In This Grave Hour

Having read all of the previous Maisie Dobbs books, I found this one to be as excellent as the others. The characters are credible, the descriptions thoughtful, but best of all, the background is interesting and brings to life a period about which I knew almost nothing. The novel depicts the lives of ordinary Londoners in the 1939 lead-up to WWII, when gas masks were carried everywhere, blackout curtains couldn’t reveal even a sliver of light, and children were evacuated to the countryside. The plot is compelling, though the resolution requires a bit of a willing suspension of disbelief. Still, I never saw the outcome coming. A subplot involving a little girl who was a London evacuee living with Maisie’s father and stepmother was enchanting and drew me in. I hated to put the book aside when real life interfered, and I could hardly wait to return to Maisie and her adventures. All in all, a satisfying read that I would highly recommend.

Finally, the real Jacqueline Winspear has been reincarnated! As in my past reviews, I’ve been very disappointed with the whining and weaknecked Maisie Dobbs. I swear, how long can you stand to keep reading book after book of her mental state and depression? Seriously?! Well, Maisie is back and in as good form as she was for Elegy for Eddy. WWII/spies and intrigue are my cup of tea (sic) and this book is full of all of it. Besides dealing with her everyday life – father, job, staff, police, inlaws – she helps the police and Scotland Yard and the equivalent of todays British MI6. I will probably reread this book and that’s saying a lot considering I seldom do that.

In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear

This is the thirteenth novel in the Maisie Dobbs series. This book is as intriguing and enjoyable as the first and all the others in the series. The story is intricately plotted with subtle clues.

The story opens on September 3rd, 1939the day England declared war on Germany. In what appears to be an unrelated matter, a foreign government asks Maisie to investigate a series of murders. The victims were evacuated while children during the First World War. They elected to remain in England after the war. Now someone is killing them.

Maisie peels back the layers of the victims lives to discover connections that have their roots in Belgium. Maisie also suspects her contact in the Belgian embassy is not being forthright with her. British police see the murders as random robberies.

While unraveling the knots in the case, Maisie intervenes in the situation of a little girl found alone in a railway station during the evacuation of children from London in anticipation of German air raids and invasion. Touched at her core, she makes arrangements for the child to be cared for as she searches for the little girls caretaker.

In This Grave Hour is Winspear at her best. Maisie continues to grow as a person and this book reveals new aspects of her character as both cases revive memories of her war service and her husbands death she would rather not face. But she does face them and the reader draws closer to Maisie. Once again, Maisie is smart, strong and determined to see justice done. And she is also vulnerable and this makes us care for her more.

Maisies world is alive with the characters and friends we have journeyed with over the years. Her father and stepmother help with the little girl. Billy and Sandra are back. There is a hint a romance from early in the series may rekindle. And Maisies relationship with the little girl presents all kinds of possibilities. Im already looking forward to Book 14.

I highly recommend this story. Join Maisie on her journey through England and Europe in the time period Winspear brings alive through her descriptions. We see London as Maisie sees it and the story world in never disappointing.

Jacqueline Winspear’s “In This Grave Hour” is the 13th in the Maisie Dobbs series and the first of her books that I have read. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I will read more. I have read plot summaries of the remaining twelve books and I note that the books span the years between WWl and WWll. Though Maisie’s adventures take her to many countries, including Belgium, Spain and India, she is “currently” based in the London area as a PI, supported by two others.

The plot of this book revolves around the assassination style murder of a long-term (WWl) refugee from Belgium. Not long after there is another murder, and then….The story is very nicely paced and a quick read. This is a time and place that has long fascinated me, and I am delighted that Winspear has included so many little touches of 1939 London life, e.g., carrying gas masks over the shoulder, to enhance her story. The story unfolds quickly, the ending is very satisfying, and there is enough of a cliff-hanger or two to bring you back to the next one.

Though I read tons of crime fiction, I am not big into twists – I think they’ve really been overdone. It’s gotten to the point where the ultimate twist is…..no twists! “In This Grave Hour” has a few mild twists or turns if you will, but mostly it relies on very good writing. No naughty words, no romance – at least in this one; I’m guessing Maisie is in her late 40s. Similar novels are classified as “cozies”. I wouldn’t classify this as a cozy; my image of a cozy is a tottering old lady searching for clues and wearing comfortable shoes, an amateur discovering arcane details and nagging suspects (and readers). I don’t like cozies, but I admit Maisie comes close.

For those of you encountering Winspear for the first time, I would suggest a note card to track all the characters. I read a print version of this book and found it was not easy to flip back to recall where/when a character was earlier introduced – I’ll remedy that by reading other Maisie books on my Kindle and use the search function. Update: I just ordered the 11th book, “A Dangerous Place”. If I’m still in love after reading it, I will circle back to #1, “Maisie Dobbs” (I really don’t care for that name!) and read the whole series.

I do enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear – and this was another good one in this series. As I read it as part of my mini summer alphabet reading challenge, I have missed some of the prequels to this book. For the mystery part, this did not matter as the story works as a stand-alone within the series. However, in terms of events in Maisie’s life, some things had happened in previous books that I was unaware of until they were mentioned in this one. This did not spoil the story for me, it just means that when I go back to earlier instalments in this series, I will be aware of what is going to happen.

However, back to the book itself. It was a good story with well-written characters and a plot that moves at a steady pace. It could be classed as a cosy mystery although it is quite dark in places. All-in-all, a good book that is worth reading.

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