Pardonable Lies

I read the first two Masie Dobbs books and liked the concept of the central character very much. The third book is a disaster, The author descends into soap opera and melodramatic clap trap. Our heroine has a truly remarkable talent – she can tell “real psychics” from “fake psychics”. Give me a break ! At this point it appears that the target audience for this series is uneducated women. Farewell, Masie Dobbs. I won’t be seeing you for the fourth book……….or ever.

The Maisie Dobbs series is an easy trip through history. If you like history, read this series, you won’t regret it. In Pardonable Lies, Maisie is hired by a man, who is a recent widower, to see if she can ascertain whether his son is actually dead. The man’s wife was sure he wasn’t and spent an untold amount of money and time seeking the assistance of spiritualists to help her communicate with her son.

While looking for this young man, her best friend, Priscilla Partridge, asked her to see if she could determine whether one of her brothers, who, according to the military died in France was actually dead, and, if so, where he was buried. In this day and age we would be shocked to know that individuals who didn’t toe the mark, so to speak, could be mistreated. But, in this book, Maisie has to decide how she is going to handle the truths she uncovers.

Once again, Maisie and Priscilla sign up to drive ambulances for the military when Britain goes to war with Germany. It is very interesting and enjoyable.

Masie is best taken from the beginning..”Masie Dobbs”.. the book.The series is as much about World War One as it is about traditional murder and mayhem..plenty of that , be reassured.

The characters that appear in volume one have , for the most part , survived , grown , aged and , yes died in a nation gripped in a world war induced post traumatic stress disorder..as the series continues..a point of view not often explored in the “official” histories of that conflict.

The main characters were shaped by a war in very direct ways that Winstead incorporates in her novels as an essential element in telling their stories..The novels are set in England , beginning in on or about 1917 and so far take us to the Blitz in World War Two .The offspring get to do their bit.

We here in the United States did our bit in World War One and , yes , lost our share of blood , but we did not loose a whole generation of young men..neither did we see a significant return of the gassed ,shell shocked , maimed ,disfigured and crippled that are very much the part of the story that Winstead tells.The War did not end with the Armistice for the men and women scarred by it’s horrors..true across nations.

Masie was a part of it all…World War One , the Spanish Civil War, and now World War Two..she bears the scars ,internal and external ,from each.

It helps to know a little history as you read through the series and Winstead gets full marks for research..Having said that , the novels each have a crime and just punishment solved by Masie and her intrepid team of investigators..often with the help or hindrance of Scotland Yard..and a “cuppa” and an Eccles cake..Her methods include a piece of wall paper and a lot of shoe leather..lost in capers both domestic and foreign..Masie is not a character that I would ask out for a beer and a ballgame..but when it comes what she does best , none better.

I look forward to the next Masie adventure as World War Two progresses with an increasingly American character ..and in fact..a character..just back from D.C…and…..stay tuned…

This is the third in a very successful series, but the premise is beginning to show a little wear. Ms. Winspear has (healthily) not hesitated to run some unpleasant themes in the background of her stories, such as the use of white feathers by idle little rich girls to imply cowardice in WWI. Here, she has had to resort to attempted murder (poisoned chocolates? severed brake lines?) to make her points, but this time it’s a little much. There is also a paper-doll quality to the repeated descriptions of Masie’s costumes as she sets out to visit various key characters. I haven’t yet read further, but the well may be beginning to run dry. Good yarns, anyhow.

Jacqueline Winspear (1955-) has become one of my favorite mystery writers of all time! Her characters have depth and her elegant writing style make for a potent combination. In this third installment of the Maisie Dobbs series we see the former World War I nurse dealing with two cases. The year is 1930. Maisie helps a young 13 year old girl accused of murdering her abusive uncle; she also deals with exploring the fate of two young aviator in France. The case takes her to France where she meets fascinating characters. The book is somewhat slow but is rich in atmosphere. A good read! A footnote: there is no overt sex or violence in these cozy mysteries.

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