I do love a Maisie Dobbs story and have been reading Jacqueline Winspear’s fab series for years, not always in order as it depends what the library has in stock, but one thing’s for sure, I always love catching up with Maisie. I love finding out what’s going in her personal and professional life, it’s like I’m catching up with an old friend.
This is the 16th book in the series and it’s seems to get better with each book. I loved following Maisie and her assistant Billie, as they try to work out what it was that young Freddie Hackett saw. Maisie is convinced that he’s telling the truth, but her contacts at Scotland Yard and SOE want her to leave it alone, that the boy was just imagining things. Well Maisie is not one for giving up, and the more she looks into the case the more disturbing it gets.
This was such a good story as there was a lot going on in the case and in Maisie’s other life, now that she’s involved with checking over recruits for SOE. Two of the new recruits are women she knows very well, and she feels dreadful at being involved in the process of sending them to occupied France, especially when her best friend Priscilla is related to both of them!
As to solving the mystery? Well, as usual I didn’t have a clue and totally forgot about trying to work it out as I was so wrapped in the story, especially what was happening between Maisie and Mark Scott. He’s the American she met in the previous book and things were getting interesting between them. This book has ended on a real cliff hanger and I really hope there’s going to be a happy ending for Maisie, as she’s had so much tragedy in her life. I’m crossing my fingers that the author doesn’t make something awful happen between them in the next book.
I thoroughly recommend this wonderful series to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries especially ones set in World War Two.

The 16th book in the excellently-written Maisie Dobbs series. It is now 1941 and Britain is struggling through the war. A young messenger boy in London believes he sees a murder taking place. Unfortunately, with the disappearance of the body, the police do not believe him and dismiss his claims as a childish fantasy. Maisie does however trust the boy and sets out to discover what happened.
As with all the Maisie Dobbs stories, this has a gentle pace. Using her forensic analysis skills, Maisie works calmly and competently to find resolution. She brings a reassuring sense of control to the story. Whilst her work as an investigator is thorough and well-ordered, her other work for the secret service and her personal life leave her feeling unsettled.
Jacqueline Winspear has created a wonderful cast of characters, who once again entertain the reader. The backdrop of war is vividly brought to life. I found this an easy book to read, although the ending felt rather rushed and contrived. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable read.