Messenger of Truth: Maisie Dobbs Mystery 4

A cozy book with enough excitement to be a page turner. Lovely to imagine London in the 1930s and some descriptions of the horrible Great War.

I loved the three previous books. Not just because they are mystery books and unusual "crimes" to solve. But also because they are a piece of social history, female history and because there is a little bit of budding romance in the three first ones. When I picked this one up I thought that romance would go on and it was one of the reasons why I hurried to finish number 3 so I could find out how Maisie's romance with Doctor Andrew Dene would progress. Hopeless romantic as I am. Because of this fact I became deeply disappointed when from the start of the book it stood clear that Maisie planned on breaking off the relationship for the simple fact that she does not want to make any sacrifices. She is married to her work and does not want a compromise. I felt disappointed in Maisie and especially in the author from then on, in the book. Not only did I feel cheated but it became a very cold read. Maisie is so terribly alone. She has in this book moved to her flat that has nothing in it to make it a home or cozy. She has no friends, no social life what so ever, eats, breathes and sleeps her work. Her loneliness seeps through the pages and made me depressed. When her co-worker Billy Beale tells her about how he suddenly has to feed 6 extra people on his salary and share his home of two rooms with theses extras, the book gets even more depressing. The final straw is when his baby daughter dies thanks to the crowdedness in his flat and the lack of money for a doctor. I started wondering whether I should finish the book or not. And what to do with the next two I have already purchased. The mystery to solve in this book sort of almost get a second place in the book. An artist that painted uncomfortable truths died falling from a scaffold and his sister wants to know if it was an accident or murder. Maisie does solve the crime slowly but I had a difficult time getting in to the puzzle solving and she left some threads hanging at the end that one wonders about. It's a good read if one thinks that a woman should be single and have no life but if one wants to read about a warm character with a balanced life, this book in the series of Maisie Dobbs is somewhat of a disappointment. I usually read a Maisie Dobbs book in 2 days, them being page turners, but this one took weeks to finish.

Maisie Dobbs is approached by Georgina Bassington-Hope to investigate the apparently accidental death of her brother Nicholas. The police have already investigated but Georgina is not convinced that it was an accident. Against a background of a worsening economic situation and problems for her assistant, Billy Beale, Maisie must try and get to the bottom of the mysteries which apparently surround the dead man as well as resolving some problems in her own private life. This is an exciting story with some poignant moments which certainly brought tears to my eyes. The way Maisie and Billy interact is very cleverly done and I love reading about the way they work on their cases. Maisie herself is an enigmatic characters and something if a fish out of water as she started off life as a servant but had made her way in the world thanks to the support both emotional and financial of the Compton family. She has her own successful business in an era when women were expected to stay at home and bring up their families. If you like mysteries with an historical background and with more psychological depth than the average then try the Maisie Dobbs mysteries. Each book can be read as a standalone novel but it is interesting to watch the development of the series characters if you read the books in the order in which they were published.

As the title says. I sometimes look back to those periods of elegance and then remember the cruelty of the time. I Read these books to relax and for my mind to be in a Other Place. As a young man I understood the the power of ignorant women and men and vowed to live with a woman with more than brains and looks, that something deeper. Pity i was 40 years too late to find a Maisi

Just finished this book, it is number 4 in the series and I have already got number 5 lined up. I can't read them fast enough.....and then regret it as I near the end, as it is like saying goodbye to acquaintances that are going away. The characters come alive and you can hear them speak, such is the detail that the authors puts into every part of the book. The research must be so in depth to make these stories so real. I cannot recommend these books enough!

Another good story from the pen of Jacqueline Winspear. I do enjoy the Maisie Dobbs books. This one gives fresh insight into Maisie and her friends - particularly Billy Beale and his family. There are moments of tragedy - the main one moved me almost to tears - and lighter moments. All combined with an intriguing mystery. The characters are well-written and the plot moves at a steady pace. All-in-all, a book I would recommend.

