Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear

First Line: The day was bright, the air crisp, with sunshine giving an impression of imminent spring, though as soon as a person ventured out from a warm, cocooned indoors, a nip in the chill outdoors soon found its way to fingertips and toes.

It's early 1938, and Maisie Dobbs is back in England, staying with friends while she looks for a new home. Naturally, it's only a matter of time before she's approached by Huntley and MacFarlane of the Secret Service. The German government has agreed to hand over an important British subject who's been incarcerated in Dachau for two years-- but only if a family member comes to Munich to collect him. The imprisoned man's wife is dead and his daughter is bedridden, but fortunately, Maisie bears a striking resemblance to the daughter. How can Maisie say no?

As Maisie was told in a previous book, once you've done the British Secret Service's bidding, you're done for. They will just keep coming back no matter how many times you say no. That person was telling Maisie the truth: she keeps saying no, the Secret Service merely smirks and hands over her railway tickets. At least the time she spent in Spain has helped her overcome the worst of her grief, and she feels ready to re-enter her old life and be with her friends and family once more.

Being in Munich in 1938 gives Maisie a very clear picture of what is to come. It goes without saying that the Germans don't release the Englishman in a timely manner, and Maisie has to keep her composure and her cover while the Nazis play cat and mouse. This is a good, solid mystery that puts the reader right in the middle of a world that's on the brink of going completely mad.

I don't think Winspear is capable of writing a bad book, but I have to admit that, after reading A Dangerous Place, almost all the luster has been knocked off this series for me.  This was always a series in which I bought and read each new book as soon as it came out. I was so invested in Maisie! But my feeling of being betrayed is staying with me even though I realize I'm being a bit silly. After reading Journey to Munich (which I did not buy), I am still two books behind, and I feel no urgency whatsoever to catch up. This may very well be the last book I read in this series. And now I feel as though I'm in mourning.

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear

ISBN: 9780062220608

HarperCollins © 2016

Hardcover, 304 pages

Historical Mystery, #12 Maisie Dobbs mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Paperback Swap


 

A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear

First Line: Arturo Kenyon stood in the shadows of a whitewashed building opposite a small guesthouse known locally as Mrs. Bishop's, though it had no sign to advertise the fact.

Four long eventful years have passed since Maisie Dobbs left England at the end of Leaving Everything Most Loved. Although she's not quite ready, she is finally returning home to all those who love and miss her. 

During a stop in Gibraltar, Maisie finds the body of a murdered Jewish photographer. Against the advice of the ship's captain, Maisie stays. The police have written off the young man's death as being at the hands of one of the desperate refugees who have fled the civil war in Spain. Maisie wants to uncover the truth for his family, believing that a return to work will improve her spirits and make her ready to go home. What she's really done is put herself in the middle of a very dangerous place filled with political intrigue. If Maisie takes a wrong turning at this crossroads in her life, she could very well not return home at all.

Maisie isn't the only person at a crossroads. As concerns this series, I am, too. Longtime fans will probably be as stunned as I over the first few pages of A Dangerous Place. In a series of letters, Winspear deals with four momentous years in Maisie's life with what can only be described as brisk efficiency. I can understand her desire not to bog down the narrative, but since Maisie is already constantly harking back to time spent with her mentor or her service in World War I or her college days or what her best friend would say to her, what's a little more time spent on telling readers about those four years?

Winspear does her usual marvelous job in giving readers a real feel for the setting. With the Spanish Civil War raging just over the border, with the build-up to World War II, Gibraltar's strategic position makes it extremely valuable to many countries, and it seems that they all have representatives in place, lurking around the corners of buildings and following Maisie wherever she goes.

The author has also created a strong secondary cast-- Salazar the café owner, Mrs. Bishop the owner of the guesthouse, and the dead man's sister among them. The more the story unfolds, the more it seems that no one is whom they first appear to be, and with the number of people spying on others it's a miracle they don't start tripping over each other. This is a presentiment of another problem I'm beginning to have with a series I've loved since its inception.

The closer to World War II the series becomes, the more the storylines are delving into the shadowy world of spies and double-dealing. I've never cared for spy novels, so I'm definitely not enjoying this foray into that world. But as a character told Maisie in a previous book, once those spy organizations get their hooks into you, they don't let you go. I really don't want to see Maisie go down that road.

