swoon-worthy romance. If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of sleuth Olive Bright, you really must remedy that ASAP.
September 4, 2022
Olive Bright has her hands full with her work as a FANNY, her work with her pigeons, and her family, but she manages to find some time to devote to finding the murderer of a new resident to Pipley, one who claims to communicate with the dead. She’d already ruffled enough feathers to create plenty of suspects.
The mystery is intriguing, the historical details are fascinating, but where Graves really excels is in pulling the reader right into the story. Pipley feels like a real British village during wartime. The characters give me all the feels of Call the Midwife or All Creatures Great and Small, but with an intrepid sleuth. This is a series you can really lose yourself in—and I think you should!
The mystery is intriguing, the historical details are fascinating, but where Graves really excels is in pulling the reader right into the story. Pipley feels like a real British village during wartime. The characters give me all the feels of Call the Midwife or All Creatures Great and Small, but with an intrepid sleuth. This is a series you can really lose yourself in—and I think you should!
February 15, 2023
Olive Bright juggles her responsibilities as an employee at a top-secret military training installation in her home village in wartime England, mainstay of her veterinarian-father's household, trainer of homing pigeons for the military, and village sleuth. A newcomer to the village reveals that she's a medium, and is hired to hold a seance--during which she's murdered. The ineffectual police do find two kinds of poison in the medium's system. Olive and her commanding officer have been having a pretend-romance to keep the villagers from suspecting that the time they spend together is based on Olive's work for the military, but she's developed real feelings for him, and wonders how he feels about her. She's still deciding if she wants to join the secret agents who parachute into Nazi-occupied Europe at risk of their life. As you can tell by this partial synopsis, there's a lot going on in this book (including the attack on Pearl Harbor that brings Americans into the war), and maybe it's too much for one book.
January 18, 2023
Book Three in the Olive Bright series is a splendid cozy mystery set in a British village, with Allied spies training nearby to wreak havoc across WWII Europe.
There's even an appearance by Naval Commander Ian Fleming (the very one!) and a fantastic cast of characters led by Olive, feisty pigeoneer and FANY, and her handsome boss Captain Jamie Aldridge.
COURAGE can be read solo but compels readers to circle back to the first two books to get the full force of author Stephanie Graves' gripping tale, which kept me up late, made me laugh, made me swoon, and left me on tenterhooks wondering who committed the village murder and if a vital mission would succeed against the Nazis in 1942. Highly recommended!
There's even an appearance by Naval Commander Ian Fleming (the very one!) and a fantastic cast of characters led by Olive, feisty pigeoneer and FANY, and her handsome boss Captain Jamie Aldridge.
COURAGE can be read solo but compels readers to circle back to the first two books to get the full force of author Stephanie Graves' gripping tale, which kept me up late, made me laugh, made me swoon, and left me on tenterhooks wondering who committed the village murder and if a vital mission would succeed against the Nazis in 1942. Highly recommended!
March 23, 2023
#3 in the Olive Bright historical mystery series. WWII England. Rated 3 stars. A cozy series although the author's notes at the end gave more historical details to the horrific events which inspired this story.
November 1, 2024
Although I had rather high expectations for this historical novel, I was quite disappointed. Had to basically skip over large parts of the book. Found the story only so-so and the writing lacking. Can not recommend:(
October 17, 2022
November 1941. Outside the small English village of Pipley, the Special Operations Executive has set up “Station XVII”, a top secret site for the training of agents who will eventually operate behind enemy lines. Olive Bright is on the staff as a member of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY). She has also been recruited to train and supply racing pigeons for missions in occupied Europe. But now there’s a new station commander. And he doesn’t believe that women should have any role in fighting the war, and that includes the training of pigeons for undercover operations. So he’s given Olive an assignment he thinks worthy of her training. Escort Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming of Royal Navy Intelligence on a tour of Station XVII. But Fleming has ulterior motives, and immediately drags Olive along with him into the village to find it’s newest resident.
Mrs. Velda Dunbar claims to have the ability to “speak to those souls who have passed beyond this world.” In a very strange episode in the village she makes contact with a seaman from the HMS Bartholomew, a ship on which are stationed several residents of the village.
“Eight hundred sixty-two souls perished on the twenty-fifth of November, among them Captain David Rodery. I was beside him when he went.”