Messenger of Truth is another great instalment in this excellent series. This book and the other detective stories about Masie Dobbs provide satisfying mysteries. Jacqueline Winspear has provided an engaging cast of characters. These are not just high class detective stories but the books have much to say about the consequences of the First World War and life in the 1930s. Consequently they are far more than just an interesting mystery. The whole series is most highly recommended.

Brilliant!

Jacqueline Winspear's "Messenger of Truth" is not only a fine murder mystery, it's a superb work of literature. Just as with her other mysteries, this one has a wonderful sense of ambiance and character and well worth a read even if you're not interested in the genre. The period is the two decades between the two World Wars. The manic post-war phase of exuberant optimism is long over. Instead of a new world order, the poorer people find that a new group of exploiters has taken over the reins of power and their own lot has not changed; if anything it's worsened because of the economic conditions effecting the world. Maisie Dobb's assistant and his family have taken in relatives who no longer have any means of support because the post war depression has devastated the economy. The combined family lives in almost Dickensian poverty, trying to make do for eight people on Billy's small income. Meanwhile, the wealthy buy up art at incredible prices and spend vast amounts on idle pursuits just as they did in Dickens' own time. The author's rich imagery creates a sense of "being there" that is so often missing in other period set mysteries, despite the occasional material reminder of the setting. Ms Winspear carries the reader along with carefully chosen emotional word pictures that make the period come alive. While she manipulates the reader's feelings, she does not bludgeon one senseless with overly graphic depictions of events. Like a Spielberg film, the emotive power of her words is produced as much by what is not said as by what is. The author's characters are very real. Their pain over some of their experiences and their efforts to recover are like ones neighbors. There is always a sense that every person one meets throughout the book's pages has a past as well as a present and by implication a future. They have plans and hopes as well as present activities that engage the reader. Every one of them is therefore three dimensional and a developing "work in progress," just as we all are. It is primarily for this reason that I come back again and again to the author's series; I feel like the characters should be a permanent part of my life, and I like to know how they are doing. The mystery is well staged. It is also fairly staged; there are no plot manipulations at the end to bring a denouement to a story that simply arrived at a convenient number of pages. Like her other works in this genre, the author is as sensitive of the murderer as of the victim. She notes that murder is an extreme behavior, an emotional one, and one that arises for powerful reasons. The act is not without an effect on its perpetrator, and the author takes this into consideration in her creations as much as Simenon did in many of his Inspector Maigret and other mysteries, Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard (Inspector Maigret Mysteries) and The Bar on the Seine (Penguin Mysteries) . More than anything, the reader comes to the end of the book with a feeling of satisfaction. Anyone who has read a number of murder mysteries knows that feeling of, "It works" or "Not in a million years!" There are no holes, no unanswered questions, no sense that the book lacked a proper beginning, middle and end. It's a carefully tailored work of art, and you come to the final pages fully aware of that. A wonderful work of fiction; I wish I could write like this!

Again, a perfectly paced novel that kept one guessing until the last moment. Would hight recommend to others. Love the character development.

Es el esgundo libro d esta autora que leo, es muy interesante, pero yo tenia expectativas más altas, es un poco recurrente.

Jacqueline Winspear has created the character of Maisie Dobbs with care. Maisie is spiritual, she does meditation, she ponders eternal truths and questions. This is not to say that she advertises what she does or how she feels, Maisie is a very private person. The character of Maisie is drawn with a very fine pen, she is no lightweight or shallow cardboard figure. I consider each Maisie Dobbs book as a novel, not only a mystery story. We feel strongly about Maisie, her emotions run deep, Winspear doesn't let us off lightly. There are always deaths and sorrow to absorb, we need patience while Maisie sorts out all of the threads of each tale. Excellent series.

Jacqueline Winspear has an amazing ability to write in a light yet deeply moving manner at the same time. Masie and the regular characters are interesting and the story lines engaging but for me it is her portrayal of the history that leaps from the page and stays with me long after I’ve finished the book. I felt tears spring to my eyes twice in this book as she touches on sensitive subjects around the Great War with a lingering soft weight. Can’t wait to read the next one.