Although the mystery is rather slow to unfold, it does pick up speed and becomes quite intriguing. I enjoyed watching Maisie solve a complex case, just as I enjoyed the author's depiction of Gibraltar at this very tumultuous time. I'm deeply invested in Winspear's character. Maisie's story has grown from being a rags-to-riches tale to something deeper and much more meaningful. But for the past few books, Maisie has seemed to take two steps back to every three steps forward. Her experiences during World War I have left an indelible mark upon her of which she seems unwilling or unable to let go. With her constant musing on the past, I just can't quite see her as a successful spy in the next calamitous war to come. I am at a crossroads, and I am actually wondering if I'll be continuing with this series-- something that would have been completely unthinkable in the past.  

A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear

ISBN: 9780062220554

Harper © 2015

Hardcover, 320 pages

Historical Mystery, #11 Maisie Dobbs mystery

Rating: C+

Source: Amazon Vine 

Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear

First Line: Edith Billings-- Mrs. Edith Billings, that is, proprietor of Billings' Bakery-- watched as the dark woman walked past the shop window, her black head with its oiled ebony hair appearing to bob up and down between the top shelf of cottage loaves and the middle shelf of fancy cakes as she made her way along with a confidence to her step.

The dark woman Mrs. Edith Billings watched was Usha Pramal, whose body is later found floating in a South London canal. In two months Usha's brother steps off the ship from India and demands to know why more hasn't been done to find his sister's killer. Detective Inspector Caldwell knows that Scotland Yard did very little to investigate this murder and asks Maisie Dobbs if she will help Mr. Pramal.

Maisie learns that Usha was staying at an ayah's hotel with other Indian women whose British employers turned them out into the street when their services were no longer needed. Another woman at the hotel, Maya Patel, was Usha's friend and has information for Maisie, but Maya is killed before she can share what she knows. This case finds Maisie at a crossroads. She finds the Indian culture captivating, and she longs to travel in the same spirit as her mentor, Maurice Blanche, but her lover has given her an ultimatum, and an unfinished case demands to be taken care of.

As usual, Jacqueline Winspear brings 1930s London-- and the mindsets of so many of its citizens-- to life. The mystery kept me guessing right through the book. However, as any faithful Maisie Dobbs devotee will tell you, the mysteries are first-rate, but that's not the real reason why we eagerly await each new book in the series.

We faithful come back for Maisie herself. Her life has changed dramatically since the very first book, and we have to see how she will adapt. This book, more than any other, shows that there could very well be some great changes in her life in the near future. Maisie still isn't completely comfortable with her inheritance, but she has seen that playing Lady Bountiful with her friends and employees isn't the best way to deal with it. It's taken her a long time to overcome the horror she experienced as a nurse at the front during World War I, but she now has a sense of what she wants from life-- and what she wants to give to it. I can't wait to see what's in store when next we meet this wonderful character that Jacqueline Winspear has created. Maisie Dobbs is a treasure.

Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear

ISBN: 9780062049605

Harper © 2013

Hardcover, 352 pages

Historical Mystery, #10 Maisie Dobbs mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Amazon Vine

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear

First Line: Maudie Pettit pushed the long broom back and forth across the wet flagstones, making sure every last speck of horse manure was sluiced down the drains that ran along a gully between the two rows of stalls.

A group of working men from Maisie's childhood London neighborhood come to see her about the death of Eddie Pettit, a young mentally challenged gentle giant who had a magic way with every horse he ever met. Eddie was killed in an accident in a paper factory, but the men believe that his death was swept under the rug in such a manner that they feel something's not right. The men all know Maisie and trust her to do the right thing.

This case, with such strong ties to her lower class roots, comes at a time when Maisie is beginning to wonder if her relationship with a wealthy and titled man has any real future. Juggling both her personal and professional lives is tricky and exhausting, especially when the investigation sends one of her employees to the hospital. Maisie knows that something's not right about Eddie's death, and although the case may lead much higher than she'd originally thought, she's determined to find the truth and to bring his mother some measure of peace.

I've loved this series from the very beginning, and my affection for it grows with each new book. Maisie's personal life is every bit as interesting as the case she is trying to solve. She faces a very real dilemma, not only in dealing with her relationship with a wealthy man, but in how she deals with the inheritance she received. Her tendency to spend money on all those she cares for may not have the results she intends, and it's something with which she must come to terms.

