The best of the series so far, even a bit better than the first. The mystery itself in this one is really interesting, with a well-wrought supporting cast in the Bassington-Hope family. The withheld details are less annoying here (and less painful) than in the other novels. And the balance between delving into Maisie's past versus building on her present is spot on.

Looking forward to #5!

Closer to 3.5* - this is the first Maisie Dobbs book that hasn't been a 4* for me. Everything just seemed to drag along for quite a while, altho it did definitely redeem itself in the last quarter. Lots of introspection (maybe too much?) and much thinking about endings and beginnings - makes me wonder what the next book will bring!

My sixth read in the Masie Dobbs series and the high standard of the previous novels isn’t lacking in this one. Once again Jacqueline Winspear shows a cross section of London from the rich and high class to the poor working class who despite their differences all live under the shadow that the First World War left behind. She evokes this period effectively as always with subtlety and detail and in this one particularly focuses upon the art scene of the time which I appreciated.

These are no ‘cozy’ mysteries for despite the fashion and parties there is always a darkness underneath especially in light of the growing political situation in Europe. In this book Oswald Mosley features, the eventual leader of the British Union of Fascists and the naivety of those who had not yet seen what men like Hitler can do is illustrated.

The Bassington-Hope family, are well drawn and the regular characters in these novels feature in bit parts such as Masie’s father as well as her trusty assistant Billy who has to deal with darkness of his own in this book. The plot in these novels never really zings along as they do in modern mystery novels but instead builds piece by piece allowing the reader to change their mind as to the identity of the killer multiple times. Perhaps this is what I like about historical crime fiction, that the pace is slower and that they are a window onto a world that is so much different to our own.

It is always difficult to write reviews of mystery novels, in fear of giving too much away but suffice it to say that fans of this series will not be disappointed and although this could be read as a standalone book, if you haven’t read any Masie Dobbs before, I would recommend starting at the beginning to really get the most out of this book.

3.5 stars
So after reading the third Maisie book, I was kind of on a ‘Great War’ mysteries kick so I decided to continue on with the next book in the series, Messenger of Truth.

I was impressed with how the third book developed and the next book sounded equally as intriguing that I just couldn’t help myself.

As I have said before in other reviews of this series, I felt less than connected to Maisie on occasion, but as the series goes on I feel like I’m able to connect to her a little more with each book. She’s a complicated heroine with a complicated past that comes out in the books so I guess it makes sense that the reader might not feel as though they ‘know’ her that well.

I was pleased with the direction that her character went with casual love interested, Andrew Dene. Maisie’s character talked about feeling the pressures of marriage but also feeling the joy of independence so I liked that the book addressed that issue and resolved the Andrew Dene situation. That said I do wish for some more romance in this series. I like that the focus is on the mystery and other elements but at the same time I like Maisie and feel like romance (even if it’s unconventional) would help her seem more ‘real’ or more relateable maybe?

The mystery in this book was well constructed and interesting. I love the art angle as I mentioned before and I really enjoyed how the mystery came together in the end because I could not work it out until it was ‘revealed’ at the end. I had my suspicions but I was far from close so that was fun for me to try and work out throughout the novel. Sometimes in this series I feel like Maisie hoards information and doesn’t share anything or even hint to her audience which can be frustrating at times but I am finding that she is doing that less and less which I appreciate about the books.

Overall I think I will continue with the series. As I have said before I love the premise and setting and this series has a lot to recommend itself to audiences plus I see signs of improvement in the series so I am resolved to continue at this point.

See my full review here

For some reason I could not ‘get into’ this one as much as the previous 3 in the series and I’m not sure why. The writing is still good but the storyline did not grasp me as much. Maisie is still a fabulous character but the new ones did not hold my interest.

It’s basically an artist falling to his death while setting up his exhibition and deemed an accident. His sister is not convinced and so it delves into Maisie trying to find the truth. She meets some odd characters along the way which has you thinking but I’ll not spoil the ending.

Some sad parts in this too but death was rife in that era of the early 1930s through lack of vaccinations for many childhood diseases. Thank you again Karen for lending this to me and I’ll get onto number 5 soon. So much to read!

