An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs Book 5)

An Incomplete Revenge is another outstanding Maisie Dobbs novel by Jacqueline Winspear. The author is adept at telling a good mystery devoid of the overt sex, dirty language and gruesome murder scenes so often seen in novels in the detective genre. Each of the Dobbs novels stands on its own without the reader having to have read other stories in the series to know what is going on! It helps, though, that as one reads through the series the enjoyment at meeting old characters and the depth of characterization of Maisie and her friends is endearing and addictive1 The Plot: The year is 1931,. Maisie Dobbs, a former nurse on the World War I Western Front, has set up a one woman detective agency. She is assisted by the Cockney Billy Beale. In this novel they travel from London to the County of Kent to hop picking in the September of that year. A case develops as a fellow hop picker's two boys are arrested for theft of items belonging to the wealthy Alfred Sandemere. The villagers also distrust the gypsies who are camping nearby. The author gives us good information on the lives of gypsies. One of these gypsies is Aunt Beulah Webb. She is a wise old woman who is important in the plot. The town of Heronsdene is close knit. The villagers do not like to talk about the zeppelin raid on their town in 2016 which killed three in a Dutch family. Maisie will eventually solve the mystery revolving around this raid and the secrets about the town it reveals. This novel also deals with Maisie's grief as her wartime doctor lover Dr. Simon Lynch is a vegetable dying in a nursing home. Her friend Priscilla provides humor and good cheer while her mentor Dr. Maurice Blanch helps her solve the case. Winspear is good at evoking Depression era Britain and does good in describing the clothes and customs of that bygone era. An excellent book!

I have read all of the Maisie Dobbs books and love them all, some a bit more than others. This one I love most of all. I have just re-read it and once again was moved to tears by a sense of loss, place, and time gone by. These books take place during and after the Great War (WWI) in England for the most part. It is not a time that I know of. Except for these books, and Foyle's War, and a few other books. But mostly the Masie Dobbs books. The way Winspear describes the settings, the clothes, the characters, the times, places the reader right there on the pages and invokes experiences we would never had had. I believe everyone should read at lease the first book, "Maisie Dobbs" before reading any of the other books in the series. The best way would be to work one's way through the series since there are always references to what came before. However, Winspear is very considerate of her readers and makes certain that no matter which book in the series you are reading, you will understand how Maisie has come to the place she has come to in each book. In this book, the references to the gypsies and their way of life and their language and customs is fascinating. And, of course, the secrets held by all of the predominant characters. Maisie can bring you into her life and sometimes hold you at bay, not letting you in at all as she strubbles with her own misfortunes. But Maisie is a character one can love and engage with as you go through her life and experiences in these books. Most, Most, Most especially THIS one.

This series only gets better. Maisie Dobbs is a fascinating character and each book a revelation of how she has faced and over come tragedy and loss. The layers of her life, the cases she solves and the woman she has become are interwoven and spellbinding. I buy these books because they are worth rereading and this author is a superb storyteller. We have revenge, death, friendship and a look into the Gypsy culture that is a small but significant part of Maisie's heritage. One of the best reads of the year.

Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series is always a refreshing change from the blood and guts that are common fare in most other detective fiction. Maisie, who bills herself as a “Psychologist and Investigator,” is unlike any other protagonist in crime fiction. There’s nothing the least bit hard-boiled about her. Operating in London and points south, Maisie works under the ever-present pall of World War I. Though it’s now the 1930s, Maisie’s service as a nurse at a casualty clearing station near the front line in France was the dominant experience in her otherwise very eventful life. Her fiance, Captain Simon Lynch, lies in a vegetative state in a convalescent home. They had worked together in France and were wounded by the same German artillery shell. Maisie Dobbs and the legacy of war In An Incomplete Revenge, the fifth book in the series, Maisie is forced to face the lasting pain of her earlier years: the backstory of her family’s life, the class resentment she continues to bear as a child of poverty, the tension between her and her brilliant mentor, Dr. Maurice Blanche, and her lover’s worsening condition. In the face of all this stress, Maisie takes on what proves to be a challenging case on behalf of her dear friend, James Compton, the son of the aristocratic couple that sponsored her education. A village where strange things happen The action centers on the village of Heronsdene in Southeast England. The village lies not far from the estate where she once served as a maid and her father still lives, tending the horses. It’s hop-picking season. The fields are crowded with Londoners, a small tribe of Gypsies, and villagers, all seeking to supplement their meager income. It’s 1931, and the Depression is well underway. All the land nearby, and the brickworks located on it, are the property of a single owner, who is universally despised in the area. Alfred Sandermere is a bully, a drunkard, and a wastrel. Maisie has come to Heronsdene because James wants her to look into the strange circumstances there, as he is interested in buying the estate. These circumstances include a series of suspicious fires, a rash of thefts at the Sandermere mansion and elsewhere, and the villagers’ mysterious refusal to talk about the Zeppelin attack that killed the local baker and his family in 1916. With mystery piled on mystery, this is a case tailor-made for Maisie Dobbs. Naturally, Maisie triumphs in the end, having disentangled the threads of this complicated story and given her friend the green light to proceed with the purchase. But the fun, after all, is in the telling.

Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series is wonderful! They all occur durin WWI and we not only get the taste of what it was like in England at that time, but you have to fall in love with Maisie who becomes a clever detective and ultimately solves the many issues put in front of her. She’s genuine and realistic. I eagerly await each novel Winspear puts out, the most recent of which is The Consequences of Fear. Don’t miss her books, none of which have to be read sequentially. She has a way of filling the reader in on whatever might be relevant to the current story.

This is a really good series of mysteries that starts on the eve of WW1 in Britain. The lead character is a young girl who comes from the mean streets of London, is placed into domestic service in a wealthy manor home. She discovers a love of books and is in turn discovered by the homeowner as not only an avid reader but someone with an unusually analytic mind. Maisie Dobbs acquires a mentor, a psychologist and investigator who teaches and develops her into an investigator. In An Incomplete Revenge, she is called in to research a possible land and building purchase. The case soon involves a town experiencing strange fires, a zeppelin air strike, and gypsies. I HIGHLY recommend you start with the very first novel, though, since references and characters are mentioned in subsequent books and it will all make more sense.

If you've read one of the books in this series, then you know that while you were unaware, Maisie hooked you. Just as she hooked Billy and her friend Priscilla, she has hooked me. The thing is; each of the books in this series not only reminds me of things I once knew, but also endears me to this character. She's a bit headstrong, very detailed in her work, and she's a risk taker. I love all of that. I feel like I'm with her every step of the way, and that's what a good book does; it takes you away on a journey.

I’ve listened to or read all the books up to this point in the series. They are good mysteries that involve plot lines and sub plots, which all eventually tie together. This one, Maisie learns to use a divining rod. That strained credibility too much for me. All the books have Maisie sussing out the mystery with unconventional means, but this one was too much for me to believe. Hope the next one is better. I like the mystery, not the witch craft.

