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London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion—the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and Investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group.
Maisie's quest to bring comfort to the youngsters and the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie's first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental fighter aircraft. As Maisie unravels the threads of her dead husband's life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true.
The award-winning Maisie Dobbs series has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers, readers drawn to a woman who is of her time, yet familiar in ours—and who inspires with her resilience and capacity for endurance. This final assignment of her own choosing not only opens a new future for Maisie and her family, but serves as a fascinating portrayal of the challenges facing the people of Britain at the close of the Second World War.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
June 4, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9798892730792
- File size: 291119 KB
- Duration: 10:06:29
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 1, 2024
In the wistful final installment of Winspear’s bestselling Maisie Dobbs series (after A Sunlit Weapon), the gumshoe psychologist confronts postwar chaos in 1945 London. At the funeral of her former father-in-law, Maisie hears about people squatting in his London home, and offers to investigate. When she arrives, she finds that one occupant is the son of an old friend; he’s emaciated and traumatized after being held in a Japanese incarceration camp. The other four are young orphans trained to work with the civilian army in the event of a German invasion who’ve gone into hiding after witnessing a murder. Based on the orphans’ timid testimony, Maisie sets out to investigate the killing, and then discovers a packet of old letters that reveal new information about her long-dead former husband. Winspear renders the physical and emotional wreckage of postwar England with her usual sensitivity, and though the narrative gets a bit bogged down in reminiscences about Maisie’s previous exploits, the author’s fans are unlikely to mind. It’s a fitting, heartwarming conclusion to a beloved series. Agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. -
Fans may be disappointed that this is Maisie Dobbs's final adventure, but they will appreciate the tender way the various characters' closing stories are treated. Narrator Orlagh Cassidy masterfully conveys the returning characters, Maisie's extended family, and the newly introduced individuals, male and female, young and old. Cassidy's talented use of accents lends credibility to Winspear's fully developed characters and well-researched plot. In London, 1945, Maisie discovers four adolescents and a desperately sick soldier squatting in a vacant mansion. While solving a possible murder occupies Maisie, she is truly driven by the care of the needy. Cassidy once again provides listeners with the rich tapestry that Winspear has woven through the series. An emotional conclusion sheds light on war's tragic impact. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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