These are seriously so fun! Our heroine and her BFF are fresh young faces in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (which didn't have female pilots, but the book came out before the author knew that) who just want to do their bit for king and country. This involves doing their actual jobs as described exactly one (1) time, before haring off for spy-hunting adventures for the rest of the book. No, their commanding officer did not agree to any of this. He thought they were spending a weekend in London.

Just a delightful 1940s girls-own adventure, which hits a believable balance of women being just as capable pilots as men, and having as much nerve as anyone, with also having to deal with sexism, societal restrictions, and not getting trained for combat. Worrals has something of an advantage because no one sees her coming, and also she's incredibly competent because she can think on her feet, and if she gets in too deep her bestie will probably bail her out. They're very much just gals being pals. I really do need to read Women's Barracks.

If I had one complaint, and I realise this was written for a girls' magazine in the 1940s, but the English people generally seemed to not notice the Nazi spies living among them and basically drawing giant arrows pointing towards aerodromes. Like to a comical extent. If the local vicar is unwell, he will be drowned in the soup poured over him by helpful church ladies! You will not be able to run a criminal enterprise out of the vicarage! Anyway.

A+. Plan to read ten more of them.