In this book, Maisie Dobbs helps James Compton discover the cause of mysterious fires set on some property he wants to purchase outside of London. Why did I like this Maisie novel so much? * I found out that Maisie's mother was a gypsy, shining light on issues still relevant today. * Maisie and her mentor Maurice Blanche's rift is somewhat lessened (even if their relationship will never be the same). * A strange Twilight Zone-like town and people are involved in the story and they have much to hide. * I learned a little bit about a jazz musician who was popular in Paris. I was excited and surprised to learn that Maisie was part gypsy, giving her a different history than just daughter of a costermonger. Of course, this revelation gave Maisie an "in" to the gypsy clan around the town of Heronsdene, especially with the matriarch of the clan, Beulah. The prejudices and discriminating behavior towards the gypsies by the villagers and others were brought forth by Ms. Winspear during the course of the novel. Fear of those a little different and fear of the unknown always bring out the worst in people. Maisie's abilities to intuit in a different way from most and her openness to new methods and ideas make Maisie such a great character. Maisie is someone who is so self-assured she can get along with anyone, be it those in high government office or a traveling band of gypsies. Maisie taking up weaving at this point in the novels was a very good thing for her to do. She needed something to do with her hands that is repetitive and frees her mind (besides her normal meditation), yet also has a purpose in creating something beautiful and useful. I think she learned how an artistic outlet can be very therapeutic, as it was for Nicolas Bassington-Hope in Messenger of Truth. I enjoyed how Maisie helped enlighten Marta, her weaving teacher, to be proud of her own heritage. Beattie Drummond was a new character introduced in this novel and she is a journalist turned novelist. Where have I seen that story before? I enjoyed having Beattie in the story, but really wish she had been even more involved and that she and Maisie had interacted even more and become closer friends. She could always figure into another story later. Her name kind of bugged me, though, as I always said in my head "beat the drum." Maybe that is intentional? Trying not to spoil the book, the plight of the van Maarten family was a major story line in this novel. Even though their story is quite different from the family in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," that is what I kept thinking of as I read about this family and the mysterious ways of the townspeople of the village. Of course this story is a harbinger of what is to happen in Europe in a few more years from this time period. Mob mentality, collective guilt, and attempts at atonement made An Incomplete Revenge so much more interesting. Simon's death was quite sad, but I think it was time for Ms. Winspear to free Maisie of Simon so that she can move on. I thought it was odd that Maisie deliberately avoided Simon's mother for years and years, as it is not like Maisie to be so rigid (as I probably would be in the same situation). Maisie visited Maurice, her mentor, to discuss Simon's death. I liked how Maisie sought out Maurice again after their rift and their relationship seems to be a bit more back to normal. From what I remember from the previous and most recent novels, Maisie is always a very good dancer and enjoys dancing very much, even if she feels coerced into a dance. Usually someone as cerebral as Maisie does not like and is not comfortable with something as base as dancing. Maybe this is where Maisie's gypsy heritage is allowed to come out. Also, a party or a dance always provides a good backdrop for story development. I guess Ms. Winspear is trying to tell readers that there are numerous facets to a character and not to rule out any aspect of someone's personality. At the end of An Incomplete Revenge, Maisie takes out "her one record, by a gypsy now famous in Paris, a man who had blended French passion with the spark of the Roma." I think this man might be Django Reinhardt, but I could be mistaken. I found a link to some of his music. I also enjoyed learning about Denmark Street in London.

It's only been a few weeks since I belatedly discovered Jacqueline Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs" series and it's been great fun playing catch-up. I don't want to waste space here repeating what so many other 5-star reviewers have already said so well. But I did want to jump in and say why I can't agree with the Newsday blurb at the top of the paperback jacket which advises newbies to start with this fifth novel in the series and work their way back...because this one "shows Maisie at the top of her detecting form." No question about it, Maisie is definitely "at the top of her detecting form" in "An Incomplete Revenge." But I'd recommend starting with book one, "Maisie Dobbs." Why? Because this series concerns itself at least as much with the connectedness and personal trajectories of its continuing characters--Maisie, Frankie, the Beals, the Comptons, Simon, Priscilla, Maurice, Stratton et al--and its setting (England itself in the years between the wars) as it does with the case at hand and the detective work involved. If, after sampling book one, you find that you're more interested in the cases than the characters, then fine, bypass books 2-4, "Birds of a Feather," "Pardonable Lies" and "Messenger of Truth" and jump straight into this one; it's a great read indeed. But if it's Winspear's marvelous mix of characters, casework and wonderfully well crafted sense of time and place that grabs you, then chronological order is definitely the way to go, in this reader's opinion.

An Incomplete Revenge is another outstanding Maisie Dobbs novel by Jacqueline Winspear. The author is adept at telling a good mystery devoid of the overt sex, dirty language and gruesome murder scenes so often seen in novels in the detective genre. Each of the Dobbs novels stands on its own without the reader having to have read other stories in the series to know what is going on! It helps, though, that as one reads through the series the enjoyment at meeting old characters and the depth of characterization of Maisie and her friends is endearing and addictive1 The Plot: The year is 1931,. Maisie Dobbs, a former nurse on the World War I Western Front, has set up a one woman detective agency. She is assisted by the Cockney Billy Beale. In this novel they travel from London to the County of Kent to hop picking in the September of that year. A case develops as a fellow hop picker's two boys are arrested for theft of items belonging to the wealthy Alfred Sandemere. The villagers also distrust the gypsies who are camping nearby. The author gives us good information on the lives of gypsies. One of these gypsies is Aunt Beulah Webb. She is a wise old woman who is important in the plot. The town of Heronsdene is close knit. The villagers do not like to talk about the zeppelin raid on their town in 2016 which killed three in a Dutch family. Maisie will eventually solve the mystery revolving around this raid and the secrets about the town it reveals. This novel also deals with Maisie's grief as her wartime doctor lover Dr. Simon Lynch is a vegetable dying in a nursing home. Her friend Priscilla provides humor and good cheer while her mentor Dr. Maurice Blanch helps her solve the case. Winspear is good at evoking Depression era Britain and does good in describing the clothes and customs of that bygone era. An excellent book!

I have read all of the Maisie Dobbs books and love them all, some a bit more than others. This one I love most of all. I have just re-read it and once again was moved to tears by a sense of loss, place, and time gone by. These books take place during and after the Great War (WWI) in England for the most part. It is not a time that I know of. Except for these books, and Foyle's War, and a few other books. But mostly the Masie Dobbs books. The way Winspear describes the settings, the clothes, the characters, the times, places the reader right there on the pages and invokes experiences we would never had had. I believe everyone should read at lease the first book, "Maisie Dobbs" before reading any of the other books in the series. The best way would be to work one's way through the series since there are always references to what came before. However, Winspear is very considerate of her readers and makes certain that no matter which book in the series you are reading, you will understand how Maisie has come to the place she has come to in each book. In this book, the references to the gypsies and their way of life and their language and customs is fascinating. And, of course, the secrets held by all of the predominant characters. Maisie can bring you into her life and sometimes hold you at bay, not letting you in at all as she strubbles with her own misfortunes. But Maisie is a character one can love and engage with as you go through her life and experiences in these books. Most, Most, Most especially THIS one.

This series only gets better. Maisie Dobbs is a fascinating character and each book a revelation of how she has faced and over come tragedy and loss. The layers of her life, the cases she solves and the woman she has become are interwoven and spellbinding. I buy these books because they are worth rereading and this author is a superb storyteller. We have revenge, death, friendship and a look into the Gypsy culture that is a small but significant part of Maisie's heritage. One of the best reads of the year.

Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series is always a refreshing change from the blood and guts that are common fare in most other detective fiction. Maisie, who bills herself as a “Psychologist and Investigator,” is unlike any other protagonist in crime fiction. There’s nothing the least bit hard-boiled about her. Operating in London and points south, Maisie works under the ever-present pall of World War I. Though it’s now the 1930s, Maisie’s service as a nurse at a casualty clearing station near the front line in France was the dominant experience in her otherwise very eventful life. Her fiance, Captain Simon Lynch, lies in a vegetative state in a convalescent home. They had worked together in France and were wounded by the same German artillery shell. Maisie Dobbs and the legacy of war In An Incomplete Revenge, the fifth book in the series, Maisie is forced to face the lasting pain of her earlier years: the backstory of her family’s life, the class resentment she continues to bear as a child of poverty, the tension between her and her brilliant mentor, Dr. Maurice Blanche, and her lover’s worsening condition. In the face of all this stress, Maisie takes on what proves to be a challenging case on behalf of her dear friend, James Compton, the son of the aristocratic couple that sponsored her education. A village where strange things happen The action centers on the village of Heronsdene in Southeast England. The village lies not far from the estate where she once served as a maid and her father still lives, tending the horses. It’s hop-picking season. The fields are crowded with Londoners, a small tribe of Gypsies, and villagers, all seeking to supplement their meager income. It’s 1931, and the Depression is well underway. All the land nearby, and the brickworks located on it, are the property of a single owner, who is universally despised in the area. Alfred Sandermere is a bully, a drunkard, and a wastrel. Maisie has come to Heronsdene because James wants her to look into the strange circumstances there, as he is interested in buying the estate. These circumstances include a series of suspicious fires, a rash of thefts at the Sandermere mansion and elsewhere, and the villagers’ mysterious refusal to talk about the Zeppelin attack that killed the local baker and his family in 1916. With mystery piled on mystery, this is a case tailor-made for Maisie Dobbs. Naturally, Maisie triumphs in the end, having disentangled the threads of this complicated story and given her friend the green light to proceed with the purchase. But the fun, after all, is in the telling.

Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series is wonderful! They all occur durin WWI and we not only get the taste of what it was like in England at that time, but you have to fall in love with Maisie who becomes a clever detective and ultimately solves the many issues put in front of her. She’s genuine and realistic. I eagerly await each novel Winspear puts out, the most recent of which is The Consequences of Fear. Don’t miss her books, none of which have to be read sequentially. She has a way of filling the reader in on whatever might be relevant to the current story.

This is a really good series of mysteries that starts on the eve of WW1 in Britain. The lead character is a young girl who comes from the mean streets of London, is placed into domestic service in a wealthy manor home. She discovers a love of books and is in turn discovered by the homeowner as not only an avid reader but someone with an unusually analytic mind. Maisie Dobbs acquires a mentor, a psychologist and investigator who teaches and develops her into an investigator. In An Incomplete Revenge, she is called in to research a possible land and building purchase. The case soon involves a town experiencing strange fires, a zeppelin air strike, and gypsies. I HIGHLY recommend you start with the very first novel, though, since references and characters are mentioned in subsequent books and it will all make more sense.

If you've read one of the books in this series, then you know that while you were unaware, Maisie hooked you. Just as she hooked Billy and her friend Priscilla, she has hooked me. The thing is; each of the books in this series not only reminds me of things I once knew, but also endears me to this character. She's a bit headstrong, very detailed in her work, and she's a risk taker. I love all of that. I feel like I'm with her every step of the way, and that's what a good book does; it takes you away on a journey.

I’ve listened to or read all the books up to this point in the series. They are good mysteries that involve plot lines and sub plots, which all eventually tie together. This one, Maisie learns to use a divining rod. That strained credibility too much for me. All the books have Maisie sussing out the mystery with unconventional means, but this one was too much for me to believe. Hope the next one is better. I like the mystery, not the witch craft.

In this book, Maisie Dobbs helps James Compton discover the cause of mysterious fires set on some property he wants to purchase outside of London. Why did I like this Maisie novel so much? * I found out that Maisie's mother was a gypsy, shining light on issues still relevant today. * Maisie and her mentor Maurice Blanche's rift is somewhat lessened (even if their relationship will never be the same). * A strange Twilight Zone-like town and people are involved in the story and they have much to hide. * I learned a little bit about a jazz musician who was popular in Paris. I was excited and surprised to learn that Maisie was part gypsy, giving her a different history than just daughter of a costermonger. Of course, this revelation gave Maisie an "in" to the gypsy clan around the town of Heronsdene, especially with the matriarch of the clan, Beulah. The prejudices and discriminating behavior towards the gypsies by the villagers and others were brought forth by Ms. Winspear during the course of the novel. Fear of those a little different and fear of the unknown always bring out the worst in people. Maisie's abilities to intuit in a different way from most and her openness to new methods and ideas make Maisie such a great character. Maisie is someone who is so self-assured she can get along with anyone, be it those in high government office or a traveling band of gypsies. Maisie taking up weaving at this point in the novels was a very good thing for her to do. She needed something to do with her hands that is repetitive and frees her mind (besides her normal meditation), yet also has a purpose in creating something beautiful and useful. I think she learned how an artistic outlet can be very therapeutic, as it was for Nicolas Bassington-Hope in Messenger of Truth. I enjoyed how Maisie helped enlighten Marta, her weaving teacher, to be proud of her own heritage. Beattie Drummond was a new character introduced in this novel and she is a journalist turned novelist. Where have I seen that story before? I enjoyed having Beattie in the story, but really wish she had been even more involved and that she and Maisie had interacted even more and become closer friends. She could always figure into another story later. Her name kind of bugged me, though, as I always said in my head "beat the drum." Maybe that is intentional? Trying not to spoil the book, the plight of the van Maarten family was a major story line in this novel. Even though their story is quite different from the family in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," that is what I kept thinking of as I read about this family and the mysterious ways of the townspeople of the village. Of course this story is a harbinger of what is to happen in Europe in a few more years from this time period. Mob mentality, collective guilt, and attempts at atonement made An Incomplete Revenge so much more interesting. Simon's death was quite sad, but I think it was time for Ms. Winspear to free Maisie of Simon so that she can move on. I thought it was odd that Maisie deliberately avoided Simon's mother for years and years, as it is not like Maisie to be so rigid (as I probably would be in the same situation). Maisie visited Maurice, her mentor, to discuss Simon's death. I liked how Maisie sought out Maurice again after their rift and their relationship seems to be a bit more back to normal. From what I remember from the previous and most recent novels, Maisie is always a very good dancer and enjoys dancing very much, even if she feels coerced into a dance. Usually someone as cerebral as Maisie does not like and is not comfortable with something as base as dancing. Maybe this is where Maisie's gypsy heritage is allowed to come out. Also, a party or a dance always provides a good backdrop for story development. I guess Ms. Winspear is trying to tell readers that there are numerous facets to a character and not to rule out any aspect of someone's personality. At the end of An Incomplete Revenge, Maisie takes out "her one record, by a gypsy now famous in Paris, a man who had blended French passion with the spark of the Roma." I think this man might be Django Reinhardt, but I could be mistaken. I found a link to some of his music. I also enjoyed learning about Denmark Street in London.

