Maisie ended the call and left for the station. She wondered how she had become so much more adept at telling lies since she signed the Official Secrets Act. But then, secrets and lies always went together.
(from A Lesson in Secrets, page 208)
I can’t believe I waited so long to read a Maisie Dobbs book! Given the setting of the series between the world wars, I’ve long been wanting to start it, but I honestly wouldn’t have started reading it right now except for the fact that its the April pick for my book club and I was offered a spot on the Maisie Dobbs blog tour. If you’ve been waiting as long as me to give this series a try, trust me, you’ll want to drop everything right now and get started.
A Lesson in Secrets is the 8th book in Jacqueline Winspear‘s series about Maisie Dobbs, a psychologist and investigator based in post-World War I London. Maisie runs her own private detective agency, where she works with her assistant, the endearing Billy Beale. There’s a lot going on in this book, and Winspear wastes no time getting into the action, as the first line indicates that Maisie is being followed. Maisie is soon tapped for an undercover assignment with the British Secret Service in which she becomes a junior lecturer in philosophy at the College of St. Francis in Cambridge. The college was founded by Greville Liddicote, a pacifist who wrote a children’s book during World War I that, according to rumors, caused a mutiny on the Western Front.
Maisie is supposed to watch the comings and goings of the various faculty members and report on any activities not in the interests of the Crown and government. Her job becomes more exciting and demanding when Liddicote is murdered, and she is expected to stand back and let Scotland Yard handle the murder investigation. Of course, Maisie isn’t going to relegate herself to the sidelines, so thankfully her assignment puts her in direct contact with numerous people who may have wanted Liddicote dead.
Meanwhile, Maisie is trying to get her father to move from his cottage to the house she inherited from her late mentor, and she takes advantage of her new found wealth and a boom in home construction to help Billy and his family move out of a shady section of the city — but she has her work cut out for her given her father’s and Billy’s stubbornness. There’s a mystery involving the death of the husband of one of Maisie’s friends, a young woman who is now homeless and jobless and turns to Maisie for help, and Maisie also contemplates her relationship with James Compton and whether or not she’s ready to take the next step.
Winspear truly is a talented writer, and I still can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read her work. She juggles multiple storylines and numerous, complex characters with ease. It’s never difficult to follow the various threads of the story, and I was impressed by how she made connections between the characters and Liddicote. Best of all, I had no idea whodunnit until it was revealed in the narrative, which kept me plowing through the pages long after my bedtime.
A Lesson in Secrets can be read as a stand-alone book, and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything from the prior books. However, I bet it would have been a richer experience if I’d read all the previous books first, especially in terms of Maisie’s relationship with James and her connections to the other characters. I think I got to know Maisie well enough through this book — she’s an independent woman who knows both poverty and wealth and is scarred (literally and figuratively) by her service as a nurse in World War I — but I’m definitely going to go back to the beginning to see what I’ve missed.
The setting itself could be considered a character. It’s 1932, and Hitler’s Nazi Party is coming to power in Germany. Maisie thinks emerging support for the Nazis in England is a concern, though she is dismissed by her superiors. Of course, we know Maisie has cause for concern, and I hope this is all revealed in future books in the series. I also was captivated by the connections to World War I through a seemingly simple children’s book. Winspear provides much food for thought about pacifism, the treatment of conscientious objectors during the war when everyone was geared up to fight, and how people who had seen the outcome of the war could ignore what was going on in Germany in 1932.
A Lesson in Secrets was a delightful read, one that made me excited about mysteries again, probably because of the war-related connections and the character of Maisie. The story is old fashioned in that it takes place in the 1930s, but Maisie is very much a modern woman, and I love that about her. I can’t wait to discuss it with my book club next month, and I can’t wait to read more about Maisie Dobbs. She’s become one of my favorite literary characters, and I’ve only read one book in the series so far!
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for having me on the blog tour for A Lesson in Secrets. To follow the March is Maisie Dobbs Month tour, click here.
Disclosure: I received a copy of A Lesson in Secrets from HarperCollins for review purposes. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I’m looking forward to finishing this book today for my review tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what everyone in book club thinks about this read.
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I hope you loved it as much as I did!
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Terrific review, Anna. This one is already on my list!
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Thanks, Beth!
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Okay, I must look this one up! Your gushing review is making me drop everything to get the first book in this series.
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I went right to my library’s website and put myself on hold for the first one. 🙂
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I’m definitely interested in this series, especially after that fabulous review! Thanks Anna!
