Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

Discuss April 2015 featured series Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear here. This historical mystery series is set in England between the wars (1920s - 1930s). The first book in the series is Maisie Dobbs.



Other books in the series are:

I've read the first 2 books in this series and have enjoyed them both. Maisie Dobbs is very likable and smart and with an unusual background. Jacqueline Winspear has done a marvelous job portraying the time period. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

I've read all of the series - in the middle of the most recent. I think she's strong and independent for her time. She worked hard to educate herself and make something of herself beside a wife, mother and housekeeper for her husband. I've enjoyed them all and always look forward to the next in the series.

Thanks for the heads-up. I nominated the series because I want to read it, but I was unsure if it was a wise choice.

Yes Emily. I'd say this was a wise choice. The books in this series are finalist for mystery awards almost every year. The first one, Maisie Dobbs, won the Agatha and Macavity Awards and was a finalist for four others.

I read Maisie Dobbs a few years ago. I've been collecting others in the series since then. This month I will pick up the series with Birds of a Feather.

I picked up Pardonable Lies at work this morning. Now I just need to *read the book before the end of the month :)

Scribd has all the books except the first two so I got book #1 from Amazon. Hopefully, it will fit into one of my challenges this month.

I just finished Maisie Dobbsborrowed from my local library. Can only give it a 3 rating I'm afraid. Didn't care for her a great deal, but particularly found Maurice Blanche irritating - so perfect, found his words quoted by Maisie to be a bit precious. Went on to try Among the Madbut didn't get far. Not altogether a cozy read. They are what I would call 'worthy' due to their subject matter dealing with the aftermath of WWI. Basically, I guess, not to my taste, tho certainly well written.

This is the first I knew of this series.

I like Maisie. She's likable and seems more intelligent then some of the other females that I've read in other series. I thought this was well written and hopefully I'll be able to read the other books in this series.

Jill wrote: "This is the first I knew of this series.

I like Maisie. She's likable and seems more intelligent then some of the other females that I've read in other series. I thought this was well written and..."
I agree about your comment on intelligent. I find British cozies generally have more depth in every direction.

Irene wrote: "Jill wrote: "This is the first I knew of this series.

I like Maisie. She's likable and seems more intelligent then some of the other females that I've read in other series. I thought this was wel..."

I too have always liked the British mysteries as well, they seem more real, like it could happen that way, not that I don't appreciate the American mysteries, but it just seems the British put more thoughts into theres.

Jill wrote: "Irene wrote: "Jill wrote: "This is the first I knew of this series.

I like Maisie. She's likable and seems more intelligent then some of the other females that I've read in other series. I though..."
Have you read any of Rebecca Tope's books, Jill? I'm working through her Cotswold series at the moment. She also has another series I'm looking forward to getting to. Fortunately, most of her books are available as epubs to borrow from my state library digital collection - Western Australia - so I can indulge freely:) I bought a kobo specially to borrow epubs.

No I haven't, are they any good?

In my opinion, yes, but not perfect. They are well written. I enjoy them, some more than others, of course. The mysteries are quite involved, again some better than others. I like the main character Thea for the most part - she is recent widow who goes house sitting with her spaniel. The history of the various villages is interestingly woven into the stories, as is the ongoing family and love interests. Proper British cozies.

Sounds good to me. Ty for the suggestions, I will give them a try. I do love how the British write their mysteries, most of them that I have read, have always been well written, with strong characters, intelligent, and have a good English personality.

Happy reading :)

Jill - you might like Hazel Holt's series. Little English village - inquisitive older widow - village characters.

Ty Jane, I will give that a try as well. Love finding new series to read

I was surprised by how much I loved the book. Maisie and all the other characters are very likable, but their backgrounds and the way they were portrayed keep them from seeming too good to be true. Maisie is very intelligent and hard working, and I enjoyed seeing the way her mind worked. The psychological aspects of her process make her different from most other cozy heroines. Another big difference was the inclusion of her background, we got to know Maisie, where she came from and what she went through. To me that elevated the book from enjoyed to loved.

Irene wrote: "Jill wrote: "This is the first I knew of this series.

I like Maisie. She's likable and seems more intelligent then some of the other females that I've read in other series. I thought this was wel..."

I just joined the group and I'm reading Maisie's first book. So far, I like it and look forward to reading other "Cozy Mysteries". Do you have new books listed each month?

Mary Weimer

Welcome Mary! We have two group reads each month that are selected by a member. One is with a certain theme and the other is their choice.

Started reading Birds of a Feather last night. It's been years since I read the first one so I'm glad that I remember the major characters. Looking forward to catching up on this series.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I do not typically read British cozies. Maisie is a delightful character, thoughtful and intelligent. I very much appreciated the background of her life in the middle of the book. This was a great way to really get to know the character. I look forward to reading more books in this series and exploring other British cozies.

Hi. I'm new to the group. Will have to introduce myself in that section.

I read Maisie Dobbs several years ago and am working my way through the series. I've really enjoyed them and the Britain Between the Wars setting. Sometimes Maisie gets a bit too "modern" for her period, but women were becoming stronger and more independent during that time period and it wasn't common, but not unheard of, either.