It's only been a few weeks since I belatedly discovered Jacqueline Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs" series and it's been great fun playing catch-up. I don't want to waste space here repeating what so many other 5-star reviewers have already said so well. But I did want to jump in and say why I can't agree with the Newsday blurb at the top of the paperback jacket which advises newbies to start with this fifth novel in the series and work their way back...because this one "shows Maisie at the top of her detecting form." No question about it, Maisie is definitely "at the top of her detecting form" in "An Incomplete Revenge." But I'd recommend starting with book one, "Maisie Dobbs." Why? Because this series concerns itself at least as much with the connectedness and personal trajectories of its continuing characters--Maisie, Frankie, the Beals, the Comptons, Simon, Priscilla, Maurice, Stratton et al--and its setting (England itself in the years between the wars) as it does with the case at hand and the detective work involved. If, after sampling book one, you find that you're more interested in the cases than the characters, then fine, bypass books 2-4, "Birds of a Feather," "Pardonable Lies" and "Messenger of Truth" and jump straight into this one; it's a great read indeed. But if it's Winspear's marvelous mix of characters, casework and wonderfully well crafted sense of time and place that grabs you, then chronological order is definitely the way to go, in this reader's opinion.

Bought the entire set for my Kindle and then purchased the paperbacks for my Mum. It's been a long time since someone has written mystery novels that she can read. No gratuitous sex, violence. Beautifully written with wonderful characters and excellent plotlines. A must-read. Quality mysteries in the manner of Agatha Christie and all the classic mystery writers of her era.

When reading a Maisie Dobbs novel, I "become" Maisie Dobbs, due to the skill of the author. I can feel the breeze, smell the fragrance of a flower garden or smoke from a fire. The author takes you there, which makes reading this book both fun and transformative. I also identify with the protagonist, who is wholly human with a deep sense of compassion born of facing the kind of adversity most of us only read about.

Reviewing Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs books is an interesting experience. It's kind of like reviewing the Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge books. These books are full of such unique characters with such special angles on human relations that they carry their own readership along with them. If you "get" Maisie Dobbs, then you completely understand my affection. And if you don't, the best review I can write won't change your mind. So I figure I'm writing for the people who maybe haven't tried this series yet. In which case, go find a copy of the 2004 book that started it all, "Maisie Dobbs", because even as she has grown and evolved, so have we as readers. "An Incomplete Revenge" is very much a continuation of previous books. Maisie has been affected by the downturn in the post-WWI economy and accepts a job investigating a land purchase in Kent. She finds a nifty way to settle her assistant, Billy, nearby and his work on the ground is helpful, as always. The story progresses uneventfully but something is rotten with the land deal and the village where it is located. Not only are the village people insular and surly, but there is palpable antagonism between the villagers and the local band of gypsies who are camped nearby for the seasonal picking of the hops harvest. Tensions escalate and fatal cracks appear in the veneer of the community. One of the joys of the Maisie Dobbs series is the complete immersion in life after WWI and the inevitable way in which nobody really escaped the war unscathed. It is there in every subtext and every memory. This book is especially well plotted with a small-but-effective dose of Maisie's spirituality. She has grown so much from the girl who returned from the war and this book ties up some of the ragged elements of that journey. A thoroughly worthwhile read.

This is the fifth book in the Maisie Dobbs series, and I found it very satisfying in most ways. The countryside setting is well depicted, where Billy and his family work at the harvest for extra money (as did many others), and where Maisie has been sent to solve the cause of mysterious yearly fires. The people, as always in Winspear's novels, are well drawn and interesting: they seem totally real. The crime has its roots in World War I, as do most if not all of the crimes in the Maisie Dobbs series. As a reader I find this less and less interesting with each novel. I'm not saying that war's effects don't extend for decades, if not lifetimes, but rather that a little variety in the reasons for the crimes in the Maisie Dobbs series would be very welcome. Doesn't anybody ever commit a crime because of something that happened yesterday? Or last week? Or last year? Does every crime in this series have to go back to the Great War? The fact that all the crimes do go back to that war strains credulity. Nonetheless, Maisie is a sympathetic character, the setting and other characters are always well-depicted, and the plots are usually interesting. The pace is generally slow. But I want to know what happens to Maisie, so I keep on reading.

Maisie Dobbs does her usual fine job of solving crimes. And she does it with the addition of very interesting philosophical commentary "...allowing people to give weight to that which divides them, rather than to the shared experience and elements of connection they see mirrored in their fellow man." She wrote this book in 2008, but it reflects on what we are dealing with today, especially in the US.

This is the first book I have read of the the series. I have purchased another one don't know which one, Wish I had waited, then I wouldn't have purchased it.. Perhaps it will be better than this one. This novel didn't grab me like most mysteries do..ones that you can't put the book down!I I did keep wondering how will she she end the book😁 That was the mystery to me😁

Mysteries are not my typical read &I found this Jacqueline Winspear mystery on sale. Decided to give it a go & was not disappointed. Very well written & keeps the suspense moving in a very subtle direction. Will read her other books.

Although the protagonist's name, Maisie Dobbs, sounds sweet and frothy, the stories in this series are anything but. These are serious, thoughtful mysteries set in a dark time and place: London between the World Wars. Surrounded by loss, joblessness, displacement, and a newly changing world, Maisie employs her unusual training to resolve her clients' burdens by disciplined inquiry. Charming! It's nicest to read them in order but inexplicably difficult to get the that info on Amazon. So here's the order from one of the "also by" pages: Maisie Dobbs (2003) Birds of a Feather (2004) Pardonable Lies (2005) Messenger of Truth (2006) An Incomplete Revenge (2008) Among the Mad (2009) The Mapping of Love and Death (2010) A Lesson in Secrets (2011) Elegy for Eddie (2012)

I was delighted to learn about hop harvests in Kent and the people who picked, gypsy culture in England, and life there during the depression between the great wars. All this and a great mystery to follow.

An Incomplete Revenge is a thoroughly complete and compelling book. Just enough of the lead characters experience is conveyed to the reader, but not enough to dispel the mystery so the page turning eagerly continues. As the end neared I expected the traditional denouement to lay out the insights that remained to be shared. But unexpectedly it continues. A thoughtful and deeper reflection unfolds on the character of Masie Dobbs and her growth as person not just a leading persona of a fictional mystery series. It was satisfying development in a character that will lead to even greater interest in her next book describing this intriguing investigator & psychologist.

I'm not sure what quality it is about these stories, but they do draw you in. We lose Simon in this book which I'm excited to see what happens with Maisie now. And how could she turn Dr. Dene loose, will he come back?? Maisie is a woman who FEELS alot but seems to have a hard time expressing all those emotions. She needs to scream it all out but I guess in staying with the feel and acceptance of the time period, that won't happen. This mystery was a good one although I had figured alot of it out towards the middle of the book. Still a good read. I don't get the part about the hazel wood branch - huh? That was a little too much hocus pocus for me, but if you can over look that, overall a captivating story.

The Maisie Dobbs mystery series is a great find. The mysteries are well written, take the reader into the cultural history of Britain between WW1 and WWII. The history is accurate and insightful, dealing with the many turbulent issues of the day. Maisie Dobbs is a well realized character, who evolves as the series progresses. I read the first one, and am now following her through the series as her life and her country move through turbulent times. Each book is a good read on its own, and as the series develops, the reader gains insights into the changing lives of women in the UK, which enjoying a fine set of well plotted mysteries.

AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE by Jacqueline Winspear takes the reader back to the time when entire families gather to pick and grade the hops; for many including the gypsies it was their entire cash income for the year. Maisie Dobbs accepts a charge to travel to Kent to investigate a series of fires close to the drying hops. Her assistant, Billy Beale is there with his entire family as his wife struggles to over come her grief at the death of her daughter. Billy can help Maisie approach people she would otherwise not be able to talk to, but her own heritage takes her to the gypsy camp and acceptance. The village has secrets that will require all of Maisie's skills as an investigator to unravel. Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

I thoroughly enjoy all the Maisie Dobbs books. I love the style of writing, the story line is engrossing and the descriptions life in England post WWI are instructive. I will keep on to the end of the series and then wait impatiently for new titles to emerge.

This is one of the best in the Maisie Dobbs series, revealing ever more about her background and offering a very readable and interesting plot. A really satisfying read.

Wow, yet another good book by this author, another 5 stars. I dont need to repeat any content of the other reviews here, they are all excellent. But I will say that the ending was just superb. Some books by other authors have bad endings, but all of Mrs. Winspear's books which Ive read so far, have great endings, and thats one thing that can make or break a book for me. I plan to buy this entire series, each one is a winner so far. Our daughter has read them all.

All of this series of books are a good read. The writing is interesting and keeps your attention with the suspense. Of course, the whole basic situation with Masie is idealistic and romantic but the series is a good escape with lovely language and writing. There is a little current psychological opinion in every one but not enough to ruin the books. My only complaint with these ebooks is they are too expensive.

The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear is heartfelt, informative, historical, and intriguing. I appreciate reading about an independent woman from the early- to mid-1900s. Ms. Winspear's writing is accessible and eloquent. The characters are three-dimensional and develop during the series.

Complex as always, but with fair clues scattered throughout. Great period drama, class distinctions, and gypsy more thrown in. Enjoyable read.

The element of fascination for the fan of Jacqueline Winspear is her attention to detail. Not the kind that slows a book or that bogs the reader down in detail. It is the kind of detail that makes the reader admire the writing and complete the story to a final degree. Winspear's characters, particularly Masie Dobbs, are challenging, interesting and most particularly, captivating. Dobbs unique approach to solving the case is riveting. Her ability to communicate on all levels with people from an array of backgrounds and status is rewarding. She is fiercely loyal, flawed in some understandable ways, but always rises above the fray to be the best she can be. The accompanying characters, her assistant Billy Beale and family, her friend, Priscilla, Masie's father and of course, her mentor who has helped make Masie the complete person she has become, add to the depth of the book. There are stormy times in some of her relationships, which only makes the reader appreciate the quality of Winspear's writing, to present the dilemma and solve it with grace and style. I have loved all the Masie Dobbs books in this now five book series. And with each writing, Winspear has developed her characte(s) and the growth has been a fascinating melodrama to observe. When you finish this and the other books, you will feel that readers glow of time well spent.

I love this entire series. I love that their are several personal issues in every book with a main theme that brings it all together. The author does a great job of character development and describing the era and locations. I can’t wait for this to be developed for a series on tv.

This Maisie Dobbs mystery is even better than the others I have read and enjoyed! I, absolutely, loved the book. The story line kept my Interest fastened tightly. I never once guessed any of the plot before it hit me on the head. I have started the New Year by ending a marvelous book, setting a high bar for books for the coming year, 2021.

All of the Maisy Dobbs novels are wonderful. This book is historically subtle, and true to the times. A rich Xperia century to be enjoyed.

First Sentence: The old woman rested on the steps of her home, a caravan set apart from those of the rest of her family, her tribe. An old friend hires investigator Maisie Dobbs to investigate matters relating to a potential land purchase. Petty thefts have been blamed on London boys there to help pick hops, but the residents also distrust the Gypsies who are there. Maisie has discovered small fires which have occurred each year but no one reported them to the fire departments or police. A family was killed during the war by a Zeppelin attack, yet no one will talk about it. Maisie must put together the pieces together while also dealing with her feeling regarding the soldier she loves who has been in a coma since the war. This is my second foray into Maisie Dobbs. I didn't care for her first time and, I must admit, nothing much has changed. Winspear does include information on the gypsies that I found interesting until it became redundant. She also includes details to the point of minutia on things that aren't particularly important. Her descriptions are informative but not evocative so that a feeling for the sense of place is missing. As a character, Maisie is the sort of person who would annoy me if I knew her. Yes, I can justify some of it by remember she's experience the trauma of war, but not all. There is arrogance to Maisie that surpasses self confidence and is somewhat unappealing as it borders on arrogance. Her friend, Priscilla, is the complete antithesis to Maisie and annoying in her own way. In fact, the most interesting characters in the book were Maisie's father followed closely by the dog. The story itself is just not gripping. There's no real suspense or emotion; everything is at a distance and somewhat dispassionate. The number of coincidences is overwhelming; Maisie's perfection at everything becomes tiring. Everyone is willing to talk to her. There is no struggle or effort really required; it's all quite neat and rather placid. For those who like cozies; no violence, no real threat, no swearing, no sex, no real evil, this would be perfect. Unfortunately, that's just not my taste so although there were parts that were interesting, it was not really my cup of tea--single malt whisky, please. AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE (Hist Mys-Maisie Dobbs-England-1931) - Okay Winspear, Jacqueline - 5th in series Henry Holt and Company, ©2008, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780805082159

This is another of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I really, really, really like these books. Winspear has proven beyond a doubt that a well written murder mystery can be a true work of literature. Her characters are well rounded, the ambiance she creates with her almost poetic choice of words make An Incomplete Revenge, like her other mysteries, a wonderful reading experience. She recreates a period in history that the recitation of dry facts in history books fails to convey and has encouraged me to follow up the period in those same dry books to learn more about the early twentieth century, something I never thought I'd do. As an MA in ancient history I considered everything after 1200 B.C. "modern history" and therefore dreadfully dull! Ms Winspear has proven otherwise. A brilliant work. The central characters are all there, though they play less of a roll in the mystery than they did in earlier ones. Maisie still visits her father Frankie, her mentor Maurice Blanche, and the household of her former employer, Lady Rowan, but she does so in the same hurried way most of us visit our families and friends after we have achieved full adulthood. Billy Beale and his wife again appear, but while he takes part in the investigation, it's a more restrained role. His usefulness as a device for introducing information without having to engage the central character in its actual pursuit is more visible here, so those of us who enjoy the architecture of the murder mystery can see the careful craftsmanship of this character; he can be more thoroughly appreciated because of it. Again I am amazed at the skill with which the author has been able to introduce very painful experiences into her work without becoming either garish or maudlin. We are gently forced to face the awful facts of a past war and its effects on those living after it without graphic detail. Those who survived it live on, taking comfort from one another as they can, and rebuild the world. They must face not only their losses but sometimes their guilty acts as well. Furthermore and without saying it, by merely using the fact of history in the reader's mind, the author casts the specter of World War II across the emotional landscape of the world of Maisie Dobbs. We know, even if she does not, that World War I was just the first act of a two act play and that after the intermission, World War II will be even more appalling and wasteful. It will also be more heartbreaking for people like Maisie and Priscilla who, having lost loved ones close to them in the first conflict, will face further equally painful losses in the next. The mystery is well designed, with a beginning, middle and end. While the author does not use red herrings as others do, she uses the reality of an over abundance and coincidence of facts to create doubt and confusion. As she gathers the various strings of evidence into a complete picture of events, eliminating or at least elucidating their importance to the central theme, the reader is led to the solution. Another masterwork of fiction.

