BookBrowse Reviews Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie is as intelligent and engaging a sleuth as one might desire. Mystery set in the 1920s

From the book jacket: Maisie Dobbs is back and this time she has been hired to find a wealthy grocery magnate's daughter who has fled from home. What seems a simple case at first becomes complicated when Maisie learns of the recent violent deaths of three of the heiress's old friends. Is there a connection between her mysterious disappearance and the murders? Who would kill such charming young women? As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers to all her questions lie in the unforgettable agony of The Great War.

Comment: I wanted to recommend Jacqueline Winspear's first book featuring Maisie Dobbs (called simply 'Maisie Dobbs' - 2003), but unfortunately the publisher was unable to provide an excerpt at the time, which is, of course, an integral part of every recommendation at BookBrowse.  However, happily this wasn't a problem with 'Birds of a Feather' - the second in this very satisfying series. Readers familiar with the 1st World War period may well figure out a few of the clues ahead of Maisie, but that doesn't matter, as the journey with Masie is so enjoyable.

The Maisie Dobbs series is a shoe-in to be made into a PBS mystery series - but if you love good historical mysteries, don't wait years to see the books flattened onto the TV screen, instead rush out and grab a copy of either book today!

'Sinking into a novel this good is as satisfying as sinking into a good leather chair: we know we are in for the duration, and it feels right.....Maisie, who has gone from being in service to a graduate of Girton at Cambridge, is as intelligent and engaging a sleuth as one might desire: the period touches, from clothing to manners, are not only elegantly presented but unostentatious.' - Booklist.

This review first ran in the August 3, 2005 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.