In This Grave Hour

Maisie Dobbs #13

by Jacqueline Winspear

"A female investigator every bit as brainy and battle-hardened as Lisbeth Salander." — Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air, on Maisie Dobbs

 Sunday September 3rd 1939.  At the moment Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts to the nation Britain’s declaration of war with Germany, a senior Secret Service agent breaks into Maisie Dobbs' flat to await her return. Dr. Francesca Thomas has an urgent assignment for Maisie: to find the killer of a man who escaped occupied Belgium as a boy, some twenty-three years earlier during the Great War.

 In a London shadowed by barrage balloons, bomb shelters and the threat of invasion, within days another former Belgian refugee is found murdered.  And as Maisie delves deeper into the killings of the dispossessed from the “last war," a new kind of refugee — an evacuee from London — appears in Maisie's life. The little girl billeted at Maisie’s home in Kent does not, or cannot, speak, and the authorities do not know who the child belongs to or who might have put her on the “Operation Pied Piper” evacuee train.  They know only that her name is Anna.

 As Maisie’s search for the killer escalates, the country braces for what is to come.  Britain is approaching its gravest hour — and Maisie could be nearing a crossroads of her own.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Historical, World War II, Historical Mystery

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.

She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.

A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women's magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She currently divides her time between Ojai and the San Francisco Bay Area and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.

Jacqueline is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, and other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex,
and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel and was a New York Times
Notable Book.

Series:
* Maisie Dobbs

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jacque...

Reviews

[Always Pouting · Rating 3 out of 5]

As war is declared in Britain, Maisie Dobbs' finds herself investigating the death of an Belgian expat living in England. Dr. Francesca Thomas who works in intelligence and is original Belgian hires her on the part of the Belgian embassy but as Maisie digs deeper into the case she begins to wonder what Dr.Thomas is hiding from her. The longer she investigates the more bodies start to pile up, all Belgian expats who came to England during WWI and settled down there. While trying to figure out the thread connecting the murder victims Maisie must also help out at her family home when a little girl name Anna is staying but has trouble telling anyone anything about where she's from. This was my first Maisie Dobbs and I don't think choosing to start on the thirteenth book was the best. I actually hadn't know it was a series. The mystery was solid but I thought the ending was kind of dumb, they killed his brother to put him out of his pain but he was dying anyways , it just felt like the whole murder spree was unwarranted. I also found the whole story line with Anna really boring, not sure why but I just didn't care what was going to happen to the little girl, I really just wanted to know why people were being killed for leaving a country as refugees years ago. The writing was pretty good and the book seemed more historical accurate than most. Though the book was a little dry for my tastes, not the biggest fan of political conspiracies and intelligence agencies or pending wars, I do think someone who likes historical fiction or mysteries could really like this one, especially someone more picky about accuracy. Also maybe if I had read the other books I'd care more about the other characters but most of the time I just got annoyed when the plot moved away from the investigation.

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series that engaged my interest, my heart, and my mind from the very first book. Although I waited a long time for this one to come available through the Library on OverDrive, it was definitely worth the wait.

Jacqueline Winspear’s writing is exceptionally good. At first I thought maybe this could be read as a standalone, but to be honest, one would miss so much of the bonding experience with all the characters, their backgrounds, and how they all connected without reading the whole set. It’s a lot of books (this one is #13 in the series) but they are so well written and so fascinating that they speed by without even noticing how late (or early) one is reading.

Maisie Dobbs is a multi-faceted, very smart, and very intriguing character. She has grown through this series, but the essence of who she is – the very heart and soul of her – have remained consistent so her personal growth is added on to who she already is rather than radically changing her. I adore reading about her life including her current work as a psychologist and private investigator.

Maisie’s best friend is Priscilla, who married Douglas Partridge several books back and they have three boys named Thomas, Timothy, and Tarquin. The title of this book is taken from the King’s speech at the beginning of World War II – and the two oldest boys (18 and 17) are determined to sign up. Their parents are not happy and neither is Maisie as they have all been scarred in various ways through the First World War and their war stories are told in the first several books.

Along with this family, I was so happy to become re-acquainted with Maisie’s assistant Billy Beale, their secretary Sandra Pickering, Maisie’s father Frankie and others that I won’t talk about because it would spoil earlier books by mentioning them.