Amazing detail in a complex story line beautifully told! What a group of diverse characters and actions intertwined with a significant world event.

This is one of the best that I have read out of six novels by J. Winspear. It has a twist that was unexpected and very thought provoking. I'm still reflecting on this story.

Maisie Dobbs novels are full of detail, fun to read , exciting plots with twists and turns.

I enjoy following Maisie Dobbs through her cases. Maisie continues to develop as a character.

I continue on my journey to read each book in the Maisie Dobbs series. This is perhaps my favorite so far. I have enjoyed each in different ways but this story pulled at my heart strings at so many levels. Excellent read!

Another wonderful Maisie Dobbs story by Jacqueline Winspear. The books are addictive. Once I finish one, I immediately want to read another. I want the books to go on forever. They are that good.

The whole series by Jacqueline Winspear is sensational. This one was not as suspenseful as the others. I think she did this to bridge the eras and the characters. This is the only one in the series I gave four stars instead of five. I love the historic background in the whole series. As a college history major this is important to me. The characters, meanwhile are complex, unpredictable, and sensationally well presented.

This 5th book in the series continues to provide suspense without gratuitous violence. The characters continue to grow and mature and each story line is a little more complex than the last. If you have not started with Book I, I would recommend it. Although there is a brief update in each book, the rich story lines of each character unfolds with each book. Ms. Winspear's descriptions of the countryside, costumes and character's appearances are descriptive and only increase the imagination while reading.

On time delivery Carefully packaged Product in good condition

Happy to purchase this good quality book. Has lots of enjoyable "reads" left!

Winspear continues this wonderful series - another excellent book with believable characters and an engrossing storyline.

This is the 5th book in this series and is one of my favorites, along with the first. Maisie's business card describes her as a psychologist and private investigator. She uses her knowledge of psychology and personal instincts to solve mysteries that are unique and intriguing in each book. This one was hard to put down, and I immediately moved on to the 6th book in this series.

I really enjoyed the series, until this book. To keep it brief, the story was not very good and everyone is dying. I was looking forward to the build up to WWII but, can't stomach another depressing story.

Great reading. Love Winspear's writing. Will order more of her books

All of her books are good. Her series started after WWI and we’re about to enter WWII. Start from book one and read them all. I think this may be 13.

Total fan of this series. Well drawn characters, interesting and complex storylines. A great peek into past history. All in all a very good read.

Another good read. It's always interesting to get to know the main character a little better in each book. This one did not disappoint.

As with her other books the author gives descriptions of her characters, and their surroundings, that are interesting and allow you to feel like you are really there and completely know everyone. This book was good. No bad language. No gore. Kept my interest.

O far I have liked all of the Maisie Dobbs books. It gives great insight to WW11 and how people dealt with the war.

These beautifully written WWI era mystery novels are seamless. One book flows gracefully into the next. The author has meticulously researched the historical background of each and super-imposed a completely engaging story onto all of these novels. I highly recommend.

I am a great fan of the Maisie Dobbs series. I anxiously anticipate the next one to be written. Maisie is one of the most interesting characters that I have encountered in my years and years of reading. I like her personally and respect her professionally. You get a great deal of history when you read these books and that is always a plus as far as I am concerned. Maisie is one of my special keepers.

In times of war we do and say that which is not normal behavior for any society. Civility is defied and no longer present in our lives. The consequences are just as heinous as the original sin. Revenge leads to more revenge. When will we learn?

I read historic fiction to learn. Once again, while enjoying a great story, I have learned so much, this time about the gypsy life.

"An Incomplete Revenge" is an old-fashioned book reminiscent of very early Agatha Christie--there are lots of coincidences, a complicated plot with a gather-them-altogether ending, and rather stereotypical characters. And in spite of all that, the novel does have, like Christie's, a certain narrative power. The book is centered on two puzzles: Maisie must find out who is behind the thefts at the manor house of an estate which her friend James wishes to buy, and she must determine who is causing the annual fires in the village where the estate is located. The novel is certainly not a mystery--the identity and rationale of the first criminal is obvious from the first. The "twist," the solution of the second problem, is also not very difficult to anticipate. Whether the reader enjoys the book hinges on what we make of the heroine and her dealings with the other characters and the atmosphere the author establishes. Maisie is still too much of a superwoman for me--she rarely puts a foot wrong. Her reaction to a grave personal loss which she experiences lacks conviction, though some of the individual scenes concerning it are poignant and moving. I have come to dislike her bossy friend Priscilla, and wonder that Maisie is able to tolerate her. The conversations Maisie has with Maurice Blanche, her mentor, are full of pretension and fraudulent psychology; I haven't missed them. Which brings us to the Rom, the "gypsies." The Rom customarily assist at the hop-picking which forms such an interesting background to this book. Other Londoners habitually travel to Kent at this time to pick as well, and a good deal of the novel focuses on the prejudices between these two groups, as well as the hostility between the inhabitants of the village near the hop gardens toward both parties, and vice versa. Ironically, though Winspear tries to teach us (clumsily) about the life of the Rom, and the unfairness with which they are treated, she reinforces some of these prejudices by focusing on using their reputation for "second sight" and other "magical" powers. (Maisie, who shares in these mystic powers by virtue of her Romany grandmother, uses dowsing to make a discover central to part of the case's solution.) What are we left thinking about this long-persecuted group? Winspear's setting, the village in which the hop-picking is carried out, and the hop-picking customs were really interesting and well thought out. This part of her writing is what makes the book worth reading. A vanished world is re-established for our pleasure. If you are a Maisie fan you will find all the usual entertainments in "An Incomplete Revenge" in addition to further developments in her personal life. If you aren't particularly a fan, you may well enjoy the picture of post-World-War-I life sufficiently to overlook some of the book's flaws.

The Maisie Dobbs books are most enjoyable and An Incomplete Revenge does not disappoint. With each book Maisie becomes more confident as a professional woman while facing her painful past. The series is well researched and takes the reader into the turbulent times in England during WWI, after the Great War and now into the dawning of WWII.

I love this series of novels. Wonderful, interesting, characters with lots of texture. I love the language and how it adds to understanding that period of history.

Thank goodness there is more of Maisie Dobbs to come. It is so easy to immerse myself in her world of the big smoke and surrounding environs. Such a remarkable character! Thank you Jacqueline Winspear

I’m following this series and intrigued as the protagonist develops along with each mystery solved. And along with her growth we learn of history’s tragic turns: War, Depression and the seeds of war again.

With every Maisie Dobson book I learn something new through Jacqueline Winspear’s intriguing plots and thorough descriptions. This time it was about gypsy life. Amazing insights.

One in a series, this one was particularly intriguing.

I have read all of the Maisie Dobbs books (at least twice) & have enjoyed them all. The descriptions of the characters, the setting, the clothes, the attitudes takes you back to that time. I have yet to be disappointed & this book was no different.

This is one of my favorite Maisie Dobbs books! I enjoyed learning more about her personal background/family background. As always, Jacqueline Winspear gave away no clues and kept me guessing until the end. I met her at a book signing two weeks ago. What a lovely and interesting person she it. She does most of the research herself, which I found refreshing.

