I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am ready to read the next one.

In this the fourth book of the series, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, takes on the case of an artist who has fallen to his death. The police have dismissed it as an accident, but Maisie has a hunch that there is more to the death. In the course of her investigation, she finds that there is indeed much much more. As the range of her investigation grows, Maisie encounters secretive and possibly dangerous organizations. Little is truly as it seems. And as always in this series, WW1 continues to cast its dark shadow.

Lately, one of the only moments I truly feel free of my anxiety and depression is when I am reading. Currently, the best distraction tends to be a book from the Maisie Dobbs series. This, the fourth installment, did not disappoint. Winspear writes well and trusts in the intelligence of her readers. Her fictional creation continues to be a source of inspiration to me. Maisie is such a well-rounded character and seems to become more so with each installment in the series...she is self-assured, acknowledges her faults and mistakes, and uses mindfulness and meditation when faced with difficult circumstances or feelings, which is pretty freaking cool. Now onto book five!

The Maisie Dobbs series is easy reading that is clearly aimed at a certain audience which largely suits me because I’m of the age. There’s nothing too challenging, it has a mix of researched history and facts that give a sense of place. Some of the descriptions/ explanations seem to show these are written for an American market, as does the choice of spelling which is somewhat annoying given Maisie is set in 1930s Britain. After some diversion? Murder without horror or gore? Narrative over style?