After the end of World War I and before World War II, times are tough and there are a lot of people unemployed in London, among them are soldiers who served in France and came home wounded, many of them suffering not only from physical wounds but also many of the psychological. Shell shocked which is what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was called then. During the war, many of these men once their physical wounds were healed were sent back into fray, those suffering from shell shock were often considered lazy and malingers. The lucky few have gotten treatment of at least or hospitalized but the government is afraid of the possibility of paying out thousands of pensions and so many are on the streets. Christmas Eve 1931 and Maisie Dobbs and her assistant Bill Beale are on their way to an appointment when they witness the suicide of a man who blows himself up with a hand grenade. The next day a letter is received by the Prime Minister and threats are made and writer mentions Maisie by name. the next day Scotland Yard comes calling. Once she is cleared, she is asked by the head of Scotland Yard's Special Branch to help with the case. To complicate things further, an investigator with the military is involved and he and MacFarlane do not get along. In the meantime Billy is struggling as his wife still despondent over the death of their daughter a year earlier and ends up being hospitalized in an asylum. While Maisie is sure that the suicide was a ex-soldier, no one knows who he is. Maisie is not only a very good detective but she also could be considered an early profiler using her psychological training to be able to come up with an idea of what kind of individual in this case was making those threats. Meanwhile the letters keep coming, the death of animals from some kind of poisonous gas and the murder of a junior minister up the stakes even further and the clock is ticking on a mad man whose next move may bring the death of hundreds of people. Maisie is at her finest in this the sixth book in the series. They say history repeats itself, it's interesting to note that what was happening in England after World War I in the way that the wounded soldiers were treated is similar to what is happening in this country with our soldiers and our veterans. There are many soldiers after their physical wounds are healed are sent back into the war in Iraq and Afghanistan despite problems such as post traumatic stress disorder and concussions, Also there is a shortage of mental health personnel for active duty and veterans and many veterans who have PTSD get denied benefits routinely and in the war those that have mental problems are often seen by the higher ups as malingerers. Just as England treated their veterans shabbily, we are doing the same thing today. History does repeat itself and we should be ashamed of ourselves.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