There are a few murders in this book and Maisie is investigating the first one at the behest of another old friend when the second one quickly follows, along with others. Finding the connections and tracking down the murderer(s) appears at first to be an impossible task – the old needle in a haystack situation. However, Maisie and her team are nothing if not persistent – and thorough. It is these qualities that lead them off on several fast-paced and breathtaking adventures. Will they be in time to prevent further murders?

I am very much looking forward to the next one in this series as the stories are always involved, the recurring characters are ones I care about and love reading about, and the writing envelops me in the totality of the experience completely. I highly recommend this series!

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am amazed that Maisie is now up to Book 13 ( 14 actually as there is one more published that I have not read yet) and we have spanned all the time from the first great war to the beginning of the second.

There is a lot of interesting historical fact in this book. I got goose bumps during the scene where they listen to Neville Chamberlain announcing the start of the war on the wireless. Wireless - that's a lovely word we do not use any more! Also fascinating was the description of the hospital ward with its long rows of beds, every one immaculately made with the sheets turned neatly at the corners and a strict and domineering Matron in charge. Things have changed a lot.

The murder/mystery is interesting and of course Maisie solves it with her usual skill helped by a little bit of second sight. I never attempt to try and guess who dunnit in Maisie Dobbs books because the author is very sparing of her clues and usually only lets Maisie see them. I suppose this does help build a little suspense.

Some good things seem to be happening in Maisie's personal life which is nice. I hope they continue in the next book.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 13th book in the 'Maisie Dobbs' series, the English private investigator looks into the killing of Belgian refugees during WWII. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

On the day Britain enters World War II, private detective Maisie Dobbs gets a visit from her old colleague, Dr. Francesca Thomas.



Francesca, a Belgian national, asks Maisie to investigate the death of Frederick Addens - a Belgian refugee who came to Britain as a teenager during World War I.....and never went home.



Instead, Addens made a life in England and became a railway engineer.

Addens was shot in the head while kneeling, which seems like deliberate murder to Francesca. However, Detective Chief Inspector Caldwell of Scotland Yard contends that the railway man was killed during a robbery.



Moreover, Scotland Yard is especially taxed during the gear up for war, and isn't making much progress catching Addens' killer. So Maisie takes Francesca's case and starts looking into Addens' death with the assistance of her employees, Billy and Sandra.





Shortly afterward another Belgian refugee from World War I - a banker named Albert Durant - is killed. Scotland Yard again connects the homicide with a robbery. However, Maisie learns that both Addens and Durant were shot with the same kind of gun, and concludes that the killings are linked.



Maisie interviews people who assist Belgian war refugees, and some of them also turn up dead.



The detective decides that the key to all these murders lies in Belgium, and makes her way there - a VERY difficult undertaking during wartime. While on the continent, Maisie gleans information that helps her solve the crimes.



Though the murder mystery is at the heart of the story, the book provides fascinating glimpses into London during the early days of World War II. Everyone carries gas masks at all times, barrage balloons hover above the city, and blackouts are mandatory at night - when even a tiny chink of light will garner a visit from the 'light police.'



In addition, many children are evacuated to the country, and schools are re-purposed for wartime activities.

A secondary plot line involves the evacuation of a small girl named Anna, about five years old, to Chelstone Manor - the estate of Maisie's patron. At the manor, Maisie's father and stepmother help look after the child, whose family is unknown. Furthermore, Anna refuses to speak and clings tenaciously to a little suitcase she brought along.



When Maisie visits Chelstone Manor she's very taken with the girl, and becomes determined to help her. Maisie's dad warns his daughter not to get too involved with Anna - who will have to leave at some point - but Maisie can't help herself. This part of the story is sweet and moving.



The war causes all kinds of concerns. Maisie's office assistant Sandra - who's pregnant - is worried about bringing a child into a conflicted world. Everyone thinks about the inevitable rationing of food and fuel. People are frightened of German bombs. And so on.

