Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs #1)

About the Author Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Elegy for Eddie, A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, as well as several other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel and was a New York Times Notable Book. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.   Product Description [Read by Rita Barrington] The book that introduced the world to the intuitive, intelligent, and resourceful heroine Maisie Dobbs - one of literature's favorite sleuths! Maisie Dobbs entered domestic service in 1910 at thirteen, working for Lady Rowan Compton. When her remarkable intelligence is discovered by her employer, Maisie becomes the pupil of Maurice Blanche, a learned friend of the Comptons. In 1929, following an apprenticeship with Blanche, Maisie hangs out her shingle: M. Dobbs, Trade and Personal Investigations. She soon becomes enmeshed in a mystery surrounding The Retreat, a reclusive community of wounded World War I veterans. At first, Maisie only suspects foul play, but she must act quickly when Lady Rowan's son decides to sign away his fortune and take refuge there. Maisie hurriedly investigates, uncovering a disturbing mystery, which, in an astonishing denouement, gives Maisie the courage to confront a ghost that has haunted her for years.   Review ''[A] deft debut novelRomantic readers sensing a story-within-a-story won't be disappointed. But first they must be prepared to be astonished at the sensitivity and wisdom with which Maisie resolves her first professional assignment.'' --New York Times ''The reader familiar with Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agencymight think of Maisie Dobbs as its British counterpartWinspear, who intends to write a series featuring Maisie Dobbs, has created a winning character about whom readers will want to read more.'' --Associated Press ''[Maisie Dobbs] catches the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman.'' --Chicago Tribune ''[An] inspired debut novel, a delightful mix of mystery, war story, and romanceA refreshing heroine, appealing secondary characters, and an absorbing plotmake Winspear a new writer to watch.'' --Publishers Weekly ''Winspear writes in simple, effective prose, capturing the post-World War I era effectively and handling human drama with compassionate sensitivity while skillfully avoiding cloying sentimentality. At the end, the reader is left yearning for more discreet investigations into the nature of what it means to feel truth.'' --Library Journal ''A strong protagonist and a lively sense of time and place carry readers along, and the details lead to further thought and understanding about the futility and horror of war, as well as a desire to hear more of Maisie.''   --School Library Journal