Maisie Dobbs is asked to look into the death of a painter, a war artist, who has (apparently) fallen from his scaffolding. She is also experiences personal crises - she is still estranged from Maurice, and a tragic emergency happens in Billy Beale's family.

This is not a straightforward mystery; there is more than that going on here. Almost social and historical commentary on post-World War One London, for the poor and the wealthy. There are some interesting subplots going on, and Maisie herself runs into trouble with some customs and undercover investigators. The characters themselves are mysteries to be solved, as much as their actions and their consequences.

I found myself really fascinated by the war art, wanting to know much more about it than I was given on the page, and in particular, wanting to know which war artists were being used as models or inspiration for the Nick Bassington-Hope character.
The paintings are very vivid in my mind, which is a quite impressive feat of the writing and imagination. After I finished the book I started looking at the Imperial War Museum art catalogue online, to see what (in reality) was painted during and after the war, knowing I had only seen a fraction of the paintings when I visited as a child and that my memories were vague. There were some very powerful, emotional paintings there, but no obvious models sprang to view so it must be a very clever, imaginative composite of many different images - some real, and some not. I'd love to know more, but the author's note is pretty short.

The inter-war politics of poverty, work and class are an interesting backdrop and subplot to this book. The politics of war art is partly explored through the plot, but I can't help but feel there is a lot more to read up on here.

I found this a really emotionally powerful book, as well as a thought-provoking and enjoyable one. I have a hankering to learn much more about World War One war art and its context. ( )

Not quite as good as the earlier ones. I don't like the absence of Maurice Blanche. Oh, I understand the need for Maisie to make it on her own; but I rather liked Maurice and didn't care for his absence from this story. ( )

Maisie Dobbs, psychologist/private investigator, is asked by Georgiana Bassington-Hope to investigate the death of her twin brother, Nick. Nick was a remarkable artist, and his death came on the night before he was to unveil his long-awaited masterpiece. Maisie takes the case and begins gathering information to deduce if there was any foul play involved in Nick's death.

Messenger of Truth sounds like a simple who-dun-it, but in general, the Maisie Dobbs books contain much more depth than that. Winspear portrays the essence of London, post WWI, through the social classes, the aftermath of the war, life and death, Maisie's relationships, etc. She incorporates several aspects into the novel to bring that era to life. I enjoyed all the content surrounding the mystery almost more than the mystery itself. This was another very good read. (4/5)

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

In this fourth Maisie Dobbs novel, psychologist and private investigator Maisie takes on a case at the request of a fellow Girton alumnus. Georgina Bassington-Hope, a noted war-time correspondent, is not satisfied with the ruling of accidental death in her twin Nick's fall from scaffolding at an art gallery. Nick was an artist, and was at the gallery alone to set up the pieces of his masterwork for an exhibition. Nick was very secretive about his work; no one else had seen the work, and no one knew what had happened to it after his death. Maisie's investigation exposes her to a different sort of people than she is used to -- artists, wealthy art patrons, and the wealthy Bassington-Hope family, whose economic situation affords them the freedom to adopt a bohemian lifestyle.

This is the best novel yet in the Maisie Dobbs series. Maisie is very much alone in this novel, having left the comfort of the home of friend and former employer Lady Rowan Compton for a flat of her own. As a result of her last major case, she is estranged from her mentor, Maurice Blanchard. She is even deprived of the support of her assistant, Billy Beale, when a family crisis claims his attention.

Maisie suffered a breakdown in the previous novel in the series, and when this book opens she is still recovering from its effects. The Bassington-Hope case is her first major case since the breakdown, and those closest to her are concerned that she has taken on too much too soon. Although Maisie has always been self-aware, her breakdown has left her in an even more reflective state. As the title of the book suggests, truth is a theme in this novel. A large part of the impact of Nick Bassington-Hope's art is the truths it depicts, especially of truths of character or activities that its subjects wish to conceal. Maisie's contemplation of truth in connection with her investigation leads her to recognize some unwelcome truths in her own psyche. By the end of the novel she seems to be well on the way to attaining some peace in her personal life.

Because Maisie's character development is such an important feature of this series, I recommend reading the previous books in the series before reading this one. ( )

This series just keeps getting better and better. These are not cosy murder mysteries, tragedy haunts these pages. Winspear really evokes a sense of London between the wars and how the events of the first world war were never really buried with the dead. ( )