Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries) by Jacqueline Winspear and Rita Barrington

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Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries) from Mystery & Thrillers

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries)
Available from Amazon
Price: $79.95
Updated on 12-28-2008.

Features

Audio CD

Publisher: Sound Library; Unabridged edition (March 2005)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0792734602

ISBN-13: 978-0792734604

Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.6 x 1.6 inches

Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces ()

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Maisie is 14 when her mother dies, and she must go into service to help her father make ends meet. Her prodigious intellect and the fact that she is sneaking into the manor library at night to read Hume, Kierkegaard, and Jung alert Lady Rowan to the fact that she has an unusual maid. She arranges for Maisie to be tutored, and the girl ultimately qualifies for Cambridge. She goes for a year, only to be drawn by the need for nurses during the Great War. After serving a grueling few years in France and falling in love with a young doctor, Maisie puts up a shingle in 1929 as a private investigator. She is a perceptive observer of human nature, works well with all classes, and understands the motivations and demons prevalent in postwar England. Teens will be drawn in by her first big case, seemingly a simple one of infidelity, but leading to a complex examination of an almost cultlike situation. The impact of the war on the country is vividly conveyed. A strong protagonist and a lively sense of time and place carry readers along, and the details lead to further thought and understanding about the futility and horror of war, as well as a desire to hear more of Maisie. This is the beginning of a series, and a propitious one at that.
Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
'Maisie Dobbs is a welcome and unusual addition to the crowded world of literary detectives. ! A very readable whodunnit' -- Sainsbury's Magazine Sue Baker's 'Quarterly Highlights' -- Publisher's Weekly 20040806 'Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs is a welcome addition to the sleuthing scene. Simultaneously self-reliant and vulnerable, Maisie isn't a character I'll easily forget' -- Elisabeth George 20040806 'Readers sensing a story-within-a-story won't be disappointed. But first, they must prepare to be astonished at the sensitivity and wisdom with which Maisie resolves her first professional assignment' -- New York Times 20040806 'Much more than just another detective story! thought-provoking' -- Newbooksmag 20041101 'It's a long time since I've read a crime novel that begins as well as Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs ... very well written ... [Jacqueline Winspear has] a very bright future as a crime novelist' -- Daily Mail 20040806 'Feisty, working-class heroine Maisie is a deliberate throwback to the sleuthettes of old-fashioned crime writing and will appeal to all those fans who pine for uncomplicated characters and a strong demarcation between good and bad. The well-plotted story, its characters and the picture of London between the wars are decidedly romantic. American readers loved it; many Brits will, too.' -- The Guardian 20040918 'A notable new heroine whose adventures are set to continue.' -- Saga 20040918 'A wry and immensely readable beginning to what promises to be a vivid new addition to crime fiction' -- Mail on Sunday 'Simultaneously self-reliant and vulnerable, Maisie isn't a character I'll easily forget' -- Elizabeth George 'Very well written ... [Jacqueline Winspear has] a very bright future as a crime novelist' -- Daily Mail 20040806 'Even if detective stories aren't your thing, you'll love Maisie Dobbs' -- New Woman 20040801 'American readers loved it; many Brits will, too.' -- Guardian 20040918 'Readers sensing a story-within-a-story won't be disappointed.' -- New York Times 20040918 'The book is much more than a cosy mystery - it is also about women's growing emancipation and the profound changes to society after the First World War.' -- Mail on Sunday's You 20050403 'In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has given us a real gift. Maisie Dobbs has not been created - she has been discovered. Such people are always there amongst us, waiting for somebody like Ms. Winspear to come along and reveal them. And what a revelation it is!' Alexander McCall Smith -- Alexander McCall Smith 20060515

In the spring of 1929, Maisie Dobbs' first assignment as a private investigator is to ascertain the fidelity of her client's wife. Although the case seems mundane, appearances, Maisie discovers, aren't always as they seem. Intrigued by a reclusive community of ex-soldiers known as 'The Retreat', and the mysterious circumstances surrounding one young soldier's death, Maisie suspects disturbing secrets may be lurking inside. Maisie's pursuit of the truth transports us back to her own horrifying experiences as a nurse during World War 1, and as the past impacts the future, Maisie must face the reality of those dreadful times and what happened to the doctor with whom she was so in love. Maisie's sensitivity and intuition makes joyous reading as she climbs from humble housemaid to erudite young woman. Period atmosphere and convincing characters interweave in this compelling blend of war, romance and mystery, a winning combination marking the creation of an original new detective series. (Kirkus UK) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Maisie Dobbs (Hardcover) While "Maisie Dobbs" has been categorized as a novel/mystery, the book actually reads more like a novel (even though there is a mystery at hand, and our heroine is a detective) than it does a 'straight' mystery novel. But this did not stop me from enjoying the book at all. Once Maisie Dobbs was a domestic servant with little expectation of anything else aside from rising within the ranks. However, thanks to the sponsorship of her employer, Lady Rowan Compton, who quickly realised that there was something really special about the thirteen year old, Maisie was given an education. Now, Maisie is a young woman and eager to make her mark; and thanks to the tutorship of Lady Rowan's good friend, Maurice Blanche (a renowned detective himself), Maisie is ready to embark on her first case. Unfortunately, it looks as if her first case is going to be a case of marital infidelity: Mr. Davenham suspects that his much younger wife, Celia, is having an affair; and he wants Maisie to either confirm his worst fears or else refute them. Little does Mr. Davenham realise, however, that Maisie is no ordinary detective. A highly intuitive and empathic young woman, Maisie senses Mr. Davenham's anguish over his wife's alleged infidelity and is resolved to help the Davenhams repair their strained marital bond. Her investigation however leads her to a graveyard, and to a grave marked only with a simple tombstone and a name -- Vincent. A casual search turns up other graves -- all memorialized with tombstones and first names only. Something about the whole thing awakens Maisie's misgivings, and trusting her instincts she decides to widen her investigation, never dreaming just how much this investigation will affect her... "Maisie Dobbs" is divided into three sections: the first section deals with Maisie's initial investigation of Celia and what she's up to, and this section does read very much like a mystery novel; the second section deals with how Maisie came to be noticed by Lady Rowan, her education, and her war experiences -- this third of the book however reads more like a novel; the last section of the book again deals with the mystery of the mysterious tombstones, and the resolution of this mystery. While "Maisie Dobbs" proved to be a good and easy read, complete with an intriguing storyline and an intelligent and likable heroine, I must admit that the book was not that much of a suspenseful read. Because the novel does rely a little heavily on Maisie's intuitive powers, there are practically no unexpected plot twists or red herring suspects. (And truly, "Maisie Dobbs" was more about how, even almost an entire decade after the war, people were still coming to terms with the horror and grief that war entails). So that while I'm not exactly sure just how successful this plot device of having an empathic detecting heroine will be, I will admit that "Maisie Dobbs" proved to be a very enjoyable read.

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries)
List Price: $79.95
Available from Amazon
Price: $79.95
Updated on 12-28-2008.