In this story, a group of evacuees from Coventry arrive in the village and are allocated billets. Some are lucky and have caring foster parents. Others are not so lucky. May becomes concerned about one in particular, Peggy, and promises to help her.

Jess persuades May that they should put on a pantomime for the children and involve the Czech airmen to help improve relations between RAF Amberton and the village. The friends also decide to offer parts to the evacuees so that they can befriend Peggy. Some of the locals are less than friendly, and in helping Peggy, May and Jess uncover some illegal activities in the village.

This is an era I enjoy reading about, and the plot line certainly held my attention throughout, although I felt it was a little thin towards the end, leaving me with lots of unanswered questions.

I enjoyed watching May's confidence grow as she took on a leading role in the pantomime, and then found inner strength to deal with issues that normally would have seen her bend to someone's will.

Whilst part of a series, Christmas with the Ops Room Girls could easily be read as a standalone. ( )