Leaving Everything Most Loved (Maisie Dobbs #10) by Jacqueline Winspear: A Book Review

Leaving Everything Most Loved (Maisie Dobbs #10)
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 2013
Pages: 357
Source: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: In Leaving Everything Most Loved by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs investigates the murder of Indian immigrants in London.

The year is 1933. Maisie Dobbs is contacted by an Indian gentleman who has come to England in the hopes of finding out who killed his sister two months ago. Scotland Yard failed to make any arrest in the case, and there is reason to believe they failed to conduct a thorough investigation. The case becomes even more challenging when another Indian woman is murdered just hours before a scheduled interview. Meanwhile, unfinished business from a previous case becomes a distraction, as does a new development in Maisie's personal life.

Bringing a crucial chapter in the life and times of Maisie Dobbs to a close, Leaving Everything Most Loved marks a pivotal moment in this outstanding mystery series.

My Review: Maisie Dobbs is contemplating leaving England for India. Before she makes her decision and her arrangements, she must solve the death of an Indian woman. Usha Pramal’s body has been found in a canal, and her brother hires Maisie to solve the case because he is frustrated with how Usha’s death has been handled by the Scotland Yard. Maisie sets out to find the truth and to bring the killer to justice.

This novel has an air of melancholy. Maisie is still grieving for the death of her mentor and wants to experience something new in her life. In the series, it takes Maisie on an unexpected journey because she is about to leave her home and her loved ones behind for a different change. Maisie is very depressed and she doesn’t have her usual charm. Leaving Behind Everything Most Loved focuses on Maisie’s decisions and spends very little time with her case. The case for Maisie seems like a nice distraction from her personal life. Maisie comes across as a woman in a crisis and very distant from those she loves. While this book tells us her motivations for wanting to leave, I found it to be very unconvincing, and I couldn’t believe she would leave all her family and friends behind. It seemed sudden and selfish.

Overall, this book is about a woman who is about to make many life-changing decisions. There were very little appearances from many of the supporting characters. The novel read more like a filler because the mystery seemed to be an add-on. It was pushed to the side to make way for Maisie’s personal life. I was very disappointed in this mystery because I found it to be predictable, and I wanted to learn more about the victim. I like the aspect about Indian immigrants. However, I didn’t like how Maisie was portrayed in this novel. The pacing was slow. The writing was stilted and repetitive. Thus, I recommend this novel for those who have not read any of the Maisie Dobbs books and would happily await the next chapter in her life. However, for fans of the series, you will be coming away disappointed and wished that Maisie did not leave many beloved characters behind.

Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars

Blog Tour: Guest Post by Shelley Stratton: Trolley Cars, the Metro, and Bringing Historical Settings to Life

Shelly Stratton is the author of She Wears the Mask . This interesting guest post discusses how she incorporates realistic details and facts about streetcars from the early 20th century, which were common long before her birth. Mrs. Stratton describes her love of these older modes of public transportation as well as how she felt a joy and kinship with those who patronized these iconic symbols of urban transportation throughout the industrial age. Thank you, Mrs. Stratton! Trolley Cars, the Metro, and Bringing Historical Settings to Life By Shelly Stratton Decades ago, whenever I visited my great grandmother and great aunt in NW Washington, D.C., they would always ask me, “Did you drive in or take the trolley car here?” As I removed my coat or stowed away my umbrella, I would politely correct them with “I took the metro.” But after correcting them so many times and both of them persistently referring to the metropolitan transit ...

Interview with Melanie Dickerson

Today, I have the honor to host Melanie Dickerson, who is not only the author of The Healer’s Apprentice , but also of her latest novel, The Captive Maiden . She is a young adult author that spins classic fairy tales into a historical and Christian perspective. I have all of her books. I am still in the process of finishing her series, but the books that I have read, I love them. I even went to her book signing to get her to sign my copy of The Healer’s Apprentice . This interview gives readers a good insight to her writing and style of her novels. I would like to thank Mrs. Dickerson for her time and cooperation with the interview and generosity to give my readers a book giveaway. 1. Can we learn from fairytales, and why do they appeal to you? Fairy tales have amazing themes, and I think we can learn from them. Most of them have some sort of moral or takeaway, a lesson we can learn. I like them, but it's hard to say what it is about them that ap...

Kateryn Parr: Henry VIII's Sixth Queen by Laura Adkins: A Book Review

Kateryn Parr: Henry VIII’s Sixth Queen Author: Laura Adkins Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Pen and Sword History Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 185 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Kateryn Parr is mainly remembered today as being the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, the one who 'survived'. Kateryn was not only a wife but a queen, mother, reformer, and author. Kateryn would face a number of events in her lifetime including being held to ransom during the Pilgrimage of Grace, being placed as regent while Henry was in France, a role which only one of his five previous wives held, her namesake Katherine of Aragon, and overcame a plot which would have led to her arrest and execution. While Queen she was able to unite the Tudor family and establish some form of happiness for Henry VIII's three children. Raised by her mother Maud Parr, under a humanist education, Kateryn was intelligent enough to understand her role in life...

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Search This Blog