Book cover excerpt:
In the third novel of this bestselling series, London investigator Maisie Dobbs faces grave danger as she returns to the site of her most painful memories from the Great War to resolve the mystery surrounding a pilot's death.
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe. Every once in a while, a detective bursts on the scene who captures readers' imaginations---and hearts---and doesn't let go. And so it was with Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs, who made her debut just three years ago in the eponymous first book of her series and is already on her way to becoming a household name.
In the third novel of this unique and masterly crime series, a deathbed plea from his wife leads Sir Cecil Lawton to seek the aid of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator. As Maisie soon learns, Agnes Lawton never accepted that her aviator son was killed in the Great War, a torment that led her not only to the edge of madness but also to the doors of those who practice the dark arts and commune with the spirit world.
Maisie accepts the assignment--determined to prove Ralph Lawton either dead or alive--and in doing so is plunged into a case that tests her spiritual strength, as well as her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. The mission also brings her together once again with her college friend Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and who lost three brothers to the war--one of whom, it turns out, had an intriguing connection to the missing Ralph Lawton.
Following on the heels of the triumphant Birds of a Feather, Pardonable Lies is the most compelling installment yet in the chronicles of Maisie Dobbs, "a heroine to cherish" (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review).
I continue to love this series, but this one is a most troubling installment. Maisie goes thru a "dark night of the soul" that threatens her stability. You travel with her through her roller coaster of a case. Actually, there are 3 cases, and somehow they all have a connection. But the devastation to Maisie herself is really what moves this installment. Her relationship with her late mother is dipped into a little bit more. The spirituality side of Maisie comes thru even more here, and is what helps her deal with her memories of the war, a betrayal of trust, and attempts on her life. Quite an emotional tale, this one.
I have a hard time reviewing these books without giving something away, which is why I include the book cover excerpts. Needless to say, I haven't been disappointed by this series yet, and truly doubt I will be.
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