A Google user
A delightful engaging book with a wonderful, memorable cast of characters. My favorite of course is Maisie. She is unique in personality and her approach to solving cases, a complex blend of intelligence, thoughtfulness, and warmth, a strong woman who takes great care to maintain her impeccable integrity. The supporting characters are just as individual, multidimensional and real, giving the book a homespun feel. The book is set in the 1930’s and Maisie is by today’s standards, a psychological profiler, but of course is guided more by intuition as present day knowledge and techniques are not yet in existence. The topics presented are well researched and thought provoking and touch on such timeless issues as post traumatic stress, depression, unemployment, mental illness and the obligation of a society to its war veterans. Winspear also gives the reader splendid descriptions of 1931 London and the surrounding countryside. The pace of this cozy mystery is slow, much like the lifestyle of this era, and the plotting is tight, a great combination for a most enjoyable and satisfying read.
Anna May
The tragic PTSD and amputations and chlorine-gas related injuries of the Great War become especially pertinent in this novel. The general state of asylums are a backdrop to the plot of a broken and disturbed veteran who threatens to kill the politicians who refuse to grant sufficient care and pensions. A novel of ethics and reflection.