Skip to main content

Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs #3) by Jacqueline Winspear: A Book Review

Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs #3)
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery 
Publisher: Picador
Release Date: 2006
Pages: 384
Source: My State Public Library
 Synopsis: London 1930, psychologist investigator Maisie Dobbs must prove Sir Cedric's aviator son Ralph Lawton died when shot down in 1917. In former battlefields of France, she re-unites with Priscilla Evernden, one of whose three brothers lost in the War is somehow connected. The case tests Maisie's spiritual strength and her regard for mentor Maurice Blanche.

      My Review: Maisie Dobbs is hired by Sir Cedric to find evidence that his son, Ralph Lawton, has been killed in the war. The case leads her to France, where her best friend Priscilla also asks her to find her brother’s lost grave. As Maisie journeys to France, she finds that the two cases are connected. As she delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding these two lost soldiers, Maisie begins to question her mentor, Maurice, with whom she holds in the highest regard.

     The cases for Maisie were tough on Her emotionally. Maisie follows their trail to France, where it forced her to remember the horrors she experienced as a nurse in WWI. Thus, this storyline was very fascinating to me because while Maisie is tough on the outside, she is still a very vulnerable woman who is suffering from the effects of the war. Therefore, Maisie was a very relatable woman that I could connect to. There were some parts that I didn’t like about her. She seemed to be avoiding her boyfriend, who generally seemed very concerned for her. I didn’t like the way she treated him, for she was very mean to him. Maisie could also have been unforgiving at times. Still, despite these unfavorable aspects of her character, Maisie seemed more sympathetic.

      Overall, this book shows the trauma and after effects of WWI for all those involved. While Maisie was well-rounded, I would have liked more development of the supporting characters, such as Maurice and Andrew. I also thought the mysteries were predictable. However, I found Priscilla's to be more intriguing than Sir Cedric’s case. So far, these mysteries have been very compelling. The only thing that I don’t like about the series is how she solves the cases. She doesn’t solve them through logic, but through spiritualism. It feels very modern to me and a very lazy form of writing for Maisie to use her imagination of what happened to solve the cases. Despite this concern, I can’t wait to read the fourth book in the Maisie Dobbs series, Messenger of Truth. 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) by David Potter: A Book Review

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) Author: David Potter Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: November 4, 2015 Pages: 288 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Two of the most famous mosaics from the ancient world, in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, depict the sixth-century emperor Justinian and, on the wall facing him, his wife, Theodora (497-548). This majestic portrait gives no inkling of Theodora's very humble beginnings or her improbable rise to fame and power. Raised in a family of circus performers near Constantinople's Hippodrome, she abandoned a successful acting career in her late teens to follow a lover whom she was legally forbidden to marry. When he left her, she was a single mother who built a new life for herself as a secret agent, in which role she met the heir to the throne. To the shock of the ruling elite, the two were married, and when Justinian...
Post a Comment
Read more

Guest Post: The Ladies-in-Waiting: Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh

    Today's guest writer is Alexandra Walsh. She is the author of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , which is a historical thriller surrounding the infamous Tudor queen. In this guest post, Mrs. Walsh discusses the life of Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Isabel Baynton. This post will be sure to fascinate fans of Tudor era. If you enjoy her post, please pick up a copy of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy ! Thank you, Mrs. Walsh! The Ladies-in-Waiting – Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh     One of the most enjoyable things about writing an historical novel is discovering the tiny details that make the period real on the page. While I was researching The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , I spent a great deal of time hunting out the life stories of the women who surrounded the young queen in order to create a group of realistic friends and confidants.       There are some well-known names linked with Catherine and her downfall: Lady Jane Boleyn,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Guest Post by Cheryl Anne Stapp: Sacramento Women in the Pioneer Era

      Today's guest writer is Cheryl Anne Stapp. She is the author of Before The Gold Rush - The Sinclairs of Rancho del Paso 1840-1849 , and Disaster & Triumph: Sacramento Women, Gold Rush Through the Civil War . I am currently reading Before the Gold Rush , and I find it fascinating! In this guest post, she writes about stories of pioneer women that settled in Sacramento. I hope you find these stories captivating and that it will give you some insight into her novel. Thank you, Mrs. Stapp!  Sacramento Women in the Pioneer Era      I don’t write fiction. I tried, but soon found that I have no talent for plotting. My first and only attempt at a historical romance was actually pretty far along when an editor friend pointed out there was more historical matter than romance in the manuscript…and as far as a well-constructed storyline with surprising plot twists, well…       But in 2009 I found my niche, largely inspire...
2 comments
Read more