I love this thoughtful series and how Masie Dobbs develops over time.

I have enjoyed this series. Learning about this period in history is fascinating. Can't wait to read the next one.

Well thought through.

I truly enjoy Jacqueine Winspear's books. They are insightful, educational and have great content. I was recently told about Maisie Dobbs novels and have read five of them already. I have now taken a break - but I'll be back reading them again.

All the Maisie Dobbs book are great. I love them and am going to read the entire series. The authors knows how to put the main character into different circumstances along with reminding all readers of the different things that have happened to those in Maisie's life from each novel. These are outstanding books.

Well written, with excellent character development.

This book is 5th in the "Maisie Dobbs" series. Jacqueline Winspear is gifted in the way she has created this very unique character. I love the historical background, starting with World War I and now coming into the depression. Not page-turning thrillers, but comfortable mysteries I look forward to curling up with and escaping to another time and place.

Love her work, Thank you for another great read.

I enjoy Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. It's enlightening about reading and English view of the war.

Loved this and all of the Maisie Dobbs series. Planning on reading each one in the series.

This book of the series goes further to add depth to the characters and history that explains more who they are. I really enjoy this one and look forward even more to spending more time with Maisie. She is a bit more human now

Jacqueline Winspear books are all a great read every story is so interesting and all the details she goes into especially the Maisie Dobbs books. I would recommend these books to anyone who loves murder and mysteries. I am now reading the 7th book of Maisie Dobbs and can't get enough of them, even my husband who has and never been a reader can,t put a book down once he has started one of her stories. Maisie

classic winspear. she weaves a multilevel mystery entwined with lots of historical and local information. the time and the people come to life. and she cleverly throws in many ethical lessons.

The Maisie Dobbs series is a favorite of mine. She is such a believable character and the historical background of England between the wars is fascinating. Try to read the series in order since the characters develop and evolve. You will not be disappointed.

This Maisie Dobbs mystery did not disappoint. Couldn't put it down.

Best one yet! Can't wait for the next one. Although each one has been as delightful as the one before.

Maisie Dobbs feels like a good friend you can hardly wait to catch up. What is happening in her life? What case is she on? Will she overcome her self doubt from being born in a lower class and solve the mystery. It pulls you in and you work on your own self doubt. I love them all

I have enjoyed reading Jacqueline Winspear's novels featuring Maisie Dobbs. I thought the first one ("Maisie Dobbs")was the best until I read the latest, "An Incomplete Revenge." This one seems to have the best plotting as well as showing more and more of the personality of Miss Dobbs. I will look forward to her future novels. Esther Baran

I love Maisie Dobbs and just cannot put he down. It is a comfort to sit and read with the weather being so miserable. It would be nice to have spring.

Keep them coming. Oh please, keep them coming. And each one better than the last. Thank you so much for this new friend

Love Maisie and this period of history. Fun to be reminded of what life was like then! Good read! Fun character!

This book even included gypsy's and a bit about the mother and grandmother of Maisie, that none of us could have known. Great book and kept me on my toes. The book lived up to its name.

Her books always bring you to new subjects and people and times very interesting experiences We recommend to anyone who likes English Mysteries

Maisie's life journey grips the reader more tightly this time, what with her personal loss and the Spanish civil war that churns around her. I am sad that I am getting to the end of the series...

Interesting characters and plot.. Ms Winspear always combines an interesting story with information and ideas in a historical settomg which resonate today.

The deeper into the series we see Maise Dobbs continue to evolve. The mysteries are complex and the reveals satisfying. Next!

Maisie Dobbs is a great series. I am glad I discovered it on Amazon. The rating system is what guided me and I subsequently found out that many people I know and respect loved the series, too. It is well written and very psychological in nature.

Love me some Maisie Dodd. I am reading these in order and enjoying the series very much. Maybe it's chauvinistic, but I seldom read female authors. Jacqueline Winspear is a welcome exception.

I enjoy the Maisie Dobbs books, but found this one to drag a little. I will still read the series because I think that Jacqueline Winspear, overall is a very good writer.

Another enjoyable segment in the series. However I feel that there is too much describing in detail of the environment in which events take place and only a small bit of attention to the wonderful story by comparison.

Another excellent novel in the Maisie Dobbs series. If you love this series, you will not be disappointed.

Yet again, a fine mystery novel.

Maisie Dobbs books are FANTASTIC.

These are always cAptivating! The character and scenic descriptions are so rich. I have trouble getting anything else done until I've finished each book.

I love these books. They are so well written and so interesting. The author has a new take on solving crimes. Highly recommend

The series about Maisie Dobbs, this book is the latest one in it, is such a good one. Maisie Dobbs is a wonderful character and the time period of this particular book, the late 30's, the unrest in England and Europe and the rise of Germany and Hitler, is described so well.

I am currently on a mission to read all Maisie Dobbs books and I m never disappointed. I'm reading them in chronological order so this was my fifth and it may be my favorite. They just keep getting better. Keep them coming.

Enjoy this series.

Haven't read it yet, but loved this author.

I am a big fan of Maisie Dobbs, and the cases she investigates. Another home run for Winspear!! I look forward to more Maisie Dobbs adventures.

I have enjoyed the series as Maisie moves through the 20's and 30's. Winspear brings to life an era, and aspects after WWI that are easily swept under the rug, yet are still the same issues we deal with today!

I just loved another of Maisie's cases! Each of her novels gives just a bit more information regarding her personal history!

Captivating- Sad - Happy. A good read

Amazing study of history and engaging story!

So much of the history woven in to the two interlinked mysteries plaguing the town. Beautiful in its assimilation of the hop pickers, the gypsies, and the haunted villagers.

Another excellent book in the Maisie Dobbs series. Highly recommended.

I enjoy a good mystery with historical settings. I like this detective series because I have come to really like Maisie Dobbs, the main character.

Discovered the Maisie Dodd series at the library and loved them. Such fun reading and so interesting to learn about England et al between the World Wars. I have since been buying them for my own library. I plan to re-read them for continued enjoyment.

I so enjoy this series. Each boos different but caring some of the characters into the next book.

A pleasure to read all this series. Multiple story lines in each book. I like all the post WWI historical fiction and Maisie Dobbs gives a good sense of time and place.

This is series is so engaging. I've loved each book. I have felt like a girl again this summ with a new Nancy Drew but instead it was Maisie Dobbs.

I thoroughly enjoy all the Maisie Dobbs books. I have read them all and they are all well worth the read. The mysteries are great and the people likable. There is also the added element of World War I history. I hope this series keeps on coming!

I love the Maisie Dobbs books. I like her spirit and can hardly wait t dive into the next one.

love this and her writing style.

Still reading it.

Winspear just keeps getting better and better. This series is a great way to become involved in historic events. Definately explains history and the severe consequences of war.

Great series, each novel a joy to read and the history period very interesting

I love her books because they are easy reading with interesting plot twists and thoughtful words.

Jacqueline Winspear continues to develop the character of Maisie and to reveal more about her personal background. Maisie was a new woman for her time. The period between the WARS must have been a trying time for both England and America.

Always enjoy Maisie and this story had an interesting mystery. Have read books before and after but it didn't matter.

I bought "Maisie Dobbs" and was hooked on this series. I read all of them in about a week and have recommended them to others.

