10th Anniversary Edition with a special Afterword by the author
Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was 13. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan Compton, soon became her patron, taking the remarkably bright youngster under her wing. Lady Rowan’s friend, Maurice Blanche, often retained as an investigator by the European elite, recognized Maisie’s … elite, recognized Maisie’s intuitive gifts and helped her earn admission to the prestigious Girton College in Cambridge, where Maisie planned to complete her education.
The outbreak of war changed everything. Maisie trained as a nurse, then left for France to serve at the Front, where she found — and lost — an important part of herself. Ten years after the Armistice, in the spring of 1929, Maisie sets out on her own as a private investigator, one who has learned that coincidences are meaningful, and truth elusive. Her very first case involves suspected infidelity but reveals something very different.
In the aftermath of the Great War, a former officer has founded a working farm known as The Retreat, which acts as a convalescent refuge for ex-soldiers too shattered to resume normal life. When Fate brings Maisie a second case involving The Retreat, she must finally confront the ghost that has haunted her for over a decade.
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I’m a big fan of the entire Maisie Dobbs series, both in print and in audio book. Maisie is a stunningly original character, and I’ve enjoyed watching her grow from the young girl we meet in the first book to the independent career woman of mid-series, and beyond. The series starts around 1930, but the first installment takes us back to Maisie’s …
Maisie Dobbs is one of my favorite heroines EVER!
So enjoyable! I can’t wait to read the sequel! Maisie is a layered, fascinating protagonist, who immediately won my sympathy. The story is thoughtful and well-paced. This book is definitely going to my re-read shelf.
Maisie Dobbs is the first in a series by Jacqueline Winspear. A journey through the life of an English woman beginning shortly after she returns to England after having been a nurse in France during WW I. Filled with intrigue as she begins her career as a private inquiry agent who solves crimes. The personal stories woven into the crimes are …
I was drawn to this book because it dealt with The Great War (WWI) from the British viewpoint, especially when the great disparity between the upper and working classes were upended by the war. This is the first book in a series of 14, and I enjoyed reading them all as Maisie matures from a young woman throughout three decades.
I’ve fallen in love with all of the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. The post WWI time period and the recovering British people allow for a genteel sort of story telling that just draws you in. I’m on the third book in the series and they only get better.
Maisie Dobbs is a fantastic mystery series. Set between the wars, with former WWI nurse Maisie Dobbs as the sleuth, you will absolutely love her character.
Jacqueline Winspear is a wonderful writer. Very good first book starring Masie Dobbs.. Very enjoyable. A great addition to any library! You will be glad you did!
This was a very nice surprise. Such beautiful writing. Complete with an original storyline including a gripping mystery and wonderful characters to boot. Haven’t read many fiction titles from this time period and what a treat. A nice new series to get lost in.
I have enjoyed all the Maisie Dobbs books that I have read.
Maisie Dobbs is an interesting detective, from a working class background but given an education when her employer noticed her extreme intelligence and sponsored her through tutorials and university. Her adventures are set in the period between the world wars. She describes herself as psychologist and detective and her assignments generally …
I enjoyed reading both the book and the development of secondary characters. It’s a refreshing series that is a bit of a mystery with a touch of eastern philosophy, all wrapped up in a well-researched historical novel.
I love a good historical mystery! In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has explored a time in our history that I hadn’t read of in other books. Maisie is a British investigator in the time immediately following WWI. It’s an interesting time and I really enjoyed learning about Maisie and how she became an investigator and psychologist – both …
Overall a good book. The author does a decent job of the historical aspects of England post World War I, and I liked the original way Maisie gets into the detecting business. I wasn’t crazy about the ending, but it’s an entertaining read.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I have book hangover. M A S S I V E book hangover.
I loved this book so very much – even the parts that made me cry [I have such a problem with books that deal with war in general {as anyone with a soul would}, but books that deal with WW1 in particular are very distressing to me]. I loved the characters and I adored Maisie and …
I enjoyed the character of Maisie Dobbs. I listened to the audio book and the narrator was perfect for the story.
I found Maisie Dobbs unforgettable! You will too. You cannot help but to root for her.
Very much enjoying learning about Maisie’s world–especially as she goes off to help in the war. Well-written series that transports the reader to another time. Will be reading more of these mysteries.
This is a historical fiction mystery, war story and romance set in World War 1 in England, housemaid Maisie Dobbs gets the opportunity to become a university student, a wartime nurse and ultimately a private investigator. Both naïve and savvy, Maisie remains loyal to her working-class father and many friends who help her along the way. Her first …
I enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series. I like reading them in order of printing.