Elegy for Eddie brings the working class areas of London to life-- all the people who have yet to truly recover from the First World War are now in the depths of the Depression. Life is precarious... and precious... and it warms my heart at how these people who have very little themselves insist on doing what's right for Eddie and for his grieving mother. Hitler and Fascism cast darkening shadows over everything, making me wonder what will happen to these characters I've grown to care for when yet another horrific war begins.

The Maisie Dobbs series is perfect for those who love historical mysteries, for those who love intriguing investigations, and for those who love characters that work themselves into your heart. All that and a bit of psychology, too, because as Maisie asks herself some very thought-provoking and important questions, it's impossible for readers not to ponder them and answer the same questions for themselves.

Elegy for Eddie stands alone quite well, but please treat yourself to all the books. The development of Maisie's character throughout the series is a literary feast you don't find often enough.

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear

ISBN: 9780062049575

Harper © 2012

Hardcover, 335 pages

Historical Mystery, Private Investigator

#9 in the Maisie Dobbs series

Rating: A

Source: Paperback Swap

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

Title: A Lesson in Secrets
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
ISBN: 9780061727672
Publisher: Harper, 2011
Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery, Private Investigator, #8 Maisie Dobbs mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: Maisie Dobbs had been aware of the motor car following her for some time. 

It's the summer of 1932, and Maisie Dobbs accepts an undercover assignment as a lecturer at a private college in Cambridge. It seems Scotland Yard and the Secret Service want her on campus to monitor any activities "not in the interests of the Crown." Their major focus is on controversial pacifist and college founder Greville Liddicote, but when he is found murdered, Maisie knows that she must conduct her own investigation into this as well.

This eighth book in the series finds Maisie at a crossroads. She has inherited some money and wants to use it wisely to benefit those for whom she cares deeply. She also finds herself open to new experiences, so she's ripe for the picking when Scotland Yard and the Secret Service come knocking.

With Maisie in Cambridge during the week and only in London on weekends, I found myself missing her assistant, Billy. Moreover, I found a subplot involving Sandra, a young woman who'd been in service to Maisie's former employers, very interesting. With Maisie spending much of her time on the road, this particular subplot wasn't fleshed out as fully as I'd hoped.

The major focus of the book is twofold: Britain's sometimes less than stellar conduct during World War I, and Maisie's discovery that the Nazi Party has been making inroads in England-- as some of her fellow lecturers show up regularly to party meetings. To her surprise, Scotland Yard and the Secret Service think her reports on the Nazi Party have absolutely no significance.

This emphasis on foreshadowing World War II, although promising great things in future books, made Maisie less interesting as a character. Even so, this is a strong, excellent series featuring an unconventional heroine. I look forward to Maisie's further adventures.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear

Title: The Mapping of Love and Death
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
ISBN: 9780061727665, Harper Collins, 2010
Genre: Historical Mystery, Private Investigator, #7 Maisie Dobbs mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: Michael Clifton stood on a hill burnished gold in the summer sun and, hands on hips, closed his eyes.

Try as I might not to play favorites, there are still mystery series that are near and dear to my heart-- ones that I will always recommend first whenever I'm asked "What's good?" Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series is on the shortlist of my favorite series. I know readers who do not like the time period about which it's written (1930s showing the aftereffects of World War I), but they love these books, and it's all due to the characters.

Maisie was born into the English lower class and became a maid for a wealthy family when she was a young girl. Fortunately her employers were liberal thinkers who recognized Maisie's intelligence and fed it. After serving as a nurse in France during World War I, Maisie completed her university education and with the help of her teacher and mentor, Maurice Blanche, she set up practice in London as a private investigator.

In this seventh installment of the series, Maisie is asked to help a wealthy American couple after their son's body is plowed up in a French field. Although the rest of the bodies in the bunker died when it collapsed, Michael Clifton did not. He had been murdered. His parents are not aware of that fact, but Maisie is. What his parents are concerned about are the love letters from an English nurse that were given to them with the rest of Michael's effects. When Maisie begins her investigation, the American couple is attacked in their hotel room and very seriously injured. Maisie knows she's going to have to be very careful working this case.

In each book, Winspear addresses an area of World War I that may not be familiar to most readers. The Mapping of Love and Death covers the importance of cartography in the conflict. The mystery was dangerous, but one of its threads was a bit easy to guess. What I enjoyed most about the book was the author's setting the stage for future events in her characters' lives.