There are a great many ancillary characters in the story, and I had some trouble remembering who's who. All in all, however, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of historical mysteries.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maisie Dobbs is hired by a member of the Belgian embassy in this 13th installment of the series. A Belgian refugee has been murdered and the embassy wants more of an investigation than the police are providing. Things are in turmoil in London as Germany and England are preparing to go to war yet again. As long time readers know, the series started at the end of WWI where Maisie had served as a combat nurse in France. Now war is back in the picture.

As Maisie's investigation progresses, she discovers more refugees being murdered and moves fast to try and stop them. Personally her home in the country is being turned into a haven for children escaping from London and potential bombing. She involves her father and stepmother in this and it is good to catch up with them. One little girl won't speak and she must unravel the mystery of who the child is as no one knows her. On top of all this Billy is having problems at home, Sandra is pregnant and Priscilla is naturally worried about her boys and the war. Maisie's plate is definitely full.

I first started reading this series in 2003 when the first book came out. It was great as it was two books in one. I have been a faithful reader since and really liked the series. There was a spot when the series ran out of gas but this one is quite high quality. The mystery is quite interesting and I did not solve it. It's good to read about the wonderful supporting characters. I want to stress you can read this as a stand alone. The mystery is quite good and the depiction of the times is interesting. I had no idea that Londoners carried gas masks around before war was even declared. I had no idea that children were being shipped out before the bombing started. Still, if you are a fan of the series it's especially nice to see how Maisie has evolved. I can't wait to read what happens next..

[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs is one of the most creatively written characters in fiction today, and In This Grave Hour is an outstanding addition to the series. The story begins on September 3, 1939, the day Great Britain officially declared war on Germany thereby formally entering World War 2. When Maisie returns home that evening, a Secret Service agent is waiting to hire Maisie to find the murderer of a man who had escaped Occupied Belgium during the Great War. This investigation leads Maisie down a complicated and fascinating path. Meanwhile, Maisie is dealing with a refugee issue of her own related to the new war.

I was unaware of the influx of Belgians into Great Britain during World War 1 – some settling with families for the duration of the war and others setting up entire towns of Belgian citizens. While most returned home when the war was over, some stayed in England permanently. Winspear uses this incident as the basis for this novel and provides so many fascinating details regarding the entire refugee event and the impact on both countries.

World War 2 is one of my favorite eras, and I have read so many books based then. I love stories that still manage to teach me new facts and stories about that time period. In This Grave Hour most certainly succeeds in that respect as Winspear brings the early months of the war to life demonstrating what it was like for Londoners. I didn’t know that Londoners carried gas masks everywhere (and left them many places too until they got used to keeping up with the masks) and that barrage balloons were a constant presence in the sky. I also learned that those early months were subsequently dubbed “The Phoney War” because it was months before Germany actually started bombing London lulling the populace into thinking that the war might never reach British soil. Winspear vividly conveys the horror of war and its impact on the lives of everyone involved, not just those who enlist. Many British subjects had barely recovered from the last war and could hardly fathom that war was upon them again. The title of the book is taken from King George’s speech given on that September 3rd which Winspear uses as an Epitaph: “In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history… for the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war.” The title is perfect for the book.

I loved In This Grave Hour. Thanks to Harper for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful of our history. . .
for the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war.

---KING GEORGE VI, SEPTEMBER 3, 1939

And so begins the thirteenth book in the Maisie Dobbs series, In This Grave Hour. There was an ominous tone throughout this book as we see Maisie Dobbs leave her garden flat in Holland Park for a five-minute walk along the beautiful tree-lined streets to the home of her best friend Priscilla Partridge where all of the Partridge family had already gathered around the crackling wireless. It was eleven fourteen on the morning of September 3rd, 1939 as they heard the clipped tones of the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, telling the country that the country was now at war with Germany.

This was also a time of movement throughout the country as many of London's children were sent to homes in the country for their safety. In fact, Maisie Dobbs father and his wife have opened their home to a lot of boys as well as a 5-year old little girl called Anna who has refused to speak but has captured the heart of Maisie Dobbs as she is determined to find out who abandoned this child with her suitcase and well-pressed, hand-made clothes. It is this suitcase that Anna keeps within her reach at all times.

