Play Book Tag discussion

Maisie Dobbs is the first book in a historical mystery series set in 1929 London. Maisie has opened up her own investigation agency and her methods are very unique. Her explorations of human motivations, her interest in others' behavior, and her unorthodox methods of ferreting out the truth are very different from the traditional role.

Maisie was born into a working class family. She began her working life at the age of thirteen as a servant in a Belgravia mansion, only to be discovered reading in the library by her employer, Lady Rowan Compton. Impressed with her intelligence, Lady Rowan has her friend, Maurice Blanche, tutor her. With his help she is eventually is accepted at Cambridge. When WWI breaks out, she becomes a nurse, eventually being transferred to France. Ten years later she is branching out on her own after Maurice's retirement.

One of her first clients wants her to investigate his wife because he believes that she is cheating on him. Maisie isn't too excited to be doing this type of investigative work, but she becomes caught up in this case and realizes that there is more to it that she initially thought.

Maisie's investigation involves those soldiers who survived the most gruesome facial injuries and regret that they have. The book centers around a post-war residence for soldiers mentally and physically harmed by The Great War.

I've always been interested in this particular time period. It was one of significant social change. The barriers between social classes were being knocked down. Also, women were slowly gaining more freedoms, including expanded employment options. Maisie represents both of these phenomena. Winspear's command of the period detail of Maisie's Georgian and World War I world was just amazing.

I have never read any of the Maisie Dobbs books, probably because I read the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd and assumed the were very similar. Now that I have read this, I realize that's not true. I loved Maisie's headstrong manner and rejection of societal limitations and plan to continue this series.

I really love this series for the detail and also for just how strong Maisie is and everything that the she has done to become the successful, strong woman she is.

If you are going to continue with this series, it is quite long, but the final book - #18 - is due to be published later this year.