Is there a possibility that Mrs Dunbar’s abilities were legitimate? Olive is pretty certain that it’s all a hoax, but when several of the villagers arrange a seance with Mrs Dunbar, she decides to attend…just in case. Unfortunately, this particular medium wasn’t able to see her own death coming.
This is the third book in the Olive Bright series, but it is the first one that I’ve read. While I’m sure it would have helped me to understand some plot points better if I had read the previous books, it was not absolutely necessary and didn’t dim my enjoyment at all. The author does very well at weaving together life on the home-front with actual historic events, people, and little-known facts from WWII.
The character of Olive is particularly engaging. While she is an intelligent and strong individual, she is also quite sensitive, vulnerable, and questioning of her own abilities. I will definitely be going back to read the earlier books so that I can understand more regarding her relationship with Captain Jameson Aldridge. Jamie Aldridge was a bit of an enigma in this book so I’d like to have a better grasp on the character’s backstory.
My one complaint is that the mystery often took a backseat to other aspects of the story. This resulted in an pretty uneven narrative as it jumped from the murder, to Olive’s aspiration to be an agent, to the business of Station XVII and it’s agents, to Olive’s relationship with Jamie Aldridge, and back to the murder.
That being said, this was overall an interesting story and it made for an entertaining and engaging read. I’ll definitely be going back to read the others in the series.
Source: NetGalley and Kensington
Mrs. Velda Dunbar claims to have the ability to “speak to those souls who have passed beyond this world.” In a very strange episode in the village she makes contact with a seaman from the HMS Bartholomew, a ship on which are stationed several residents of the village.
“Eight hundred sixty-two souls perished on the twenty-fifth of November, among them Captain David Rodery. I was beside him when he went.”
Is there a possibility that Mrs Dunbar’s abilities were legitimate? Olive is pretty certain that it’s all a hoax, but when several of the villagers arrange a seance with Mrs Dunbar, she decides to attend…just in case. Unfortunately, this particular medium wasn’t able to see her own death coming.
This is the third book in the Olive Bright series, but it is the first one that I’ve read. While I’m sure it would have helped me to understand some plot points better if I had read the previous books, it was not absolutely necessary and didn’t dim my enjoyment at all. The author does very well at weaving together life on the home-front with actual historic events, people, and little-known facts from WWII.
The character of Olive is particularly engaging. While she is an intelligent and strong individual, she is also quite sensitive, vulnerable, and questioning of her own abilities. I will definitely be going back to read the earlier books so that I can understand more regarding her relationship with Captain Jameson Aldridge. Jamie Aldridge was a bit of an enigma in this book so I’d like to have a better grasp on the character’s backstory.
My one complaint is that the mystery often took a backseat to other aspects of the story. This resulted in an pretty uneven narrative as it jumped from the murder, to Olive’s aspiration to be an agent, to the business of Station XVII and it’s agents, to Olive’s relationship with Jamie Aldridge, and back to the murder.
That being said, this was overall an interesting story and it made for an entertaining and engaging read. I’ll definitely be going back to read the others in the series.
Source: NetGalley and Kensington
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July 21, 2023"The thought that raced through her brain in that moment was simply, 'He's home'.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Kensington Books for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I won a copy of the first book in this series in 2020, and have been hooked ever since! So much so, in fact, that I was checking ARC websites daily within a few months of release just to make sure I didn't miss a chance for the next installment of Olive Bright's adventures!
This time around, we follow Olive finding herself at a seance to prove a claimed medium as a fraud. Unfortunately, what starts out as the possibility of an amusing evening goes quickly awry as the medium herself ends up dead. Can Olive solve the murder while juggling her other responsibilities as a FANY, pigeoneer, and active volunteer in her village, and while also debating whether to pursue becoming a secret agent and her growing feelings for her superior officer and fake boyfriend?
I had such a fun time reading this book! I struggled a little bit trying to remember who some of the minor characters were, but I thoroughly enjoyed reacquainting myself with Olive, Jamie, Jonathan, Violet, Harriet, Max, etc. for another 300 pages, as these characters are so well-written and multi-faceted and feel like real people.
I didn't care so much about the murder mystery as much as just seeing what all the characters were up to. I was sad to see Jamie absent for a large portion of the book, but in retrospect, it made sense, and their scenes were worth a wait or two.