But at the heart of this story is the secret undercover assignment that is assigned to Maisie Dobbs by a top Secret Service agent, Dr. Francesca Thomas, concerning the manhunt for a killer thought to have grown up in Belgium during the Great War and now thought to have something to do with the systematic execution of a group of friends who had fled from Belgium to Great Britain during the Great War as well. It is a series of mysteries requiring the analytic skills of Ms. Dobbs as she brings a lot of the wisdom imparted to her by her mentor, Maurice Blanche. As the mystery deepens, the case map spread across the table becomes more entwined with many diverse and mysterious threads.

I will conclude with the Author's Note as Jacqueline Winspear recounts that the first air-raid sirens were sounded shortly after Neville Chamberlain's broadcast announcing that Britain was at war with Germany. Winspear notes that although preparations for war had been going on for months, the first air-raid siren was a terrible shock to a populace on tenterhooks, many hoping war could be avoided.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am addicted to this series. I virtually never read two novels at once but I hadthought that this one would be different enough from my main book, but it turned out that there were a lot of similarities including a found/lost mute child.

In this book I wasn’t that wild about the murder mystery but I loved the other mystery, that of the young girl.

It’s another great dog and horse book.

I read these for the characters & the relationships & the settings and all were top notch this time around.

I looked up information about the barrage balloons over London at the start of WWII. I always end up doing some research when reading the books in this series. I always learn some things.

I enjoyed all of the author's notes in the back of the book! Great extras!

3-2/3 stars

[Suzze Tiernan · Rating 4 out of 5]

September 3, 1939. Great Britain declares war on Germany and this novel begins. Another excellent installment of the Maisie Dobbs series. The main story involves Belgian refugees in England from The Great War, but along the way we see the minutiae of the country preparing for another war. Barrage balloons tied up over London (to make it difficult for low flying planes to enter the airspace, children being sent to the country to stay where it was deemed safer, and the return of women volunteering for the war effort. Excellent.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is like a comforting bowl of porridge for me. I like the historical details, and it's been interesting finding out little things about how England came out of the First World War in the first book in this series, all the way to this book, with England entering the Second World War.

[ReneE · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay, but not up to her other books which were solid 5-stars. I know I'm in the minority here, which is okay, but I personally found the story line rather boring and tedious. In the past I could read her books in a day or two. I found myself putting this book aside often. The wrap-up was contrived and kind of a let-down. The only bright spot for me was the Anna storyline. I do look forward to her next book as I love the characters.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much more upbeat feeling than the last several installments and the old team is back together, although WWII has begun.

I really love how Maisie has grown from the 12 year old girl her father had sent into service after her mother died, all of those years ago.

[Steve Donoghue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lose my train of thought if I so much as hear a dog bark outside - but in this book, the redoubtable Maisie Dobbs can listen to her country declaring war on Nazi Germany and still have the pluck and concentration to solve a couple of initially baffling murders! Here's my review over at Open Letters: http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/boo...

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last few Maisie Dobbs books have found Maisie in Germany and Spain, away from her friends and family, trying to heal from a horrible tragedy. The latest book, In This Grave Hour, Maisie is back in London and back to work as a private investigator and psychologist.

That means that the characters we have grown to love- her assistants Billy and Sandra, her father and stepmother Brenda, best friend Priscilla and Pris' husband and sons- are back too. They were sorely missed.

As the story opens in 1939, England has reluctantly declared war on Germany. We first met Maisie when she was a nurse and ambulance driver in France during WWI, and we have seen the havoc wreaked on her and the people she loved because of war. They are all wary of what will happen, but many (including Maisie) know how dangerous Hitler and Nazi Germany have become.

Francesca Thomas, a Belgian national we have met in a previous book, returns to ask Maisie to investigate the murder of a Belgian refugee in London. Thomas is a shadowy figure, and she doesn't believe that the London police are very interested in discovering what happened.

Maisie takes on the case, and she brings out the trusty case board for her and Billy and Sandra to work on. (This brings me great joy to see the case board again!) Maisie discovers that two other Belgian refugees have been murdered in the same fashion, a bullet to the back of the head while kneeling, so this case gets more complicated.

The story resonates with today's news as war refugees from Syria have been flooding Europe and many of the countries to which they have been accepted are having issues as well. Nationalist movements are gaining ground in countries like England, France and Germany as millions of refugees seek safety from their war-torn home.

