Rating: Three 1/2 Stars***^
Genre: Mystery
Awards:Publishers Weekly's Best Mysteries of 2003
New York Times Notable Book of the Year 2003
Edgar Award nominee for Best Novel 2003
Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel in 2003
Summary: After the death of her mother, Maisie Dobbs was sent off by her father to live and work as a maid for the wealthy Lady Rowan Compton. When Maisie is caught sneaking in and out of the manor library, her knowledge of Hume, Kierkegaard, and Jung impresses Lady Rowan enough to provide an education for Maisie. After being accepted and studying in Cambridge for a year, she leaves college to help the greater good and serve in the war as a nurse. Maise is initially introduced in the story as a detective who solves the case of a husband who misinterprets the actions of his supposedly cheating wife, and in the process uncovers the true intentions of a retreat that was made for post-traumatic soldiers of the war.
Evaluation: Maisie Dobbs is an interesting protagonist, but her cases are anti-climatic and do not seem true to the mystery genre. The characters and history are clever and smart, which makes this a very enjoyable read. The story has more of a historical romance theme, but overall is a great introduction to such an intelligent heroine.
Read-a-likes: No. 1 Ladies Detective Series by Alexander McCall Smith
A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
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