I hope we're blessed with a book 4 next year because I'm excited to be introduced to the American pigeoneers and see what else Jamie and Olive get up to!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Kensington Books for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I won a copy of the first book in this series in 2020, and have been hooked ever since! So much so, in fact, that I was checking ARC websites daily within a few months of release just to make sure I didn't miss a chance for the next installment of Olive Bright's adventures!
This time around, we follow Olive finding herself at a seance to prove a claimed medium as a fraud. Unfortunately, what starts out as the possibility of an amusing evening goes quickly awry as the medium herself ends up dead. Can Olive solve the murder while juggling her other responsibilities as a FANY, pigeoneer, and active volunteer in her village, and while also debating whether to pursue becoming a secret agent and her growing feelings for her superior officer and fake boyfriend?
I had such a fun time reading this book! I struggled a little bit trying to remember who some of the minor characters were, but I thoroughly enjoyed reacquainting myself with Olive, Jamie, Jonathan, Violet, Harriet, Max, etc. for another 300 pages, as these characters are so well-written and multi-faceted and feel like real people.
I didn't care so much about the murder mystery as much as just seeing what all the characters were up to. I was sad to see Jamie absent for a large portion of the book, but in retrospect, it made sense, and their scenes were worth a wait or two.
I hope we're blessed with a book 4 next year because I'm excited to be introduced to the American pigeoneers and see what else Jamie and Olive get up to!
August 22, 2022
Delightful third entry in the Olive Bright series by Stephanie Graves. Set in the village of Pipley, Olive Bright is still reeling from the enlistment of her older brother Lewis and best friend George when she is recruited by the mysterious Captain Jamie Aldridge to serve the war effort. Nearby Brickendonbury Manor has been commandeered by the Special Operations Executive, as Station XVII for industrial sabotage training. Headstrong and impetuous, Olive is determined to do her bit.
A newcomer to the Pipley, a psychic, makes several startling predictions affecting several of the villagers. What she didn't predict was her own death at a seance arranged to connect several villagers with their lost loved ones. Olive races around the countryside on a motorcycle juggling her duties to her family, her family's loft of pigeons, Station XVII, all the while trying to find out what happened to the victim, Mrs. Velda Dunbar.
A Courage Undimmed weaves together real events and people -- such as Operation Anthropoid and Ian Fleming (Navy Commander and future author of James Bond -- into an atmospheric story of life in a small English village on the homefront, with a fresh twist. Olive's work training carrier pigeons and the work of Station XVII are less familiar even for avid readers of WWII fiction. The book brings big changes for Olive and reading the series in order is recommended, but the book easily works as a stand-alone, as well. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this eARC! I can't wait for Olive's next adventure!
#ACourageUndimmed #NetGalley
A newcomer to the Pipley, a psychic, makes several startling predictions affecting several of the villagers. What she didn't predict was her own death at a seance arranged to connect several villagers with their lost loved ones. Olive races around the countryside on a motorcycle juggling her duties to her family, her family's loft of pigeons, Station XVII, all the while trying to find out what happened to the victim, Mrs. Velda Dunbar.
A Courage Undimmed weaves together real events and people -- such as Operation Anthropoid and Ian Fleming (Navy Commander and future author of James Bond -- into an atmospheric story of life in a small English village on the homefront, with a fresh twist. Olive's work training carrier pigeons and the work of Station XVII are less familiar even for avid readers of WWII fiction. The book brings big changes for Olive and reading the series in order is recommended, but the book easily works as a stand-alone, as well. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this eARC! I can't wait for Olive's next adventure!
#ACourageUndimmed #NetGalley
January 1, 2023
A Courage Undimmed is the third in the marvellous Olive Bright series. The cold winter and war advancements of 1941 cause Olive to wonder about the future of her beloved carrier pigeon position in the war. She is given an unexpected new assignment, one which is rife with spying and intrigue. She escorts Lt. Ian Fleming to Intelligence at the spy training center at Brickendonbury and a whirlwind of adventures ensue. Everyone has secrets and a séance reveals more than what Olive bargains for. Not only are minds rattled by what the medium foretells but murder adds a new dimension entirely. Olive's relationship with her supervisor/fake boyfriend Jamie for war purposes continues with banter, sparks and assorted emotions. And then America joins the war.
Olive is a flawed and likeable character, one who almost feels like a friend after reading each novel in the series. Stephanie Graves' imagination and creativity jump from the pages and she has a knack of drawing in the reader quickly and completely. The pigeon carrier slant is engaging and fascinating which is what grabbed me to begin with and her characters firmly keep me invested.
