"Maisie Dobbs manoeuvred her MG 14/28 Tourer into a place outside the bell-shaped frontage of the grand country house. She turned off the engine but remained seated. She needed time to consider her reason for coming to this place before she relinquished the security of her motor car and made her way towards the heavy oak door."
London, 1933. Two months after Usha Pramal is found murdered in a South London canal, her brother turns to Maisie Dobbs to find the truth about her death, as Scotland Yard have failed to conduct a proper investigation.
Before her murder, Usha was staying at an ayah's hostel, a refuge for Indian women whose British employers had turned them out. But nothing is as it seems and soon another Indian woman is killed before she can speak out. As Maisie is pulled deeper into an unfamiliar yet alluring subculture, her investigation becomes clouded by the unfinished business of a previous case. And at the same time her lover, James Compton, gives her an ultimatum she cannot ignore.
***
I really like the Maisie Dobbs books and this is number ten in the series. Of course, for those of you who follow my blog regularly, you will already know that I have read them all in order, as my anally retentive mind insists upon it. However, I have not reviewed them all but my reviews of Maisie Dobbs, (#1) Pardonable Lies, (#3) and Messenger of Truth (#4) can all be accessed by clicking on the title links. Although it is not entirely neccessary to read them in order I really do recommend starting with, Maisie Dobbs, the first in the series as it provides so much information of Maisie's background.
I have become rather fond of Maisie over the years. She is a bit like having a friend who I am continually drawn back to but who can be a little irritating at times. She has a tendency towards arrogance, and will sometimes bulldoze herself over the feelings of others. However, I still find her a charming and captivating character.
In this particular novel, Ms. Winspear takes up the themes of prejudice, immigration and love and combines them into one delightful story. There are ample twists and turns that are appropriately placed and paced throughout the book.
To date there are fifteen books in this series so I have at least five more to look forward to.
ISBN: 978 0749014599
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.
A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women's magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She currently divides her time between Ojai and the San Francisco Bay Area and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Jacqueline is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, and other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex,and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel and was a New York Times Notable Book.
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