Maisie gets involved with a man blinded and rendered disabled by WWI, as well as a young girl found at a train station alone amidst a group of refugees. Maisie recruits her father and stepmother to help her with the young girl.

Using her wits and training, Maisie closes the case. And as WWII looms, Priscilla convinces Maisie to join her as she signs up to drive ambulances for wounded soldiers. It seems that in the next book, we will have come full circle, with Maisie and Priscilla helping out with the war effort.

In This Grave Hour brings Maisie back to her home, family and friends, and it feels right. This is a strong book in the series, and I will be impatiently awaiting next year's story to see where WWII takes Maisie and company.

It is particularly appropriate that each Maisie Dobbs book publishes in March, which is International Women's History Month. Maisie is a wonderful feminist heroine, and this series is great for high schoolers.

[Craig Monson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the latest in a steady stream of more than a dozen Maisie Dobbs mysteries to appear since 2003. It is my first encounter with this heroine, whose business card describes her as “psychologist and investigator” (which must have been an unusual combination in 1939 Britain). I suspect that died-in-the-wool Dobbs fans will also happily welcome back any number of familiar faces: Billy, Masie’s plain-speaking gumshoe assistant; Sandra, her secretary (largely absent this time around, laid low by morning sickness); her BFF since Cambridge days and a fellow veteran of a WW I ambulance brigade, Priscilla Partridge; plus Daisie’s various family members and her patrician in-laws, acquired (along with a title) from her late husband (as happened with Harriet Vane when she married Lord Peter Wimsey) and retained after his death, which presumably occurred a book or two ago.

They all add up to a very interesting and congenial bunch, likely to have garnered lots of fans by now, and their lives are just as central to the plot as the criminal elements that provide the chief excuse for Dobbs novel number 13. The ways in which the extended Dobbs clan confront the realities and uncertainties of war with Germany, declared in the book’s prologue, are as interesting as the several related acts of homicide that Maisie investigates in between family obligations. These include her temporary (maybe—maybe not) “adoption” of a lost, “mute” child of color, left behind when London children are being evacuated from the city for safekeeping (a bit like the Anna sub-plot in the finale to season 2 of “Victoria” on PBS).

A lot gets left unsaid as we go. This is partly because during the “Phony War,” hush-hush elements of espionage and hangovers and hangers-on from Great War Resistance are once again coming into play as Britain’s secret service gears up for hostilities. The Crime remains a bit mystifying along the way, and requires one of those rather extended explanations to sort it all out toward the end. A certain amount of Dobbs family stuff also goes without saying because this is Dobbs No. 13. The author has introduced and written about all these old friends innumerable times already: perhaps it’s hard to take into account the ignorance of any Johnny-Come-Lately readers when returning to these characters one more time. I would like to have known or heard more about some of Maisie’s family and friends. Presumably I can find what’s missing in books 1-12—which I will quite happily seek out.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is great to have Maisie, Sandra and Billie back in the old office working on investigations again. Feels like the book is back on track. World War II has started and for all the veterans of WWI and their families it is a difficult time.

Dr. Francesca Thomas of the Belgium Embassy and secret service has hired Maisie to solve a murder of a Belgium refugee from WWI. Then three more murders occur of people Maisie has spoken to during the investigation. Maisie has also taken in some children into the Dowager house and her father and Brenda are taking care of them. People are sending their children out of London and into the countryside in case London is bombed.

The book is well written and researched. Winspear keeps Maisie into the time frame so well. Having the WWI Belgium refugees at the center of the story keeps the theme of the series together going into another war. Winspear provides great descriptions of what life was like in and around London at the onset of WWII. The characters are so interesting and realistic. I have enjoyed this series from the beginning.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is about ten and half hours long. Orlagh Cassidy does an excellent job narrating the series. Cassidy is a Scottish actress and award winning audiobook narrator. She is one of my favorite narrators.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed each addition to this wonderful series, which often leaves me thoughtful, or touches me in some way. This volume caused me to think about the way we behave during a time of grieving, and most particularly on how humor can provide a brief respite from the heavy burden of deep sorrow. In the story, WWII is declared and there is grim news each day of death and destruction, which sows seeds of fear of what is to come next. So, it is with almost incredulous wonder that one character talks of people gathering and laughing together on a sunny day in a hayfield. I found Maisie's response especially poignant: "Just because the circumstances might be almost intolerable does not mean that there are not moments when the light shines in." Humor provides perspective and hope, and according to William Arthur Ward, "A warm smile is the universal language of kindness," in other words, a smile transcends all language and cultural barriers and restores hope.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy going crime book based at at the start of WW2 with several people killed by similar methods and maisie is employed to find the killer and the connections between each victim.