Readers who enjoy Historical Fiction with mysteries do be sure to read the Olive Bright series. For me it is unnecessary to even read the book blurbs...I automatically and happily read what Stephanie Graves writes, knowing my experiences with her books will be rich.
My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this wonderful book and for introducing me to this lively series!
Olive is a flawed and likeable character, one who almost feels like a friend after reading each novel in the series. Stephanie Graves' imagination and creativity jump from the pages and she has a knack of drawing in the reader quickly and completely. The pigeon carrier slant is engaging and fascinating which is what grabbed me to begin with and her characters firmly keep me invested.
Readers who enjoy Historical Fiction with mysteries do be sure to read the Olive Bright series. For me it is unnecessary to even read the book blurbs...I automatically and happily read what Stephanie Graves writes, knowing my experiences with her books will be rich.
My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this wonderful book and for introducing me to this lively series!
January 16, 2023
A clever mystery and WWII homefront atmospherics make this a good read that will satisfy both fans of the series and newbies- who will be fine with this as a standalone (Graves does backstory well). Olive, who works as a FANY, wants to be an agent dropped behind the lines, and who trains pigeons used in the war effort, also solves crimes- to the point where her friends and family are worried about the people of their small village. Well this time, it's Velda Dunbar who dies, a woman who purports to be in contact with the spirit world- a woman who has distressed many with her assertion that a UK warship has sunk. So much so that the Royal Navy has sent Ian Fleming (yes, that one) to look into her as well as into Olive's pigeons. He makes a marvelous cameo player (and much fun is poked at him). If this has sacrificed some of the charm of village life to the hunt for the villain, so be it because we also get a nice dose of Jamie, the Irish operative who is both Olive's boss and her heart. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Now that the US has entered the war.........
April 28, 2023
I think the series is improving as it goes along. I’m really enjoying learning some new aspects of WWII life and newer aspects of the war effort, especially the part that pigeons played.
January 8, 2023
4.5 which I am rounding up to 5 since I could not put A Courage Undimmed down.
Olive Bright is back in full force and she never fails to be in the thick of things.
Not only is a member of FANY, she is training her pigeons and to top it off she is present when another murder occurs in the town of Pipley
Lieutenant Ian Fleming was also present.
Olive is determined to figure out who killed the psychic and diligently gets to work. Agatha Christie would be so proud.
Then there is Jamie. Love these two together.
Should Olive move on and become an agent or stay with FANY and Jamie .
The pages turned quickly as I laughed with Olive and cheered her on.
I cant wait to see what adventure Olive and Jamie get up to next and I will be first in line to find out.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Kensington for another great book in the Olive Bright series.
Olive Bright is back in full force and she never fails to be in the thick of things.
Not only is a member of FANY, she is training her pigeons and to top it off she is present when another murder occurs in the town of Pipley
Lieutenant Ian Fleming was also present.
Olive is determined to figure out who killed the psychic and diligently gets to work. Agatha Christie would be so proud.
Then there is Jamie. Love these two together.
Should Olive move on and become an agent or stay with FANY and Jamie .
The pages turned quickly as I laughed with Olive and cheered her on.
I cant wait to see what adventure Olive and Jamie get up to next and I will be first in line to find out.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Kensington for another great book in the Olive Bright series.
January 24, 2023
4.5/5⭐️
This is 3rd in the historical mystery series, and I’m loving this series! It’s set in an English village during WW2 and centers around Olive Bright, a pigeoneer who supplies her fine-feathered friends for a nearby agent-training facility for communication missions in enemy territory.
Olive is a feisty, nosy, intelligent young FANY who (in this storyline) is seriously considering (and begins training) to become an agent. She receives a firsthand view of the gravity of the decision as she sees off some friends on a very dangerous mission. In the meantime, she is investigating the murder of a psychic medium in her village who was poisoned, not once but twice, during a séance that she herself attended. And finally, she’s also examining her fake relationship with her undercover boyfriend Captain Jamie Aldridge (her liaison for her secret involvement in the war effort).
This story is not only fun and entertaining (Olive is a wonderful heroine!) with other well-fleshed out characters as well (including a colorful cast of villagers), but also loaded with actual historical details of the time that really resonated with me.
Recommended.
