TLC March Readalong & # Giveaway for the Maisie Dobbs Series by Jacqueline Winspear - Review for Elegy for Eddie

TLC Book Tour March Readalong for the Maisie Dobbs Series by Jacqueline Winspear.

Welcome to my stop on the March Readalong Tour for the Maisie Dobbs series.  I have the privilege of hosting the review stop for Elegy for Eddie, the ninth book in the series.  I will also be doing a spotlight for Journey to Munich, the twelfth book which will release at the end of this month.  You can enter my giveaway, for a digital copy of one of the Maisie Dobbs's books, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow the tour here.  

Elegy for Eddie

By Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs, Book 9

Publisher:  Harper Perenial (An Imprint of HarperCollins)

Release Date: March 27, 2012

Genre: Historical Mystery/Female Sleuth

Length: 335 Pages

ISBN: 978-0062049575

ASIN: B005UD1ECK

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo 

About the book:

Early April 1933. To the costermongers of Covent Garden—sellers of fruits and vegetables on the London streets—Eddie Pettit was a gentle soul with a near-magical gift for working with horses. So who would want to kill him . . . and why?

Maisie Dobbs’s father, Frankie, had been a costermonger, and she remembers Eddie fondly. But it soon becomes clear that powerful political and financial forces are determined to prevent her from learning the truth behind Eddie’s death. Maisie’s search for answers on the working-class streets of Lambeth leads her to unexpected places and people: to a callous press baron; to a has been politician named Winston Churchill; and, most surprisingly, to Douglas Partridge, the husband of her dearest friend, Priscilla. As Maisie uncovers lies and manipulation on a national scale, she must decide whether to risk everything to see justice done.

A fan of books set in Europe “between the wars”, I jumped at the chance to take part in the read along for the Maisie Dobbs’ series.  My sister has been a fan of this series for years and has been recommending that I give them a try.  In Elegy for Eddie, Ms. Winspear’s well-developed central character, Maisie Dobbs finds herself solving a case while facing a crossroad between her past and her possible future.  If you like historical mysteries and female sleuths, then you’ve got to give this series a try.  While a part of a series, I was able to read and enjoy this book on its own.   

I easily connected with Maisie’s character right from the start; a smart, attractive woman with an inquisitive mind, Maisie is just the kind of private investigator you would want to hire.  When a young man, Eddie Petit, “accidentally” dies, and his friends aren’t happy with the “quality” of the police investigation, they turn to Maisie for help.  They want her to uncover the truth and tell them whether it was an “accident” or if he was “murdered” as they suspect.  While Maisie is always happy to take on a new client, this case is special because the men asking for her help are her father’s former co-workers  and Eddie Petit is someone Maisie remembers fondly.  Determined to get to the truth, Maisie quickly realizes there’s more to Eddie’s death than a simple “accident”.

Ms. Winspear’s voice is easy to follow from start to finish, the mystery takes several unexpected twists and turns.  She does a good job introducing new characters and Maisie quickly discovers their importance to her investigation.  The secondary characters are mostly established secondary characters that have been previously introduced in the series.  I especially liked her best friend Priscilla, who made me laugh and added a “lighter” feel to the story.  While conducting her investigation, Maisie is also dealing with some personal turmoil; she’s caught between the poor girl she was and the successful woman she’s become.  She’s also torn about whether or not she wants to continue a relationship with James Compton, a wealthy businessman and Viscount.  Becoming more involved with him will elevate her financial and social position even more than it is now, something she’s not really comfortable with.   

Will Maisie discover the truth about Eddie’s death?  Was it an accident or was he murdered? And what will Maisie decide to do about her future?  You’ll have to read Elegy for Eddie to find out, I enjoyed it and think you will too.

My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Crowns  

Journey to Munich

By Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs, Book 12

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Release Date: March 29, 2016

Genre: Historical Mystery/Female Sleuth

ISBN: 978-0062220608

ASIN: B0105TIXJA

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo 

About the book;

Working with the British Secret Service on an undercover mission, Maisie Dobbs is sent to Hitler’s Germany in this thrilling tale of danger and intrigue—the twelfth novel in Jacqueline Winspear’s New York Times bestselling “series that seems to get better with each entry” (Wall Street Journal).

It’s early 1938, and Maisie Dobbs is back in England. On a fine yet chilly morning, as she walks towards Fitzroy Square—a place of many memories—she is intercepted by Brian Huntley and Robert MacFarlane of the Secret Service. The German government has agreed to release a British subject from prison, but only if he is handed over to a family member. 

Because the man’s wife is bedridden and his daughter has been killed in an accident, the Secret Service wants Maisie—who bears a striking resemblance to the daughter—to retrieve the man from Dachau, on the outskirts of Munich.

The British government is not alone in its interest in Maisie’s travel plans. Her nemesis—the man she holds responsible for her husband’s death—has learned of her journey, and is also desperate for her help.

Traveling into the heart of Nazi Germany, Maisie encounters unexpected dangers—and finds herself questioning whether it’s time to return to the work she loved. But the Secret Service may have other ideas. . . .

About Jacqueline Winspear

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Leaving Everything Most Loved, Elegy for Eddie, A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, as well as four other national bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was also a New York Times bestseller. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel and was a New York Times Notable Book. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.

Find out more about Jacqueline at her website, www.jacquelinewinspear.com, and find her on Facebook.

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