Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

I just finished reading this book, and had to contribute my two cents. I loved this book! I think it is the best yet in a series that is head and shoulders above most mystery series. Maisie, already a complex character to begin with, becomes richer and deeper in this recent book. So many facets of the deepening worldwide depression are interwoven with the echoes of World War 1, even as faint echoes of the rise of fascism in Germany are making themselves felt, creating a many-layered mystery. In response to the reviewer who felt that Maisie was not as likeable in this book, I did not find that to be the case at all. I DID notice something of that transformation in the previous book in this series, Pardonable Lies, but then, Maisie was undergoing something of an emotional breakdown at that juncture, making it a somewhat darker book. In this book, Maisie seemed to be back on track, and beginning to open to new ideas and possibilities which perhaps the author will explore in later books. I can't wait for the next one!

If you like vintage mysteries that take place before 1940 with a female protagarist, than the Masie Dobbs Mysteries should be your cup of tea. Although her time frame is the 1930s, Jacqueine Winspear addresses themes that are relevant for today's readers, enterwoven with her well constructed and facinating mystery plots: Should a woman's choice be marriage and family or career? Is it possible to transcend humble beginnings and achieve your socio/economic dreams? Winspear also includes some valuable ethical and self-development concepts, adopted by her Masie Dobbs, that can be valuable to any reader. Masie Dobbs is a delightful read--a facinating complexity of characters, written in a fluid prose that is not only entertaining but also a learning experience.

Those who had the good fortune to read or hear the first story in Jacqueline Winspear's acclaimed series (Maisie Dobbs 2003) were immediately won by an indomitable heroine. Believe those were close to the words I wrote at that time and I've not changed my mind - not one whit. Voice performer Orlagh Cassidy narrated the second in the series, Pardonable Lies, and for this she won and AudioFile Earphones Award. She gives another award winning performance with her narration of Messenger of Truth. She has that rare ability to give life to individual characters with a vocal nuance, and perfectly capture the accents of 1930s England. She's a pleasure! As many will remember Maisie is an investigator and in this, the fourth in the Maisie Dobbs series, she's retained to investigate the death of well known artist Nick Bassington-Hope. Nick died when he fell while hanging one of his works of art for an exhibition relating to the Great War. The question is, was his death an accident or was it planned by someone who pushed him as he worked? Maisie is hired by Nick's sister who isn't willing to accept Scotland Yard's decision that it was an accident. This investigation takes Maisie, who came from humble beginnings as a housemaid, into a strata of society with which she is not familiar. The author's portrait of postwar England is well worth the listen; the mystery is frosting on the cake. - Gail Cooke

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (7/06) Set in London in 1931, "Messenger of Truth" is the third in a series of mysteries starring private-eye-for-hire Maisie Dobbs. This time she delves into the world of art as she investigates the death of artist Nick Bassington-Hope. The police say he fell from his scaffolding in an accident, but his sister Georgina suspects foul play. When she gets no satisfaction from the police, who have closed the case, she hires Maisie to uncover the truth. As Maisie travels across England, interviewing Nick's family and friends, she begins to get a picture of the artist and his last days. Along the way, she has a run-in with the Customs and Excise people as she uncovers a smuggling ring, discovers a side to Nick that none of his family knew existed, helps a friend find her way out of a pit of despair, sheds an erstwhile suitor and gropes for words to comfort her helper Billy Beale as his family endures unimaginable tragedy. The fun part of this book for me was the background, as we see people going about their daily lives with few of the modern conveniences we have today. Imagine having to run down three or four blocks to summon help or getting ink on your hands from your pen as you write out your thoughts because there is no computer or tape recorder available, although Maisie's index cards did bring to mind Marcia Muller's famous P.I., Sharon McCone.

In this book Maisie's view of the world continues to expand as she encounters social strata new and almost unknown to her. While she judges harshly a few of the characters, she is fascinated by others, as their actions introduce her to ideas and ways of living that so far had been utterly out of her reach. But her financial and social reach is growing with her success, and no longer does her mentor carefully screen her actions and acquaintances. While Maisie continues to fight for the underdog, she doesn't want to be one anymore, but isn't sure which way to go next - that's what really made this book for me - Maisie's growth as a person. The mystery plot is perhaps a little weak and ancillary threads a stretch, but overall the book was very good.