My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
This is 3rd in the historical mystery series, and I’m loving this series! It’s set in an English village during WW2 and centers around Olive Bright, a pigeoneer who supplies her fine-feathered friends for a nearby agent-training facility for communication missions in enemy territory.
Olive is a feisty, nosy, intelligent young FANY who (in this storyline) is seriously considering (and begins training) to become an agent. She receives a firsthand view of the gravity of the decision as she sees off some friends on a very dangerous mission. In the meantime, she is investigating the murder of a psychic medium in her village who was poisoned, not once but twice, during a séance that she herself attended. And finally, she’s also examining her fake relationship with her undercover boyfriend Captain Jamie Aldridge (her liaison for her secret involvement in the war effort).
This story is not only fun and entertaining (Olive is a wonderful heroine!) with other well-fleshed out characters as well (including a colorful cast of villagers), but also loaded with actual historical details of the time that really resonated with me.
Recommended.
My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
December 8, 2022
The third book in Stephanie Graves' Olive Bright Series, A Courage Undimmed, is a fun story that follows our Olive as she works to assist the war effort with her pigeons and solves local murders that the police can't seem to figure out. This time, a charlatan who was pronouncing death on a navel ship drops dead during a séance, and Olive is right there when it happens. As she tries to figure out who would cause the lady's death, of which she had several who would wish it, Olive also has to fight her growing feelings for Jamie, her captain and "pretend" boyfriend.
I have enjoyed all of the stories in the series and I find Olive to be an engaging young lady with a brilliant future. I can't wait to see what else happens!
thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review. All opinions are my own.
I have enjoyed all of the stories in the series and I find Olive to be an engaging young lady with a brilliant future. I can't wait to see what else happens!
thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review. All opinions are my own.
April 23, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
A Courage Undimmed is the third Olive Bright historical WW2 spy mystery by Stephanie Graves. Released 24th Jan 2023 by Kensington Books, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in 4th quarter 2023 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats, it makes it so easy to find info with the search function.
This is a very well wrought and realistically rendered WW2 novel set on the home front in late 1941. Series protagonist, intelligent and capable Olive Bright is less than pleased by the higher ups' disdain for her covert program raising racing/carrier pigeons for the war effort. She receives an assignment to escort a visiting officer from Royal Naval Intelligence, Ian Fleming (yes, that one) who turns out to be a disapproving and arrogant, but undeniably clever, pain in the nether regions. She's soon drawn into murder, espionage, and intrigue alongside Fleming.
I enjoyed the skillfulness with which the author wraps the fictional narrative around a framework of actual historical people and events. It's done so skillfully that it's not always apparent where fact shades into fiction.
Four stars. With three books extant in the series, it would make a good choice for a binge/buddy read or even a book club reading project. The author has included good background historical notes at the back of the book (spoilers involved, don't read before finishing reading). Fans of Anna Lee Huber and Rhys Bowen will likely enjoy this series.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
A Courage Undimmed is the third Olive Bright historical WW2 spy mystery by Stephanie Graves. Released 24th Jan 2023 by Kensington Books, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in 4th quarter 2023 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats, it makes it so easy to find info with the search function.
This is a very well wrought and realistically rendered WW2 novel set on the home front in late 1941. Series protagonist, intelligent and capable Olive Bright is less than pleased by the higher ups' disdain for her covert program raising racing/carrier pigeons for the war effort. She receives an assignment to escort a visiting officer from Royal Naval Intelligence, Ian Fleming (yes, that one) who turns out to be a disapproving and arrogant, but undeniably clever, pain in the nether regions. She's soon drawn into murder, espionage, and intrigue alongside Fleming.
I enjoyed the skillfulness with which the author wraps the fictional narrative around a framework of actual historical people and events. It's done so skillfully that it's not always apparent where fact shades into fiction.
Four stars. With three books extant in the series, it would make a good choice for a binge/buddy read or even a book club reading project. The author has included good background historical notes at the back of the book (spoilers involved, don't read before finishing reading). Fans of Anna Lee Huber and Rhys Bowen will likely enjoy this series.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
January 23, 2023
In Stephanie Graves’ third Olive Bright mystery, the pigioneer who some in the village compare to Miss Marple, must solve the murder of Mrs. Dunbar, who claims an ability to channel the dead. Olive has been secretly training her birds for use by the military. On a trip into the village she notices a crowd surrounding Mrs. Dunbar. After she reveals disturbing news to several of the villagers she agrees to conduct a seance to contact their loved ones. Before the seance even begins Mrs. Dunbar is dead, poisoned by someone in attendance. DS Burris is in charge of the investigation. He is not the most observant person and Olive questions if the murderer will ever be found without her help.