Very well crafted!

Once again Maisie understands human nature and delves into uncovering secrets and helping to heal the pain those secrets created. This bookers excellent!

This novel paints a clear picture of life in England around 1931. Yes, Maise Dobbs is growing up and has to tackle the psychological damage from WWI as well as the physical loss of her sweetheart. The most unusual sleuth continues to solve her case, as usual.

I can't believe it took me this long to find the Maisie Dobbs series - hooked!

I like the character--Maisie Dobbs and her cases are intriguing.

Enjoy the light and easy read. Very light reading and the series sort of just gets into your blood and you want to read more.

This series, written by Winspear, is a period series from the UK. I've read it from the beginning, she is a fine British author. The series will not disappoint.

The Maisie Dobbs novels are always a pleasure to read.

This book picks up where the last left off, and welcomes the reader right back into the cast of characters that readers have followed throughout the series (and have come to love!) Time continues to pass, and although links to WWI are central to this book, there is some foreshadowing of trouble brewing in the future/Germany. This book is just as interesting and readable as the other Maisie Dobb's novel. Fans of previous books will not be disappointed with this novel!

It is a story of many layers, some of them heartbreaking. However, it's well written and worth the read. Enjoy!

Everything was great!

Open your minds eye and you will See where she has taken you. A wonderful story in time, an appreciation for the past.

I adore Maisie Dobbs!!! My heart throbs for her sad fate and her brave face!!! Ohhhhhh the good old days before... before ... everything, really. Read these books! Fall in love

This series continues to be phenomenal.

This character is wonderful - I want more! The author is great - I highly recommend all the Maisie Dobbs books.

I've loved the whole Maise Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Can't wait to get the newest one! Excellent writer and very interesting details about Great Britain and the period in history after World War I through the depression.

The book is well written the plot interesting to the end..Loved it all the way

I would and have told everyone who likes to read about these books. They tell a great story without being filled with sex and gruesome bloody images. Way to tell a great story.

Thanks for yet another Winspear to add to my collection.

Jacqueline Winspear is my current favourite author and I found this book to be a good read and very satisfying.

Continues her quest to be an independent working woman with connections but a need to stay connected with her father.

Have read the entire series of Masie Dobbs and loved them all. Looking forward to more

Maisie Dobbs continues to evolve and interest the reader. Even after reading 6 other books, I am anxious to see what is next for our heroine.

The Maisie Dobbs series is exquisitely researched and sensitively written, with the nuances of the British class system - in radical flux between the Great War and the Hitler War - embodied by the characters and their interactions. Winspear is careful to set her plots in a way that allows her to address social issues and politics while solving mysteries, and the reader always learns a great deal while having a grand read. If there's a flaw in this jewel of a series, it's Winspear's dependence coincidence. More accurately, it's her addiction to it and her almost morbid sensitivity about the same. Not only do the plots bristle with coincidences big and small, but the narrator feels the need to explain/accommodate/apologize for these devices, even as Winspear strews them round her characters' feet. Indeed, the title of the fourth book in the series, Messenger of Truth, is part of a quote attributed to Maisie Dobbs' mentor: "Coincidence is the messenger of truth." In An Incomplete Revenge, Maisie's assistant quotes it back at her. If coincidence were really the messenger of truth, Maisie would be the Delphic Oracle, not merely a hardworking and insightful detective. Winspear's multiple coincidences diminish the talents of the wonderful character she has created. All readers of mysteries are prepared to accept some coincidences. They are part of the genre, and only the greatest luminaries in the field can fashion a plot without them. Winspear would do well to acknowledge this, to acknowledge it tacitly, and let us get on with our reading. Between the coincidental events and her need to make them acceptable, it sets a reader's teeth on edge. One of the things we learn about in An Incomplete Revenge is the life and culture of the gypsies, or Roma people. Winspear has taken the trouble to acquire quite a few words of their language, and she sprinkles them liberally through the text. Sadly, the results are not felicitous. Rather than letting readers acquire meaning from context or from a quick appositive, Winspear uses repetition, writing phrases and clauses twice: "A Roma would trust anyone before a diddakio - before the half-bred people who were born of gypsy and gorja. . . . Beulah brought four tin bowls from underneath the caravan - underneath the vardo in the gypsy tongue." (2) This becomes MASSIVELY irritating very very quickly, and it goes on and on. Furthermore, the since the repetition functions as translation, it raises the question of why Winspear uses only nouns. If we have to read through translations, it would at least be fair to give us some syntax and grammar in Anglo-Romani. But keep reading. While the Roma discourse makes the first part of the book irritating, once the plot gets firing on all cylinders, Winspear sticks with the vocab she's already introduced, and the gypsies become an intriguing part of the multifaceted mystery. This is a story about calling things by their right names. Things and people. The people in Winspear's books are fabulously drawn, unusual without being quaint, all of them the sort of characters who must surely have lives they keep on living once we've turned the final page. We see Pris and her pack of wild sons again in this novel, even as we lose the lost-boy, lost-love Simon. Billy and his family engage in the Londoner's working vacation, hop-picking in Kent just as Maisie has a meaty mystery to investigate there. Lots of solid background details make the countryside's beauty pull the reader into the pages, while the ever-solid Frankie Dobbs is nearby to offer Maisie (and the reader) comfort and support when things get dark. One of the best things about the series is that things change. Maisie moves from one place to another, from one case to another, out of some relationships and on with some more. It's a sadness to end such a book, but there's comfort in knowing that we will see Billy and Pris again, while the gypsy connection looks ripe for many future tales.

Fun read!

I am a great fan of the whole Maisie Dobbs series. The titles are somewhat of a "come on" to find out what the whole book is about.

Having read all of the previous Maisie Dobbs books I was really looking forward to this one. I was, however, very disappointed with a certain part which immediately made me think of another story, a similar but not the same plot. It has been interesting to read of Maisie's own life and the references to WW1 which attracted my attention in the first place. She certainly has friends in all the right places. I am not saying I would not buy Maisie Dobbs books in the future. I would be interested to read what happens to her and to Billy Beale etc. It is just that the twist in this book upset me.

Winspear incorporates so much information about the time period and people, the books are little enjoyable history lessons. This touches on the gypsy population and is very interesting.

Reading this book has lead me to go back to the beginning and read the Maisie Dobbs books from the first one.

My wife loves this series of extremely well-written mysteries, especially the descriptions of things and people.

All of her books upheld the same warm glow after reading. Massive retains her brilliance.

Love this series of books!!!!!

great series, interesting time period, after 1st world war

All of Winspear's books are entertaining and yet true to the time period.

The story keeps your interest. In addition to the story itself, the continuing story of Maisie's development and the backstory of her friends and associates adds to the enjoyment.

Quick read. Well represented.

Love all the Maisie Dobbs books!

Great next book in a very good series. Fun to learn about the history and get a feeling for the time/place.

Another wonderful adventure for Maisie Dobbs. Each book in the series builds on the previous one, yet "stands alone" in and of itself. Lots of twists and turns along the way. Maisie is a totally believable character.

The Maise Dobbs series are always interesting.You can learn so much about the era.

Absolutely am loving, totally, all the Maisie Dobbs novels; have 10, read 5 and am not disappointed.

I always wait for this author's next book. I always feel like I am right there even though she is describing a time past and in England. All her books are wonderful.