Tag: Jacqueline Winspear

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Mystery)

I feel a melancholy knowing that this is the last of the Maisie Dobbs series. I’ve enjoyed the series tremendously — Winspear is one of my favorite historical mystery authors. The series follows Maisie Dobbs from 1910, when she was a 13-year old housemaid in the Compton manor house — through her experiences as nurse, psychologist, and investigator spanning two world wars and their aftermaths. Most involve mysteries, equal amounts mysteries of the spirit as well as of the body(ies). This is the 18th (and final) episode.

The book opens in October, 1945 with an unknown man in a demob suit looking at his reflection in a shop window and thinking to himself: “He couldn’t face home. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. Couldn’t face the wanting in the eyes of others, the wanting for him to be himself again, the man they had known so long ago. But that old self had perished, and now he was looking at the reflection of a wraith that turned out to be him. Alive. Against all odds.” I was hooked (and moved) instantly. This story is focused on recovery — the war is over and people are trying to rebuild lives and there are equal amounts of guilt, relief, worry, and grief. As the last book, we find closure for most of our favorite characters along with some new additions, all going through what it takes to heal from the overwhelming residue of the war. Because after all of the celebrations, England is still struggling with rampant homelessness (think the Blitz), food shortages, missed loved ones, broken bodies and minds, and near financial ruin at the national level. Winspear covers this without melodrama in a way that I rarely see captured in fiction. Full of the reality of individual lives that refuse to be overwhelmed by ubiquitous calamity, yet obviously experience great tears to the soul from the devastation of their homes and families.

I’m going to miss this series. I’ve grown to love the characters, the friendships, and the deep portrayals of individuals coping when faced with the barely surviving wreckage of their civilization. Winspear differs from other historical fiction authors not in her research of the past (which is excellent and thorough) but in her ability to find the depth and impact in “ordinary” lives during extraordinary times. She is a keen observer, diving into personalities and professions ranging from housewife to civic leaders to the aristocracy to Scotland Yard personnel to the many intricate layers of the British Secret Service. I keep reading WWII books, particularly regarding the British home front because I so respect the British spirit that got them through the destruction of two world wars with the attitude of “getting on with it” and “making do” and the strength that comes from real ties of community.

Just a couple of quotes — I love her writing:

“He often wondered why his calculating mind would spin in expanding and contracting circles until he came to the point where a new truth was revealed.“

“She had met a woman, once, who told her she could see the prayers from distressed souls littering the ceiling of every church she had ever entered, as if those heartfelt messages had been inscribed on fine tissue paper and cast up so God could reach down to collect each one.”

To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #14 — Historical Mystery)

Somehow I missed this one episode of Maisie Dobbs even though I’ve read all of the previous and the three following. Argh! Thanks to my friend for mentioning it in passing…

This England based historical mystery series starts during WWI and by this episode is up to 1940. Maisie Dobbs — a psychologist and investigator trained by the best — is such a compelling protagonist. She is intelligent, articulate, discerning, careful in speech, and empathetic. I love that she always earns the respect of the various men in power (police detectives, senior military types, etc.) without ever resorting to “feminine wiles” or anything other than dogged determination and sheer, unquestionable, competence. Each book in the series includes a good mystery, but also a great deal of what it is like to live in such “exciting” times.

Maisie is asked to investigate the odd behavior and eventual murder of a young boy working with a paint crew to cover all of the RAF stations with a new (poorly tested) fire retardant paint in advance of the expected German invasion. In the afterward (Winspear’s afterwards are always worth reading as they include more information on all the historical fact that is embedded in the pages), we learn that this boy working with (and being damaged by) the new paint is based on her own father’s experiences. The Dunkirk miracle also plays a big role in this book. This is a WWII episode that I never tire of reading about. If ever there was an event that showed true community commitment to achieve the impossible, this is it.

This is probably my favorite historical mystery series, and this book one of the best!

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Fiction)

Writing: 3/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5
Elinor White has been trained to be a predator rather than prey which served her well during WWI when her home in Brussels was occupied by Nazis. It also served her well during WWII as she worked to protect her adopted country (England). But exercising those skills left their mark, and she finds herself torn between protecting those who can’t protect themselves and letting go of the violence that continues to haunt her.

A standalone (or possible new series beginning?) from the author of the Maisie Dobbs series, this book is kind of a mix between an historical novel and a mystery, with an emphasis on the former. It had a bit of a slow start but I was drawn in and found myself caring very much about the characters. I’m a big Winspear / Maisie Dobbs fan. I wouldn’t mind finding out more about Elinor White if this turns into a series…

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 21st, 2023

A Sunlit Weapon by Winspear

Writing: 3.5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 5/5

Historical mystery at its best. Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs (a “psychologist and investigator” well connected with both the war office and the local chapter of Scotland Yard) continues to solve complex crimes while the timeline moves from early WWI (the first volume) through 1942 (WWII) in this 17th installment. Unlike many mystery series, these never get repetitive, nor are they replete with filler (as way too many are!). Each story draws from history to lay out a context in which the particular mystery takes place. The series reminds me of Foyle’s War — one of my favorite British television series — which similarly retells history via specific and accurate events.

The plot of A Sunlit Weapon centers around the women pilots who comprise the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). One crashes near Bromley for no apparent reason, and when a second goes to the area to investigate, she finds an American soldier — a black American soldier — left tied up in a barn with a second (white) soldier missing in action. At the same time Eleanor Roosevelt is heading to Britain, and there is real fear around trying to keep her safe, given that she likes to talk with everyone — particularly those whom others find uninteresting — the workers and the women.

Major themes of racial prejudice pervade — both with the American soldiers (who strive to maintain color segregation in Britain despite the fact that there is no such practice or policy there) and for Maisie’s adopted daughter, whose darker skin tone leads to bullying in the local school. Good writing, appealing characters whose lives also progress from one volume to the next, and a satisfyingly twisted plot. Full of real history — my favorite: the female ATA pilots were the first governmental employees to achieve pay parity with men.

I love this series — hope she keeps going!

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 22, 2022.

The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear

Writing: 4/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5

Number 16 in the Maisie Dobbs series starts in October, 1941. As Britain is well immersed in WWII, Maisie is working with the War Office to psychologically vet potential recruits for undercover work in Nazi Germany — young, determined men and women who face low survival rates. Simultaneously, Maisie gets involved in a murder witnessed by a young (and disbelieved) boy that ties into high-level espionage with high-level allies.

I like the Maisie Dobbs series because each book moves us forward in time. Starting in the post WWI era, each installment features challenging situations that are set in the specific events of that period of history — it reminds me of one of my favorite British mystery series: Foyle’s War. Maisie is an interesting and ever-evolving character, leading an unusual investigation practice that blends psychology, forensic science, philosophy, and compassion in approaching tangled, often avoided or ignored problem knots. An appealing cast of expanding supporting characters helps set the mood and context.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 23rd, 2021.

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear (Mystery)

Writing: 3 Plot: 4 Characters: 3.5

The latest in Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series (#15) finds Maisie investigating the murder of Catherine Saxon — the irrepressible American journalist from a wealthy, politically connected, and a defiantly isolationist family.

This series never feels stale — each volume moves forward in time (the first took place in 1929 and we’re up to 1940 now) and is based on a factual piece of British History. In this case, the Blitz and the effort to get the U.S. to enter the war. Woven into the plot is Joseph Kennedy, the anti-Semitic and somewhat pro-Hitler, then American ambassador to England and the U.S. Organization America First. I’m sure it’s not an accident that she chose this particular topic for this year’s entry.

Always fun to read these — very little “filler,” a twisted plot, and Maisie’s character progresses as well.