While Olive’s pigeons are contributing to the war effort and she is working at Station XVII with the FANY she would like to take a more active role. She has been practicing her French and learning combat skills with the hopes of becoming an agent. The station is also providing training for Operation Anthropoid, an assassination in Czechoslovakia. After meeting several of the men involved and realizing the dangers they will face, she questions whether she actually has the courage to face the enemy. Captain Jamie Aldridge is Olive’s contact at the station. To explain his presence at the dovecote he poses as Olive’s romantic interest. While he supports her desire to become an agent, he is also a voice of reason and she sometimes finds him infuriating, leaving her confused about her own feelings.
A Courage Undimmed is not only a satisfying mystery, but also a story of the people who were willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Graves’’ story is built around actual people, events and missions with a brief appearance by Commander Ian Fleming. Her Author’s Notes look at the history behind her story, making this book even more fascinating. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this book for my review.
While Olive’s pigeons are contributing to the war effort and she is working at Station XVII with the FANY she would like to take a more active role. She has been practicing her French and learning combat skills with the hopes of becoming an agent. The station is also providing training for Operation Anthropoid, an assassination in Czechoslovakia. After meeting several of the men involved and realizing the dangers they will face, she questions whether she actually has the courage to face the enemy. Captain Jamie Aldridge is Olive’s contact at the station. To explain his presence at the dovecote he poses as Olive’s romantic interest. While he supports her desire to become an agent, he is also a voice of reason and she sometimes finds him infuriating, leaving her confused about her own feelings.
A Courage Undimmed is not only a satisfying mystery, but also a story of the people who were willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Graves’’ story is built around actual people, events and missions with a brief appearance by Commander Ian Fleming. Her Author’s Notes look at the history behind her story, making this book even more fascinating. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this book for my review.
March 10, 2023
It’s November, 1941 and British pigeoneer Olive Bright is worried about her pigeon enterprise since fewer birds are being used to transport messages during the war. Will the program come to an end? Major Blighty, the new CO at the Baker Street intelligence operation at Brickendonbury Manor where Olive works seems to have little interest in the pigeons’ contribution to the war effort. He’s even assigned Olive to the lesser job of escorting a visiting Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch operative, Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming…a job she doesn’t enjoy at all.
But a murder at a seance right in front of Olive has her searching for answers to who killed the medium so publicly. And everyone is a suspect, even Fleming, who, for some reason Olive doesn’t understand, attended the séance as well. It will take her best efforts to figure out who committed the murder. Along with this, Olive is juggling her relationship with co-worker Jamie and trying to decide if she wants to train as an undercover operative to be deployed into Europe.
The author creates a great slice of village life during the WWII, the risks taken by so many and the sacrifices shared.
But a murder at a seance right in front of Olive has her searching for answers to who killed the medium so publicly. And everyone is a suspect, even Fleming, who, for some reason Olive doesn’t understand, attended the séance as well. It will take her best efforts to figure out who committed the murder. Along with this, Olive is juggling her relationship with co-worker Jamie and trying to decide if she wants to train as an undercover operative to be deployed into Europe.
The author creates a great slice of village life during the WWII, the risks taken by so many and the sacrifices shared.
October 7, 2025
Olive’s pigeons have done their part but with winter approaching, there are fewer mission. She continues her FANY work. One assigned task is to escort Lt. Commander Ian Fleming from Royal Navy Intelligence. He is very secretive about the reason for his visit. It’s a task Olive doesn’t enjoy. A few days after Mrs. Dunbar, a medium living in the village, makes a very public spectacle on the town green, Olive and a few others, including Lt Fleming, attend a séance. Unfortunately, Mrs. Dunbar dies right in the middle of it. Olive determines to investigate.
The séance bothered me and it's why this is three stars and not higher. I've enjoyed the series for the homing pigeon work and there was just enough of that to keep me going - that and the status of the relationship between Olive and Jamie. I was interested to read in the afterward that the events of this are true although the mission names changed to allow for some creative literary license. If this is the end of the series, OK but there is just enough of an opening at the end to leave room for further adventures. Although as I read this, there is a two year gap from publish date to now.
