I really enjoyed this Maisie Dobbs mystery, where several cases turn out to relate to each other. The aftermath of the First World War profoundly affects all of the characters, whether this is emotional and psychological scarring, unresolved emotions and relationships, questions about what really happened, secrets that have been kept. The wounds run deep, for Maisie and for others.

Maurice Blanche's role is particularly interesting, and finally some of his character traits start to make sense.

This series has some unusual features for a mystery series - meditative states that are somewhere between consciously observing and reflecting, letting insights arise, and a more explicitly spiritual experience, moving energy and thoughts; mirroring of posture, actions and breathing, to really try to experience how someone might be thinking and feeling; an odd combination of psychology, empathy, and attention to fine detail. I really enjoy these features - they are not quite in the order of supernatural solutions occurring in a detective story, like some of the original Judge Dee stories Robert van Gulik translated before he wrote his own more Westernized versions - but they are not simply mystery and crime fiction following almost forensic clues, like Sherlock Holmes, either.

I also really enjoy the setting, atmosphere and detail of post-World War One England. There is an enjoyable story here, and a lot of interesting stuff waiting for me to explore in non-fiction. ( )

I really am enjoying this series. Maisie is involved in three separate investigations that coincidently intertwine with each other. She is asked for help by the Yard in the case of a 17 yr old girl arrested for murder, and a friend of her mentor needs closure on his MIA son from WWI. Since Maisie is going to France her friend Priscilla asks her to find out where her brother, a soldier in WWI, is buried. ( )

Maisie Dobbs finds herself involved in three cases: a 13-year-old girl charged with murder, verification of a presumed dead son, and the search of details concerning a friend's brother. Maisie's past comes back to haunt her as she works diligently to solve the cases.

Maisie's cases had some interesting components that kept me curious, but not on the edge of my seat curious. As with the other books in this series, there were psychic and supernatural elements. They were more prevalent this time around and that caused me to be liery. I do not like those elements. What I do enjoy about this series is Winspear's creation of a realistic setting and atmosphere of the late 1930's in England and France. Every book has transported me there without fail. (3.5/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )

In this third Maisie Dobbs novel, Maisie takes on her past -- her experiences as a nurse during WWI. Investigating the wartime deaths of two soldiers, Maisie must revisit the traumas of her early career. The plot twists along satisfyingly, with a touch of espionage and bohemian lifestyle thrown in for good measure. ( )

Terrific, just like the others. Our heroine is fully developed by this installment, so sit back and watch her go. ( )