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old stories and refugees, children being evacuated to the country. War has been declared. Maisie has quite a few things on her plate. Dr Thomas continues to be both a mystery and a challenge.

[Zsofi · Rating 3 out of 5]

September 3rd, 1939.... Britain is officially at war with Germany. Meanwhile, someone murdered a former Belgian refugee form the last war, and Maisie Dobbs has to find the killer before more people die.
This is the 13th part of a series, but I read it as a standalone. I think - although there are references to the past -, that this book can be read without having read the other stories in the series.

I have to admit I didn't like the writing style. It seemed somehow forced and "fake". Everything was explained too much, which was quite annoying. It was nice to see the process of the investigation though, I have never read an other crime fiction where the investigation itself was shown like this. The protagonist and the supporting characters were well developed, but somehow I didn't like how they interacted, it all just seemed forced to me, but it might just be my taste.

This novel brings us to war, we can feel the fear and pain of people that had to go through a war yet again after the last one. We remember and hurt with the characters, and we are shocked with them that humanity never seems to be able to learn from history. I think this, how the author managed to deliver the mood of the beginning of WW II, is the most "positive" (in terms of writing style) thing I can mention about this book.

Don't be discouraged by my review though, I might be too picky here. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes to read historical crime fiction.

[Carolyn Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had skipped the last two of the Maisie Dobbs series that venture into foreign lands, mainly because of the reviews, but had read the previous ten. Now Maisie is back in London with her private investigations and her old cohorts at hand. It did feel a little like old home week when one after the other familiar characters appear. I had been brought up to speed on Maisie's personal situation from the reviews - how she had lost her husband and unborn child, which a lot of readers were upset about as it was dealt with very summarily. Poor Maisie - she either is wary of happiness or has it snatched from her.

This book opens in September, 1939, as Britain has declared war on Germany. The ensuing time is referred to as the 'phony war' - a time of gearing up and readiness preparations while waiting for Germany to attack. As in most of the other books in the series, the mystery at the center of this one involves repercussions from events of World War I. Those who lived through that war are only too aware of what carnage may lie ahead. Maisie's client works for the Belgian embassy and hires Maisie to investigate the murder of a Belgian refugee from the previous war who settled in England. Not long after Maisie takes the case, another former Belgian refugee is also murdered in the same execution style. Maisie knows there must be a link and works to find it, while her client seems to know more than she's telling.

I found the story to be slow, with not much happening either on the case or in Maisie's personal life until about a hundred pages in when there is another murder soon after Maisie leaves the scene. If I hadn't read the earlier books and recognized the other characters and their continuing stories, it would have been even more boring. One intriguing side plot which didn't get a lot of traction until near the end was the story of an unidentified young evacuee who won't speak and came with other children to stay under the care of her father and stepmother in her country house. Maisie is immediately drawn to the quiet little girl with dark Spanish coloring and is intent on solving the mystery of her identity also. It is this little girl who adds emotional poignancy to the plot.

At this time of current refugee crises around the globe, the story of the Belgian refugees and the unidentified lost child with dark coloring seems particularly relevant. That the Belgian civilians were relentlessly attacked by the invading Germans, their villages destroyed, and were fleeing for their lives brings to mind present day Syria. While the Belgians in the story who opted to stay after the war were intent upon becoming part of the fabric of British society, there was still talk about the role of foreigners and that they were welcomed during the war but were expected to return to their homeland afterwards.

