Helpful Score: 20
If you enjoy a mystery with a little bit more to it than just fluff, you'll enjoy "Maisie Dobbs". Maisie opens her own detective agency in England, 1929. Originally a servant in a wealthy household, her intelligence is recognized by her employer and she is sent to college. This story also weaves in Maisie's experiences as a nurse in France during the Great War, and how those experiences influence and haunt her in the post-war years. All of this is wrapped in a good mystery tale. Highly recommended!
Helpful Score: 16
#1 in the Maisie Dobbs historical series set in 1920's London, Maisie is a former nurse during WWI and now a private investigator. I actually started this book intending to cull it from the TBR--it's set in a timeframe I'm not particularly fond of and just expected not to like it. Hah! I loved it and devoured it! Best book I've read in awhile. The author has a very captivating writing style, and though there wasn't too much of a mystery with this one--more setting up the series with getting to know the main characters and the like with a light mystery to accompany it--but I was totally enthralled! I really like the main character and her outlook on life as well as the supporting cast...very well-drawn and fleshed out for a first in series. Excellent...have the next one on the way.
Helpful Score: 14
A wonderful series. The stories take place during the time between the World Wars. The characters in this story are greatly affected by WWI and the aftermath. Maisie is a female detective, but that isn't the most amazing thing about her. I highly recommend this series.
Helpful Score: 13
What I thought would be a mystery turned out to be an incredible time trip into Britain of WWI and the decade after. What an awesome piece of literature! It does contain a mystery, several actually, and the surprises continue right up to the last page. One of the best books I have ever read of any genre.
Helpful Score: 11
Finally, a mystery that is written above a 4th grade reading level! She's got a wonderful way with words, and the plot was pretty decent. The detective, Maisie, is a very real person with faults and quirks.