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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
What a great ending to a fantastic series. I have heard that Maisie will reappear in a forthcoming series and I'm anxious to know what becomes of her although this was a well told final mystery for her. I appreciate that Ms. Winspear tied up all loose ends and settled all of the characters. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical fiction/historical mysteries.
4.5 stars-- one of the better in this very good series.
I like the mysteries and thought that this one was quite good but Maisie's tedious decision making about her personal life is really getting old!
Three and a half stars-- possibly because I didn't start at the beginning and let the story build through 10 books. I have Book #2 on deck, so will read one more, but Maisie is wearing on me, just a bit. I love the historical detail, but there's a touch of goody-goody in Maisie's personality and dealings with others--her forbearance, her wisdom, her caution and her utter perfection, stacked up against all other human beings, whose lives are messy. Occasionally--and only sometimes--she's too good to be true. There's also her tendency to just--aha!--stumble on the solution to mysteries that have baffled Scotland Yard, simply by walking around in the right neighborhood.
I'm thinking this is supposed to be a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure it matters all that much. Whatever the resolution to Maisie's romantic dilemma, it will be practical, well-considered, and just right for everyone involved. Because Maisie will make it so.
I'm thinking this is supposed to be a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure it matters all that much. Whatever the resolution to Maisie's romantic dilemma, it will be practical, well-considered, and just right for everyone involved. Because Maisie will make it so.
The only reason this is 4 instead of 5 stars is that there were zero clues about the denouement, which is way not fair in a mystery. I don’t mean “surprising;” those are wonderful…I mean it felt like Ms Winspear couldn’t figure out how to make it come together, so she just threw in a change.
My least favorite of the series so far.
1) wtf are you waiting for with James? Marry him or don’t, but don’t keep stringing the guy along
2) both Billy and Sandra left their jobs for higher paying jobs? Yeah right! No way she wasn’t taking good care of them.
3) Billy was cheating on his wife and Maisie didn’t tell his wife or chew his butt out? Nope. Not believable. Not telling his wife, sure. Especially because of her past mental history. But not saying anything to him about it and letting him get away with it without making him feel like a total a$$?!?!?! Grrr.
I’m hopeful the next book leads to Maisie wisening up and marrying James, but I doubt she will.
1) wtf are you waiting for with James? Marry him or don’t, but don’t keep stringing the guy along
2) both Billy and Sandra left their jobs for higher paying jobs? Yeah right! No way she wasn’t taking good care of them.
3) Billy was cheating on his wife and Maisie didn’t tell his wife or chew his butt out? Nope. Not believable. Not telling his wife, sure. Especially because of her past mental history. But not saying anything to him about it and letting him get away with it without making him feel like a total a$$?!?!?! Grrr.
I’m hopeful the next book leads to Maisie wisening up and marrying James, but I doubt she will.
Winspear continues her procedural series starring Maisie Dobbs, a working class woman who came back from WWI nursing empowered to go to Girton and emerge as a psychologist and private investigator, a set-up that allows Winspear to delve into class and gender issues during the inter-war years. This volume branches out into race, as the murders of two Indian women in London after being abandoned by the families for whom they were governesses draws Dobbs and the police into dark corners of the empire's relationship with its people.
After 10 books, I still really like Maisie Dobbs. I didn't love this one as much as the first couple, but this felt like a nice end to the series.
Always interesting and delightful, and the end shows that there are some changes afoot...
I liked that when Maisie Dobbs is considering leaving the country and going to find herself in travel, she is called to investigate the death of an Indian woman who has come to Britain for reasons much less self-involved and much more practical. It sheds light on why, despite my sympathy for Maisie, I am finding her hard to live with these days.
The reveal about the murderer, the people hiding him, and the motives came too quickly and too late. I cannot tell whether or not is it is believable.
The reveal about the murderer, the people hiding him, and the motives came too quickly and too late. I cannot tell whether or not is it is believable.