Early April 1933. To the costermongers of Covent Garden—sellers of fruits and vegetables on the London streets—Eddie Pettit was a gentle soul with a near-magical gift for working with horses. So who would want to kill him . . . and why?
Maisie Dobbs's father, Frankie, had been a costermonger, and she remembers Eddie fondly. But it soon becomes clear that powerful political and financial forces are determined to prevent her from learning the truth behind Eddie's death. Maisie's search for answers on the working-class streets of Lambeth leads her to unexpected places and people: to a callous press baron; to a has been politician named Winston Churchill; and, most surprisingly, to Douglas Partridge, the husband of her dearest friend, Priscilla. As Maisie uncovers lies and manipulation on a national scale, she must decide whether to risk everything to see justice done.
Publishers Weekly
Set in 1933, bestseller Winspear’s excellent ninth novel featuring London investigator and psychologist Maisie Dobbs represents a welcome return to form after 2011’s less inspired A Lesson in Secrets. Five men Maisie hasn’t seen since girlhood break the sad news that Eddie Pettit, another friend Maisie hasn’t seen in years, died when a huge roll of paper fell on him in the paper factory where he ran errands. The gentle Eddie, who was considered slow, had a remarkable talent for relating to horses. The five, who suspect Eddie’s death was no accident, retain Maisie to find out what really happened. The case comes at an emotionally turbulent time for Maisie, who’s ambivalent about her relationship with wealthy James Compton and has begun to question the reasons for her own many acts of charity. The involved plot is as good as any in the series, and the resolution is intelligently complex. 9-city author tour. Agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. (Apr.)
New York Journal of Books
Long before the Downton Abbey craze, Jacqueline Winspear was writing remarkable mysteries about life in England circa WWI.
People (3 ½ out of 4 stars)
Compelling.
Chicago Tribune
[Catches] the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman.
Parade
Terrific....Maisie is one of the great fictional heroines, equal parts haunted and haunting.
Johanna McGeary
A detective series to savor.
Tom Nolan
A series that seems to get better with every entry.
Deirdre Donahue
When people ask me to recommend an author, one name consistently comes to mind: Jacqueline Winspear...Winspear chronicles the uncharted, sometimes rocky path chosen by her protagonist and delivers results that are educational, unique, and wonderful.
Jay Strafford
A work of great humanity and a stellar entry in a superb series.
Marilyn Stasio
A heroine to cherish.
Hallie Ephron
For readers yearning for the calm and insightful intelligence of a main character like P.D. James’s Cordelia Gray, Maisie Dobbs is spot on.
Alexander McCall Smith
Maisie Dobbs is a revelation.
Nathalie Gorman
Like any typical PI, Maisie is preternaturally acute and given to noticing tiny details, but it’s her compassion that allows her to illuminate some of the most pressing and staggeringly painful issues of her day, delivering unexpected answers and sense of peace to her clients-and her readers.
Robert Bianco
Reading Jacqueline Winspear’s Elegy for Eddie, the solid-gold ninth installment in a wonderful mystery series that shows no signs of flagging, you can’t help thinking that her nurse-turned psychologist-turned sleuth would make an ideal PBS heroine.
Evelyn Theiss
For as long as each novel lasts, we live in Maisie’s suspenseful, intelligent world.
Library Journal
Street justice is its own judge, jury, and executioner in Winspear's ninth Maisie Dobbs mystery (after A Lesson in Secrets). In 1933 London, a British psychologist/investigator is asked by old friends to look into the accidental death of their beloved neighbor, Eddie, a sweet, childlike man who had a knack with horses. Eddie had seemed troubled before his death, as if a great weight lay upon his mind. But who would kill a harmless man like Eddie and why? Maisie's inquiry leads her to more than just one killer. It will also lead her into the gathering storm of World War II. VERDICT Winspear hits just the right notes in her portrayal of Maisie struggling with her newly acquired wealth and the social constraints of her new love. This emotional story will leave readers questioning whether the ends really do justify the means. Recommended for all historical mystery enthusiasts, especially those interested in home-front war stories like Charles Todd's Bess Crawford series. [See Prepub Alert, 9/19/11.]—Susan O. Moritz, Montgomery Cty. P.L.s, MD
Kirkus Reviews
A determined psychologist and private investigator looks into the death of Eddie, a gentle man who seemed to have no enemies, certainly not among the horses he charmed. Education and inheritance have raised Maisie Dobbs (A Lesson in Secrets, 2011, etc.) to loftier heights in the hidebound British class system of the 1930s. But she can never forget the poor neighborhood in which she was raised. So she doesn't hesitate when the costermongers of Covent Garden ask her to investigate Eddie's death after he's crushed by a roll of paper at the factory of wealthy Canadian newspaper baron John Otterburn. The more Maisie finds out, the more she's convinced that Otterburn is using his considerable influence to steer Britain toward a confrontation with a resurgent Germany led by Hitler. After one of her employees is badly beaten and a newspaperman who was using the childlike Eddie to gather information apparently takes his own life, Maisie uses the connections of her wealthy lover James Compton to learn more about Otterburn's influence. Despite mounting danger, she continues to investigate while trying to put her own life in order. In the midst of a difficult case, she must examine her life and decide whether she loves James enough to marry him. Certainly not Winspear's strongest mystery. But newcomers will enjoy the exploration of class-bound Britain between the wars, and fans will relish the continued development of Maisie's complicated character.
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