Jacqueline Winspear
Interview: “Tales of the Teapot: a conversation with fellow 2007 Agatha Best Mystery nominee Julia Spencer-Fleming. Click: here.
I had not read the first two Maisie Dobbs mysteries when the editor of Mystery News sent me a copy of Pardonable Lies to review. After I read it, (and gave it the highest rating) I bought the two 
earlier books and enjoyed them immensely, too. I also started recommending Jacqueline Winspear to my friends who like cozy mysteries or historical fiction – including my favorite history professor, who is now a friend and mall-walking buddy; she loved them, too. The books are set in Britain in the years between the Great War and World War II (the first book is set in 1929) and feature a young woman, Maisie Dobbs. She had been “in service” to a wealthy family … and the woman of the house recognized Maisie’s intelligence and enabled her to begin her university studies. World War I intervened and Maisie entered an intensive training program to become a field nurse, eventually serving on the battlefields in France. That experience changes and matures her and when she returns to England she sets herself up as a private investigator/psychologist. I’ve found it’s often easier to learn the truth about historical events and eras through fiction than non-fiction. I believe that’s the case with the Maisie Dobbs books, all of which feature mysteries relating to the Great War.
Books:
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(2006) Messenger of Truth See Review (Nominee, Agatha Award, Best Novel)
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(2005) Pardonable Lies See Review (Nominee, Agatha Award, Best Novel)
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(2004) Birds of a Feather (Winner, Agatha Award, Best Novel)
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(2003) Maisie Dobbs (Winner, Agatha Award, Best First Novel)
Webcast: “Deft, Daring and Delightful: Mystery Writers Discuss Their Craft” (Judith Austin Memorial Lecture at the Library of Congress) Speakers: Jo Dereske, Carolyn Hart, Katherine Page, Patricia Sprinkle, Jacqueline Winspear Date: 04/24/2006; Running Time: 56 Minutes. http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3888
Photo from author's website. Used with permission.
