Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs #2) by Jacqueline Winspear: A Book Review

Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs #2)
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Genre: Historical Mystery
Publisher: Soho Crime
Release Date: 2004
Pages: 321
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: The second Maisie Dobbs mystery

Jacqueline Winspear’s marvelous debut, Maisie Dobbs, won her fans from around the world and raised her intuitive, intelligent, and resourceful heroine to the ranks of literature’s favorite sleuths. Birds of a Feather, its follow-up, finds psychologist and private investigator Maisie Dobbs on another dangerously intriguing adventure in London “between the wars.” It is the spring of 1930, and Maisie has been hired to find a runaway heiress. But what seems a simple case at the outset soon becomes increasingly complicated when three of the heiress’s old friends are found dead. Is there a connection between the woman’s mysterious disappearance and the murders? Who would want to kill three seemingly respectable young women? As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers lie in the unforgettable agony of the Great War.

My Review: Maisie has been hired by a rich man to bring his daughter, Charlotte home. What seems to be a straightforward case seems to take a crooked turn when Charlotte’s friends turn up dead. Could Charlotte be connected to the murders? What is the real reason she ran away? As Maisie digs for the truth, she learns that the real answer lies in the Great War.

Maisie is really a likable heroine. She is flawed and vulnerable, which makes her more appealing to the reader. This novel details her struggles with her wounded fiance. She knows that she must let go of the past and start thinking about the future in order for her to be happy. She also has a rocky relationship with her father. She realizes that she must forgive her father if she wants to continue having a loving relationship with him. Thus, Maisie is a strong and clever woman who must make tough choices for her happiness.

Overall, this is a story about loss, father-daughter relationships, and forgiveness. I really like how the story portrays the consequences of WWI. The mystery was very predictable, but it was interesting because the murderer was a tragic figure. The other characters could have been more developed, and the ending was a bit anti-climatic. Still, I thought that it was a worthy follow-up to Maisie Dobbs, and it reminded me why I love this series so much! Maisie is a compelling heroine and her personal struggles are what makes the Maisie Dobbs series unique. It is not the mystery aspect but the characters that appeal to me. Thus, I look forward to reading Pardonable Lies. Simply because of Maisie, I am determined to finish the fourteenth book in the series. This is a series you do not want to miss out on.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Guest Post by Aleksey Linetskiy: The Women Behind the Klondike Story

Today's guest writer is Aleksey Linetskiy. He is the co-author of Finch and Hawk: The Klondike Letters , which is a unique yearly subscription in which the reader reads a story by mail. In this guest post, he introduces us to a few historical women of the Klondike era. Some of these women are Alice Freeman, Flora Shaw, and Helen Dare. Thank you, Mr. Linetskiy! The Women Behind the Klondike Story Before we began writing Finch and Hawk: The Klondike Letters , my partner, Alona Umansky, and I spent a great deal of time researching the Klondike Gold Rush. We were interested in finding the stories of people who maybe didn’t become rich and famous but still went through the experience of a great stampede. As we were reading the newspapers of the time and firsthand accounts, it became very clear to us that we wanted to tell at least part of the story through the women’s eyes. There were so many incredible women who underto...

No Stone Unturned (Lucy Lawrence Mystery #1) by Pam Lecky: A Book Review

No Stone Unturned (Lucy Lawrence Mystery #1) Author: Pam Lecky Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Storm Publishing Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 356 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Lucy Lawrence stared down at her husband, his once handsome face now a twisted mask of death. She shivered and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. His life had held so many secrets, and now his sins were hers to bear… England, 1886. In the flickering gaslights of Victorian London, 28-year-old Lucy Lawrence's future hangs in the balance. Her husband's murder has left her reputation in tatters, and the theft of her mother's priceless heirloom pearls has only added to her woes. But when the handsome investigator Phineas Stone enters her life, Lucy finds herself drawn into a web of deceit that leads right back to her marriage and a deadly conspiracy that could undo them all. ...

Interview With Carolyn Marie Wilkins

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing, Ms. Carolyn Marie Wilkins. She is the author of the Psychics and Soul Food Mystery series. Her first novel, The Murder at the Wham Bam Club , features a psychic named Nola Jackson as an amateur sleuth. Her sequel, Let the Murderer Say Amen , has just recently been released. In this interview, we discussed her inspiration that led her to writing Let the Murderer Say Amen . We also discussed why she decided for Nola to have psychic abilities as well as her love for the mystery genre. Thank you, Ms. Wilkins! (Photo Credit: Sally Cooper) What inspired you to write the Psychics and Soul Food Mystery series? I am a practicing psychic medium. I talk to the dead, read Tarot cards and attend seances, so this book was a natural for me. I also love reading and writing about African American history. And of course, I love Soul Food. Writing this series gives me the chance to combine several of my ...

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

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