The séance bothered me and it's why this is three stars and not higher. I've enjoyed the series for the homing pigeon work and there was just enough of that to keep me going - that and the status of the relationship between Olive and Jamie. I was interested to read in the afterward that the events of this are true although the mission names changed to allow for some creative literary license. If this is the end of the series, OK but there is just enough of an opening at the end to leave room for further adventures. Although as I read this, there is a two year gap from publish date to now.
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November 27, 2022It is totally my fault that I requested this book from NetGalley without noticing that it was the third in a series. As such, I'm reviewing it based on the story and writing - and ignoring the parts of the book that make it not really work as a stand-alone. It wasn't written as a stand alone book, it was meant to be read third.
The story was engaging and fun (seances, murder, citizen detective, wartime intrigue, sexism/feminism, romance, etc), and the writing style fit the story perfectly. I would be interested in backtracking and reading the first two based on reading this one. I'd recommend reading them in order.
Thanks to NetGalley for early access!
The story was engaging and fun (seances, murder, citizen detective, wartime intrigue, sexism/feminism, romance, etc), and the writing style fit the story perfectly. I would be interested in backtracking and reading the first two based on reading this one. I'd recommend reading them in order.
Thanks to NetGalley for early access!
January 3, 2023
3.5 stars
This is the 3rd book in this series, and as the characters develop I'm finding that it is less about the pigeons/pigeoneering and more about the mystery. Nothing wrong with that, I was just fascinated with the prior book that I read in the series that focused on the pigeon mission.
That said, if you enjoy cozy mysteries set during war time, this is a great book for the TBR shelf. It is well-written, interesting, a bit of romance thrown in, and even a real-life character, Ian Fleming takes part.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.
This is the 3rd book in this series, and as the characters develop I'm finding that it is less about the pigeons/pigeoneering and more about the mystery. Nothing wrong with that, I was just fascinated with the prior book that I read in the series that focused on the pigeon mission.
That said, if you enjoy cozy mysteries set during war time, this is a great book for the TBR shelf. It is well-written, interesting, a bit of romance thrown in, and even a real-life character, Ian Fleming takes part.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.
September 4, 2023
I love this series, and this was a wonderful addition to it. Ian Flemming was fantastically written and added so much to the story! I did struggle at first to really envision what was happening during the beginning, but it took off from there.
This is one of my favorite historical mystery series. If you enjoy the Amory Ames, Jane Wunderly, Verity Kent, and Phyllidia Bright series, you'll love this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.
This is one of my favorite historical mystery series. If you enjoy the Amory Ames, Jane Wunderly, Verity Kent, and Phyllidia Bright series, you'll love this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.
January 19, 2023
This is a well plotted and intriguing mystery that kept me guessing and compelled me to keep reading. The historical background was well researched and made for a vivid read. This is the first I have read so can't comment on how the character's progressed but I did find them interesting and compelling not my usual era but very enjoyable. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 8, 2023
This is the best I read in this series so far: a well plotted and solid mystery that kept me guessing and a vivid and well researched historical background.
The character evolved and are well rounded.
A compelling and gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
The character evolved and are well rounded.
A compelling and gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
January 24, 2023
I enjoyed the mystery and getting to know the characters. I believe it is the first time I've read this author. Being able to get some insight into what people had to do in the War was interesting as well.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 28, 2022
A great addition to a wonderful series! The mystery kept you guessing, and the story was superb. The characters are so well written, you can't help but get involved in their lives. I can't wait until the next book in the series!
April 2, 2023
Good atmosphere, but way too wordy. Olive goes over the same things time and again--boring.
I hate it when an author uses a foreign language and doesn't provide a translation in English. Who knows what Olive said to Jamie? Frustrating.
I hate it when an author uses a foreign language and doesn't provide a translation in English. Who knows what Olive said to Jamie? Frustrating.
February 1, 2024
Much fun visiting with Olivia Bright and her pigeons again. She is spunky, curious and brave with a dogged determination on solving a mystery. The setting including a seance was a fun addition to the series. An entertaining mystery with a satisfying conclusion.
January 29, 2026
This is one of the best books I have ever read; partially because it has my favorite genres: mystery, history, and romance. I love this series and this book in particular! I highly recommend. :)
P.S. This would’ve been a quick read if I wasn’t also reading other books.
P.S. This would’ve been a quick read if I wasn’t also reading other books.
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