Maisie Dobbs

The book, Maisie Dobbs, was suggested by a litblogger, Alyce of "At Home With Books" and her suggestion proved to be an excellent recommendation. The author, Jacqueline Winspear was born in the UK and moved to the USA in 1990. Maisie Dobbs is her first novel and her book received several awards and many positive reviews. It is the first of a series, nine books have been written so far. The story is set in the UK at the time just before, during and after the First World War and follows the journey of a young woman who is discovered, nurtured and mentored by a couple of influential people because she has shown a high degree of intelligence and diligence. She has been plucked from her lowly beginnings by her wealthy employer and mentored by an elderly philosopher detective type character named Maurice Blanche. Very early in the story we are introduced to Maisie and soon we can see she is going to be an interesting character and we can also see the writing is clear, enjoyable and leads us forward in such a way that we want to know more. The backdrop of the story gives us an insight into how life was for British society prior to World War One and how it was a social leveller. The war, as wars do, disrupted society to such a point whereby people of the lower classes and women, not necessarily in that order, were able to reach their potential if they were prepared to work very very hard, if they had a lot of intelligence and most importantly, if they had luck on their side. Maisie Dobbs character reminds me of Hester Latterly of the William Monk series by Anne Perry, another cosy mystery. This story is told by an outside observer who is everywhere and knows what's going on, it is written as a third person narrative and it is sprinkled throughout with quotes of wisdom similar to Wilkie Collin's The Moonstone and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Here is an example of a quote that particularly drew my attention: "only when we have a respect for time will we have learned something of the art of living". I found myself highlighting several passages as I moved forward in the story. A smile remained with me for the whole book because I really like the character, a caring, honourable intelligent woman who loved learning and books. The back-story appealed very much to me because it seemed to be very well researched and real. For me, learning something while I'm being entertained by good story telling is the very best of reading experiences. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good well written cosy mystery set in the UK. One that has been written in recent times which results in language that is easily accessible and a plot that is not dated. So all you lovers of comfortable interesting mysteries with good characters. Try this one. I think you will enjoy it.

I was introduced to Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series through my participation in the Vine: the current last book in the series "A Dangerous Place" proved to be an amazing story of detection and courage set between the two world wars. As I read it, I did not realize that Maisie Dobbs, the lead character had been detecting and soldiering through circumstance prior to WW1 for ten other novels and as 'ADP' provided a glimpse into another era and presented a character of substance, I did not hesitate to start, as they say, from the beginning. I have not been disappointed. In "Maisie Dobbs," the first novel in the series, the reader is transported to London post-WW1 where Maisie Dobbs, a psychologist and detective, has set up a new office with the shrewd and loquacious cockney Billy Beals as her man Friday. Her first case seems classic: a man asks her to check up on the activities of his wife whom he fears is cheating on him. To her great chagrin, Maisie finds herself hurtled back in time to the pain incurred during the first world war. Winspear introduces Maisie in a series of flashbacks that reveal the character's background and her surprising intellect. The reader discovers that Maisie's abilities have been honed by exposure to a number of present day activities meant to still and exercise the mind--her affiliation with her mentor Maurice keeps her at the cutting age where philosophy meets inductive reasoning and metaphysics is applied to fight aggression on an even larger scale than Maisie can imagine. With the hundred year anniversary of the Great War upon us, the adventures of Maisie Dobbs have great relevance as they manage to depict the time of war and its effect on the masses with emotional detail. The character's stint as a nurse in France reminds the reader of sacrifice and courage in the face of much discomfit; the destruction of nearly an entire generation of young men sad in its failure to end all wars. Winspear's Maisie bears the scars of her country and yet must stiffen her upper lip and move on. She does with great courage and persistence. This first book in the series tells of Maisie's background and provides a 1920s era mystery that she solves with deductive reasoning, assurance, integrity and her meditative training. The introduction of secondary characters like Stratton, Beals, Maurice, Frankie Dobbs, Khan, Lady Rohan etc. make this series one to fall back on for those who enjoyed the likes of Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew as children. Maisie's emotional life is flawed which endears her to her readers and presses them to read on to discover whether or not she eventually finds solace and happiness. Bottom line? "Maisie Dobbs" by Jacqueline Windspear makes for a lovely introduction to a mult-faceted character who uses meditation and other "cutting edge" ideologies to get to the bottom of mysteries and situations faced by the world in the late 1920s. Recommended as most enjoyable. Diana Faillace Von Behren "Buzzard's Eye View"

Maisie Dobbs is one of the most intriguing female mystery characters written today. I've read the entire series, and loved every book, so I wanted to encourage anyone thinking about starting this series, START! Jacqueline Winspear has done a magnificent job of crafting a unique character, setting, and a series of stories that keep the pages turning from start to finish. In this, the first installment, you meet Maisie - she is brilliant, caring, and powerful, even as a girl. The obstacles she has to overcome sharpen her into a powerful young woman. Once I started reading Maisie's story, I couldn't stop. The pre-WWI, and later WWII eras, are drawn with just the right amount of historical detail to augment the stories and give them authenticity. One of Winspear's great talents is understanding the mindset and psychology of an intelligent woman who craves independence, in an era of very little independence for women. Maisie's development, and her story, is every bit as fascinating as the mysteries she solves. Winspear is one of those authors, and this series is one, that makes me chomp at the bit for the next installment. Highly recommended!

Maisie Dobbs has just started on her own as an investigator with a difference. She uses her knowledge of psychology, meditation and philosophy to get to the bottom of the cases she investigates. About half of this book is taken up with recounting how Maisie managed to receive a university education and how she worked as a nurse during World War I. That in itself is an interesting and well written story but her investigations into some apparently minor cases are what caught my attention and kept me reading. Maisie is an enigmatic and mysterious figure herself who relies on her intuition to lead her in the right direction. People seem to want to help her and she herself is loyal to her friends and clients. She is intelligent and very observant – think Sherlock Holmes without the pipe and the drugs. She is a fascinating characters and something a bit different from the many female sleuths of the nineteen twenties. A well-researched historical background and interesting and well-drawn characters makes this a enjoyable read and I have already started on the second volume in the series. If you like Carola Dunne’s Daisy Dalrymple, Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher, Catriona McPerson’s Dandy Gilver or Nicola Upson’s Josephine Tey then you may enjoy Maisie Dobbs.

Full of insights, well written. Maisie is a lovely caracter.

If you're looking for a new Ken Follett or John LeCarré, Maisie Dobbs is not for you. However, if you're looking for a well-written crime caper, Maisie Dobbs is perfect. Set in the late 1920's, book 1 reflects on one of the horrific aftermaths of WW1. Although this in itself is a very serious subject, I call the book a crime caper because the violence is downplayed, it's not a true thriller and there is no sex. The protagonist, Maisie Dobbs, may be a little too bright and intuitive at times and Maurice Blanche (her tutor) is so much bigger than life as to be almost unbelievable, however, Jacqueline Winspear manages to keep our interest with well-developed characters and a good flow to the story. I found her style a little reminiscent of Agatha Christie and her famous Miss Marple.

Maisie Dobbs in a unique investigator and kept my attention focused throughout. A mystery I really enjoyed.

この作者のデビュー作であるらしいが、読み始めてすぐに虜になってしまった。読みやすい。主人公Maisieの生い立ちの貧しさ、賢さ、生き方は、シンデレラ的だが、厳しい現実もきちんと書き出している。女探偵小説としてのミステリーの要素だけでなくいろいろな面で楽しめた。この作家の次回作をすぐに予約してしまった。お気に入りの作家発見である。