I guessed the murderer early on, though there weren't any real clues, but the motivation was the real story and what Maisie had to discover to make sure she was right and revealed her suspicions. Again, it involved a haunting tragedy from World War I that was not revealed until the end. Like Maisie, the author wants to tidy up all loose ends and completely close the case, so the last part of the book is rather anticlimactic. However, it set the stage for the next in the series with Maisie and her college friend enlisting as ambulance drivers in the war effort, a former beau now a widower on the scene, and the evacuee child established, at least for the duration of the war, at Maisie's country home where Maisie will visit every weekend. And we know what the war will bring. The next book promises to be much more lively and I look forward to reading it, even if I did feel this one was lacking some spark.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings home how close together WWI and WWII were. And what a putz Neville Chamberlain was. This novel lives in the held breath between Britain's declaration of war against Germany on 3 September 1939, the barrage balloons, the painting of mailboxes with poison gas detecting paint, the blackout, mandatory gas masks. And the hell that is soon to come. Our loved characters who survived the last war now have children old enough to serve.

[Cara Putman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely masterful. A perfect build on the series -- which continues to be a great combination that gets better with each book.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maisie and her team are back doing what they do best......investigating murder. Lots of new WWII storylines opened for future books. This one recharged my enthusiasm for the series.

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always seduced into reading Maisie Dobbs' novels by the settings and the period but I am afraid that more often than not I am most disappointed. And this is the case with 'In This Grave Hour'.

It is an intense beginning as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts to the nation Britain’s declaration of war with Germany. It is also a poignant and touching ending as a young girl and her grandmother bond, but in between the story rambles around with not very much exciting happening.

The tale revolves around Maisie being asked by the Belgian authorities in England to find the killer of a man who escaped occupied Belgium as a boy, 23 years earlier during the Great War. She considers it a difficult task but, with her associates, she begins, with difficulty due to the passage of time, to unearth some detail. But within days of her investigation beginning, another former Belgian refugee is found murdered ... and later there are more unexplained deaths.

Simultaneously, an evacuee from London appears in Maisie's life, as a young girl is billeted at Maisie’s home in Kent. The little girl, whose name is Anna, is charming but does not speak and nobody knows who she belongs to, it is only known that she was sent to the country from London on an evacuee train. Maisie adds the search for some of Anna's relatives to her already busy schedule.

Maisie’s search for the killer escalates as the country braces itself for what is to come. Plenty of talking takes place, very little action, and one tends to lose what is going on for there is nothing tremendously interesting to take one's fancy. But in the end things are sorted out, Maisie has once again done a fine job and the little girl meets up with her grandmother in a most touching finale.

I do think I must abandon Maisie from now on as I seem to be unable to get on with her at all.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After setting the two previous books in other countries, Winspear puts Maisie back in London where she started 20 years ago with the cast of characters we have come to know and love. This books starts with Maisie gathered with her friend Priscilla and family around the radio as McMillan declares war on Germany on September 3, 1939. At the forefront of this story are the murders of Belgian refugees who immigrated to Britain during WWI. Maisie is contracted by a woman she's worked with before from the Belgian embassy to work on and solve these murders. Maisie and her trusted work partners, Billy and Sandra are on the case!

In the background are the evacuation of children to the countryside from London, big air balloons hovering to interfere with bombing, the wearing of gas masks, petrol rationing, fear of young boys signing up for the military and other things attendant to the declaration of war. Several children are evacuated to Chelstone where Masie has a home, involving Maisie and the country branch of the family in caring for them.

I really enjoyed this story - Winspear is back to form! Not that I hated the previous two books, but this one felt like a reunion with friends I hadn't seen for a while, along with the solving of the murders of the Belgian refugees and the development of new relationships entering the scene. I hope to soon read To Die but Once just published a few weeks ago!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first that I have read in the series, and I wasn't lost. The times that the author referred to earlier events, she gave plenty of details about it. I loved Maisie. This woman is an established investigator with complicated war and personal backgrounds. The story is so well structured that I never guessed who the killer that she was investigating was.

Many thanks for the signed first edition provided by the publisher!

[Shirley Revill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this audiobook and glad I took the opportunity to listen to it.
The narration was superb and kept me listening to the end.
The story was brilliantly written and quite unlike anything I have read before.
I really love books from this era and a murder mystery was a winner for me.
Would like to read more from this talented author as this was a first for me.
Recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Great storyline, superb characters, all the emotion. The problem with these Maisie Dobbs books is that I want to read them quickly to see what happens, but then am so upset that I have to wait so long for the next book!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last one.