The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline WinspearSeries: Book 7 (Maisie Dobbs)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How I love series! Maisie Dobbs is a thirty-something private investigator/psychologist/nurse. The year is 1932 and the location is London, England. Most of the books in this mystery series touch on the impact of World War I in some way or another, and this one is no exception. However, this book starts out very differently.
The year is 1914 and the location is the Santa Ynez Valley in California. A young, but wealthy heir/mapmaker named Michael Clinton has just purchased what he believes to be a valuable piece of property. When he hears that war has been declared in his father's native homeland, he heads to England to try and enlist. Despite the fact that Americans were not generally allowed in British units, his family connections and unique skills as a cartographer override the rules.
But in 1932, Michael Clinton becomes the source of investigation for Maisie. His remains have just recently been unearthed from a bunker in France and it appears that there are some questions that need answering: How did he die? Did he have a girlfriend? And where is his will?
This book is a nice mystery combined with some significant changes in Maisie's personal life. After seven books, I am ready to move forward from the WWI focus to the changes in Europe as WWII approaches. I do think that this book appears to bridge that gap and I'm excited about the next book. I liked that this book touched a little more on Maisie's emotions and I actually felt a little emotional reading some parts. I also liked that the mystery kept me guessing to the end. I highly recommend this series.
Also reviewed by: A Work in Progress
Book 47 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 37 of 55 for the Countdown Challenge (2010), Book 3 of 8 for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge (England), Book 9 of 12 for the Historical Fiction Challenge, Book 14 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge
Source: Library
2 comments:
I have never heard of this series, but I love the idea of 1930's England. I will have to give it a try!
My mother in law loves these books and I tried one and just could NOT get into it! What's my problem? Which other one should I try? Um, I can't remember which one I DID try, so just which one did you like best?
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