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I hope you give the series a try. I think you’d like it.
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I need to jump on this wagon. Everyone is raving about this series.
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Yes! I wish I hadn’t waited so long, but better late than never.
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I’m very glad you liked this and to hear that it’s as good later in the series. As you know, I just read the first one and liked it very much. I’m so tempted to just order them one by one now.
You need to read the first, it’s all about WWI and it sets the tone so well for all the others.
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Oh, I’m definitely going to read the first book, especially since reading your review. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to “get” this book, since it’s the 8th in the series, but I’m glad it wasn’t a problem. Like you, I’m tempted to order the rest of the books right now!
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I read the first in the series it ran hot and cold for me. Maybe I should give a later book a try, like this one. So glad you enjoyed this one and discovered a new series to get lost in.
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Sorry to hear the first book wasn’t great for you, but I hope you give the series another try.
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I have read..hm, like 4 books or something and i enjoyed them 🙂 But the library hasn’t got any more, might be that they have not been translated
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That’s too bad. My library has them all, but they are in high demand. Maybe I’ll just buy the rest of the series 1 by 1.
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I’m so glad you liked this one! I’ve read (and loved) all of the Maisie Dobbs books. You’re in for eight more treats!
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So glad to hear it. I can’t wait to read the others.
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I haven’t tried Maisie yet, but my mother loves her. I need to get my books back from my mother and start the series.
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I do hope you’ll give the series a try!
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I’m so getting into all of these Maisie reviews that I went a bit crazy at my library today and got 2 and 3 on audio!!!!!!!!! Loved your review..awesome as always!
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Thanks, Staci! Can’t wait for your thoughts on the audio versions!
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I can’t wait for the next book to be released! My copy should be arriving very soon. I enjoyed this one when I read it last year. 🙂
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I have the newest book, but I’m going back to read the others first. 🙂
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What a great review!! Can’t wait to read what you have to say about all of the other Maisie books!! Sincerely, Denise
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Thanks, Denise!
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I could feel your enjoyment in your review. If series could stand on their own, it’s excellent.
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Maybe after I’ve read them all, the extra bits of information will become a slight annoyance, but at this point, I find them useful. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series!
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I’m shocked you hadn’t picked up this series earlier as it so sounds like something you’d love! I enjoyed my foray in to the series and I just got the first Maisie book so I can get started for real. I just love the ambiance and the feel of the era.
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I does seem perfect for me, doesn’t it? 🙂 Better late than never, though.
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Tried to leave a comment yesterday – so frustrated by WordPress insisting that I sign in when I don’t even have an account!
I’m glad I’m not alone in coming late to the Maisie party … and finding out that all of the love she gets is well earned.
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So glad you’re enjoying Maisie, too. I hope WP fixes the comment issues soon, if they haven’t already. I hadn’t encountered any issues commenting on blogs.
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[…] in SecretsMonday, March 19th: M. Denise C.Tuesday, March 20th: WordsmithoniaWednesday, March 21st: Diary of an EccentricThursday, March 22nd: Savvy Verse & WitFriday, March 23rd: The Book GardenMarch 26th – […]
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I’m fascinated with all the societal changes that occurred between the two World Wars. I definitely need to dig into this series and see what I can learn from Maisie!
Thanks for being on the tour Anna.
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My pleasure! There definitely was enough going on between the world wars to keep this series going.
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I believe that the author did a fine job in capturing the atmosphere of England between the two world wars, as well as establishing a strong character in that time period. It was a breath of fresh air as compared to our first two books, though I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I had anticipated. It was certainly a fulfilling novel, and I wonder what the group will think of it.
I probably will not read more of the series, despite this book being a worthwhile read. I was a bit concerned when Oscar Wilde was mentioned soon after Maise started teaching Philosophy; it was certainly creepy given our first two books in the club!
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I couldn’t miss the Oscar Wilde reference either! 😉 Sorry you didn’t love the book like I did, but it will make for a great discussion (I hope).
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[…] 21, my book club met at Novel Places to discuss A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear, which I reviewed in late March. A Lesson in Secrets is the 8th Maisie Dobbs book, but aside from the member who […]
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[…] you’re looking for light, historical mysteries, then try A Lesson in Secrets (or any Maisie Dobbs book) by Jacqueline Winspear or The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. […]
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[…] Simonsen 3. The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund 4. A Long, Long Way by Sebastian Barry 5. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear 6. The Penguin Book of World War I Poetry edited by Jon Silkin 7. The Yellow […]
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