She shows the utmost empathy when writing about World War I and its effects on people, but she never leaves her characters behind. Maisie's assistant, Billy Beale, has his own aspirations and problems to deal with, and they're a part of the story. Maisie's mentor, the elderly Maurice Blanche, plays a role in this book, as does James Compton, the son of the people whom Maisie worked for as a young girl.

In a way, the mystery in The Mapping of Love and Death took a backseat to the main characters, but I didn't mind at all since I got the distinct impression that Winspear was doing a bit of her own cartography with her characters' futures. I am definitely looking forward to the next books in this series!

Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

Title: Among the Mad
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
ISBN: 9780805082166, Henry Holt, 2009
Genre: Historical Mystery, Private Investigator, #6 Maisie Dobbs
Rating: A

First Line: Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator, picked up her fountain pen to sign her name at the end of a final report that she and her associate, Billy Beale, had worked late to complete the night before.

It is Christmas Eve, 1931, in London, and Maisie Dobbs is walking down a city street. She sees a dirty, physically handicapped man sitting on the pavement, and there's something about the look on his face that makes her walk toward him to see if she can help.

The man detonates a bomb, killing himself and slightly wounding several others--including Maisie. In no time at all Maisie finds herself working with a special team out of Scotland Yard to discover the identity of a man who's sending very threatening letters to the Prime Minister. In a city filled with veterans of World War I who have been mentally disabled by their service but put out of hospitals with no pensions and no hopes of employment, Maisie is looking for a needle in a haystack. Somehow she manages to piece together a profile of the man sending the letters, but will they be able to find him before he carries out his threat?

The only writer outside of Jacqueline Winspear who I've found capable of putting me body and soul into this time period is Lyn Macdonald. Among the Mad can oftentimes be an upsetting book to read as Winspear describes a government which was completely comfortable using an entire generation of men as nothing but cannon fodder and then denying them the help, the employment and the pensions they so desperately needed--and earned. To a government that would say doing so would bankrupt the country, I would reply: hadn't the killing and maiming of hundreds of thousands of men already achieved that? As you can see, this book touched a nerve because history just keeps on repeating itself.

The time period isn't the real reason why I love these books, however. In fact, I have a friend who is also hooked on this series, and she doesn't care for the time period at all. You see, we both love Maisie Dobbs. In Among the Mad, the man writing those threatening letters explains it best:

She showed care. That is all I have asked for, these many years, that people are concerned, and that in their actions, they demonstrate care. It occurred to me that the woman did not wait for someone else to approach Ian. She did not ignore him. She walked toward him without looking in another direction. I noticed that. I have come to notice that people do not look at the Ians of this world, but instead turn their heads here and there.

If you want to be immersed in another time, read Winspear's series. If you want to solve intriguing mysteries, read Winspear's series. If you want to read about a woman who cares deeply...read Winspear's series.

REVIEW: An Incomplete Revenge

Title: An Incomplete Revenge
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Protagonist: Maisie Dobbs
Setting: Kent, England, 1931
Series: #5
Rating: A

First Line: The old woman rested on the steps of her home, a caravan set apart from those of the rest of her family, her tribe.

Businessman James Compton wants to buy an estate in the village of Heronsdene in Kent but hesitates after learning of a rash of mysterious fires. He hires Maisie to investigate. After meeting the current landowner, Londoners and a band of gypsies who are all there to harvest hops, Maisie soon learns that Compton was right to be suspicious. There's something else going on, too: the locals are very tight-lipped about a Zeppelin raid that killed an entire family in the village. It takes all of Maisie's skill to get to the bottom of it all.

I enjoy this series, not just for the characters and the twists and turns of the plot, but for the glimpse into the lives of the British in the years after World War I. The "War to End All Wars" wrecked havoc all over the nation, changing forever the way people viewed themselves, others, and the world around them. Winspear does a marvelous job weaving all these threads together in a series of books that enduce you to keep turning the pages.

Being a psychologist as well as an investigator helps Maisie with her investigations. Her experiences as a casualty clearing station nurse in France and all of her training give her insight into how to get answers to her questions. I had deciphered many of the clues in the book as I read, but the ending still had an impact. Human beings are indeed the most dangerous, and gullible, creatures on the planet.