The Magician’s Daughter by Alison Chambers-review & interview
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 5, 2025
October 1942.
Deadly espionage attacks are escalating across US Army Air Force bases stationed around London, threatening to derail the upcoming goodwill visit of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Brigadier General Maximilian Landry, commander of the base in Heathbridge, is on his way to attend the birthday party of his mentor, General Bedford ‘Ford’ Masterson, when his car misses hazardous boulders strewn in his path – one in a series of sabotage incidents.
A female OSS agent, Corporal Anne Beasley, is sent to investigate the disruption. She soon finds herself embroiled in a labyrinth of deceit, where nothing is as it seems.
While Anne serves as Landry’s temporary adjutant during a severe staffing shortage, Max grows suspicious of her and asks Major Brett Calloway, who he has served with for over ten years, to spy on her.
As the attacks increase, suspicions mount surrounding who could be responsible as confidential information is leaked. With no one to turn to and no one who will believe her, the agent fights desperately to defend herself and uncover the culprit.
A conspiracy unfolds, which could not only endanger the life of the First Lady, but threaten the success of the war effort itself.
••••••
REVIEW:THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER by Alison Chambers is an adult, historical thriller focusing on OSS agent Corporal Anne Beasley, a woman who is tasked with uncovering the truth.
Told from limited omniscient third person perspective (Anne) THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER follows OSS agent Corporal Anne Beasley in the wake of the accelerating and intensifying attacks on several US Army Air Force Bases stationed in and around London, England in 1942. Undercover as Brigadier General Maximilian Landry’s temporary assistant, Beasley discovers there is more to the attacks than anyone could have every imagined. An upcoming classified visit from America’s first lady is threatened with the possibility of a spy in their midst, and Corporal Anne Beasley finds herself at the centre of a covert mission where she will become the prime suspect when fingers are pointed in her direction.
THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER is a story of treason, traitors, double and triple agents, betrayal, conspiracy and espionage, wrapped in a little bit of romance focusing on the dysfunctional people in charge. Brigadier General Maximilian Landry is an easy mark, and is often trapped by his desire to feel needed; Corporal Anne Beasley is determined to prove the US Army is sleeping with the enemy. The character driven premise is thought provoking, dramatic and twisted; the characters are desperate and tenacious; the romance is edgy and questionable.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
Sandra Koehler, who writes under the pen name of Alison Chambers, was Vice-President of one of the largest association management companies in Wisconsin. She has traveled extensively and served as Executive Director of several national nonprofit medical associations, where she was responsible for marketing, communications, and public relations, as well as overall management. She has been quoted in USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and other national media and has received four awards for excellence and dedicated service. She continues to work in the association management field and has also written for newspapers. Koehler, who majored in political science and history, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She first started writing when she was a teenager, sparked by an interest in Nancy Drew books and a desire to tell a good story. She enjoys keeping her hero and heroine in dangerous and exciting situations against a backdrop of exotic settings, lost treasure and unsolved historical mysteries. Where Danger Makes Passion Sizzle.
TRC: Hi Alison and welcome to The Reading Café.
We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?
Social Media: Website / Goodreads/
Alison: Alison Chambers is my pen name and in my other career I have worked in non-profit association management for over 25 years, serving as Executive Director of several national medical associations. I have always enjoyed the variety of that profession as I feel it has helped me hone my writing skills, since I am editor of several newsletters, contribute to blogs, create proposals, press releases, marketing plans, etc. I have also written for newspapers. I majored in political science and history at a time when not many women were going into those fields and have a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I first started writing books as a teenager and have written seven books with all of them having a historical romance angle.
TRC:Who or what influenced your writing career?
Alison: Since I was an only child, I’ve always enjoyed reading and became interested in Nancy Drew books when I was young. I always liked seeing her as the heroine and solving mysteries on her own, which led me to want to write those type of stories. Later, when I had an interest in history, I read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L Shirer and Eleanor and Franklin, the story of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, which I found fascinating. I’ve always been interested in unsolved mysteries, conspiracy theories, and lost treasures, which always make me think of the writer’s ability to say ‘what if?’ What if this or that happened instead of the usual outcome we’re familiar with, which can and has often led to the fodder for great stories.
TRC:What difficulties or challenges have you faced as an author?
Alison: I think that getting a good idea for a story and then making it lead to both a logical and exciting conclusion is challenging. Also, finding the time and the ‘gumption’ to actually start writing and finishing the book is difficult, all while you’re staying interested in the fate of your characters throughout. Patricia Highsmith, who wrote Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Price of Salt, the basis for the movie, Carol, said the following: “The first person you should think of pleasing, in writing a book is yourself. If you can amuse yourself for the length of time it takes to write a book, the publisher and the readers can and will come later.” That is so true, since if you don’t have fun writing it, people won’t have fun reading it either and readers won’t have empathy for the characters. Then, of course, there’s the usual work involved with editing, getting it published and promoted. But I love doing it all and I do have fun!
TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER?
“A Thrilling Novel of Conspiracy, Espionage & Intrigue”
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / Published by Holand Press
Alison: The Magician’s Daughter takes place on a US Army Air Force Base outside London in 1942 as a way of providing a different backdrop for the novel, as opposed to setting it in Nazi-Occupied Europe. I wanted to focus on several interesting areas, including highlighting the women working for the newly established Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to the troops in England and introducing a character loosely based on Jasper Maskelyne, known as The War Magician.
In The Magician’s Daughter, I portray a woman forced to deal with treacherous Nazi spies, high-level fascist conspiracies, and escalating sabotage on US Army Air Force Bases all over southeastern England, while trying to save the life of the base commander she loves. My main character finds herself embroiled in a frightening labyrinth of lies and deceit, where nothing is as it seems. As the attacks increase, suspicions mount and even her sanity is questioned. With no one to turn to and no one who will believe her, she fights desperately to defend herself before the vicious threats claim the lives of both Eleanor Roosevelt and the man she so desperately loves.
TRC:Is any of the premise based in reality?
Alison: Yes, Eleanor Roosevelt did really visit the troops in England in 1942. That time frame interested me because the war was in a precarious time and had not turned in the Allies’ favor. The daring daylight bombing raids the US conducted had not yet been successful, with only 20% of them hitting their targets, often hitting residential areas instead. Eleanor visited the troops in England to boost morale and observe how women were participating in the war effort.
When I thought about my lead character and what her backstory would be, I thought “What if her father was a magician?” That’s how I learned, through research, that there was a stage magician, Jasper Maskelyne, who applied many of his sleight of hand tricks to the business of war while working for the British. He created ingenious weapons for use by spies and with his band of fellow artists, created faux tanks and battleships to conceal the Suez Canal and ‘move’ Alexandria Harbor. While there is some conjecture regarding the reality of some of these events, they still make great fodder for a story! My main character’s father is loosely based on this character. You can read more about Jasper Maskelyne by reading The War Magician by David Fisher. At one point, a movie was going to be made about his life starring Benedict Cumberbatch, but that project is apparently on hold for now, from what I’ve read.
TRC:How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?
Alison: You have to keep thinking about what the character’s next logical move would be without throwing coincidence into it, which would make it unbelievable. You have to be diligent about reading history from the period to make sure these things could possibly happen, even if they didn’t, or maybe you have to adjust the timeline a bit to make it more plausible.
TRC:What difficulties did you encounter (logistical, research, etc.) outlining and writing this particular novel?
Alison: Once again, checking history to make sure the events are probable, even if they didn’t really happen that way in the original time frame.
TRC:If you could virtually cast the leading characters, which actors or models would best represent your ideal image?
Alison: With today’s actors: George Clooney and Nicole Kidman; with vintage actors Gregory Peck and Joan Fontaine.
TRC:Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?
Alison: Only one or two close friends, but mainly I read other writers in the same historical fiction genre to get ideas and make sure I’m on the right track.
TRC:Do you believe the cover plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of choosing their next book to read?
Alison: Yes, a professional and attractive cover helps sell the book along with the blurb, of course, since you only have a short time to catch the reader’s attention, either online or in a bookstore, so they’d both better be good.
TRC:How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of deadlines?
Alison: Discipline yourself to sit down every day and make progress, no matter what, like with any other task that needs to get done. Sometimes it takes me a while to get going and I’ll only have written one paragraph in one hour. But suddenly and mysteriously, the creative muse takes off and I don’t want to stop! Be focused and that can put worry on the back burner.
TRC:On what are you currently working?
Alison: I’m working on the sequel to The Magician’s Daughter, as this is part of a series spotlighting the tremendous and sometimes unsung role women played during World War II, working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Actually 35% of the 13,000 people who served with the OSS were women (one out of every three) and I’m glad to see more stories are being told about the contributions they made.
TRC:Would you like to add anything else?
Alison: I would like to thank the Reading Café for having me and Holand Press for publishing my book. These were great questions.
Please visit me at https://www.alisonchambersromance.com to learn more about me and my other books.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food? Shrimp Scampi
Favorite Dessert? Turtle Brownies
Favorite TV Show? NCIS or anything on the History Channel
Last Movie You Saw? A Complete Unknown (the Bob Dylan biopic)
Dark or Milk Chocolate? Dark
Favorite Flower? Yellow tulips
Do you have any pets? No, I’m allergic, but I love dogs!
Thank you, Alison, for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER.
