Maisie Dobbs, a psychologist and investigator in London between the wars, returns for her fifth adventure -- this one about a town enveloped in a decade-old tragedy.
Maisie Dobbs is a refreshing change from all of the in-fashion forensic specialists and modern detectives so common today. She lives it that intriguing era -- Europe between WWI and WWII. It was a time that England was shaking off its long-held, rigid standards of class and sex and new opportunities were emerging for women like Ms. Dobbs.
Tightly Written Series
Each installment of this tightly-written series tells the reader a little bit more about Maisie Dobbs. In An Incomplete Revenge, readers learn about her gypsy ancestry (her maternal grandmother was a gypsy), the source of her special gifts.
The Town of Heronsdene
In this story, Ms. Dobbs accepts a commission from an old acquaintance to do some due diligence on some property he is considering buying down in England's southeastern district of Kent. It seems that there have been frequent fires and thefts in the area and the prospective buyer would like to know more about the situation before he commits to the sale.
The town of Heronsdene is known for its hops, the flower of which is an essential element in making beer. For the harvest each summer, farmers import armies of Londoners and gypsies to scour the fields. It's a lucrative two weeks' work and the same families return year after year. One of these families is that of Billy, Maisie Dobbs' assistant. Largely because of centuries of mistrust, the Londoners and the gypsies camp separately and rarely interact.
Guilt and Bigotry
As Maisie starts to explore the Kent town of Heronsdene, she is struck by a strong feeling of melancholy, which doesn't let up as the townspeople great her with tight-lipped responses and suspicion. She learns of a tragedy ten years earlier, where a German zeppelin flew over the town, dropping a bomb that killed a family of three. She is able to extract few details about the incident, only that the family's elder son was killed in France shortly after his mother, father, and sister's deaths.
As part of her fact-finding trip, Maisie meets with the matriarch of the gypsy group, camped just outside of town. The woman, Beulah, welcomes her even though many of her relatives are wary. Maisie is convinced that the wise, old woman knows the answer to the events that have plagued Heronsdene. Will she be able to coax this information from her before it is too late?
An incomplete Revenge is a satisfying, unique mystery tale, one that evokes the feel of a "film noir." Author, Jacqueline Winspear reveals just enough, but not too much and leaves at least this reader eager for the next installment of the Maisie Dobbs series.
An Incomplete Revenge will be available on February 19 from Henry Holt Publishers and most book retailers.
About Jacqueline Winspear
Jacqueline Winspear is the author of four previous Maisie Dobbs mystery novels, including the 2005 release, Pardonable Lies and Messenger of Truth, released in 2007. Winspear has won two Agatha awards and been nominated for an Edgar Award, among other honors. A native of Kent, Ms. Winspear now lives in California.
Related Articles
- Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
- Murder in the Marais by Cara Black
- Set Sail for Murder by Carolyn Hart
- Irish Linen by Andrew Greeley