The ending was quite powerful! Many moving and emotional moments… Maisie is a wonderful character. Billy Beale has my heart ❤️ Really loving this series!

This is the fourth book in the Maisie Dobbs series, and it's a winner. The setting is 1931 in London. This is a time in the UK when there is a lot of poverty and hopelessness. The Great War is over but for the few that did return jobs are hard to come by. A lot of walking wounded are out and about and everyone that participated in some way during the war is trying to start life anew with the great sadness of the war carried in all their hearts. Unemployment is high. Disease is running rampant. Maisie is asked by a young female journalist to try to find out what really happened to her twin brother who is a prominent artist. The police think it was an accident that he fell from scaffolding that he had erected to enable him to hang up his master work in the gallery that displays his artwork. Georgina Bassington-Hope does not believe it was an accident so she employs Maisie to find out what actually happened. It opens up a whole new world for Maisie as she must step into the world of art and priceless paintings in order for her to figure out what actually did happen to Nick Bassington-Hope. She places herself in some danger as she single-mindedly and doggedly follows the clues she uncovers. This series is wonderful and thought-provoking. Ms. Winspear has a way of making World War I and it's aftermath very real. One of my favourite series for sure.

This was a good installment in the Maisie Dobbs series, I just didn't think it was great. I love learning about what life was like in that time period. I really had tears in my eyes at some of the things that happened in this one.

I like all the interesting characters that are in these books, like Billy and Lady Compton. I wonder what will happen in the next one, with Maisie having a flat mate.

It seemed the book took to long to come to a conclusion and drug out a little longer than I thought it should. I plan to read the next in the series though.

I'm trying to like this series but the details are killing me. In the first 2 books I figured the details of clothing were constantly mentioned because of Maisie trying to figure out what type of person she was dealing with but in this book, Georgina, who has hired Maisie, is detailing Maisie's clothes too. I like clothes but I'm not particularly interested in what everyone is wearing every single day. Plus in the beginning chapters the descriptions about Maisie elevate her to a level befitting a heroine. "But then, as if commanded to do so by a force she could feel but not see, she looked up at the window once more. Maisie Dobbs was staring directly at her now, and raising her hand in a manner so compelling that the visitor could not leave, could do nothing but meet her eyes in return. And in that moment, as Maisie Dobbs captured her with her gaze, she felt a warmth flood her body..." Oh brother.

It doesn't bother me that Maisie is not particularly likeable or exciting as a person or detective or psychologist. What bothers me is that it took about 200 tedious pages to tell me the murdered persons family was a big mess and by the end of this book I didn't care who did the killing. I just wanted it to be over.

The historical parts are interesting.

It has been a while since I picked up the last book in this series, so I had to reacquaint myself with the writing of Jacqueline Winspear and the precisely sketched world of Maisie Dobbs. For some reason, when I read this series it takes me much longer to finish than is typical for books of similar size -- something about Winspear's style forces me to slow down as I read.

I just adore Maisie Dobbs. She seems like a grown-up Nancy Drew: headstrong, thoughtful, and a little naive. This book felt like a turning point, with Maisie contemplating big shifts in her life and facing questions about career, life path, and love that I'm only just beginning to understand (in my mid-twenties). The mystery itself wasn't all that compelling for me, but the introspective development for Maisie was so meaningful. I can't wait to pick up the next in the series.

I like these Maisie Dobb books. They are somewhat light, but thoroughly intriguing mysteries, and there is always the historical element that Jacqueline Winspear adds to the tale. This time it's 1931 and an artist dies while setting up his latest exhibit. The authorities think it's an accident. The dead man's twin sister thinks it might be something else and contacts Maisie to look into it. Turns out, there is something more to it.

Maisie has some uncanny abilities to see more than what is on the surface in all her investigations. This time she jumps in and puts herself into a little bit of danger. I liked that. She's getting a little more daring as her PI career takes off.

3.75 stars. I’m enjoying this series overall. I was warned by my friend Lisa that this one was a little depressing, and she was right