Customer Reviews

Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fans of Maisie Dobbs will delight in this addition to the series, and those who are new to her have a treat in store. All these mysteries take place in the aftermath of World War I, this one occurring between September and October, 1930. Maisie is a survivor, having enlisted, at seventeen, in the nursing corps, where she served in France in the final, horrific days of the war. A terrible attack, which killed many of the doctors, nurses, and soldiers where she was working, has left her suffering nightmares more than ten years later. Now working as a psychologist/investigator in London, Maisie stays busy to avoid dealing with her demons.

Three mysteries unfold simultaneously. Avril Jarvis, age 13, is arrested for the murder of her "uncle" when she is found with a knife in her hand and blood on her clothes. Penniless, she has no counsel until Maisie takes a case involving Sir Cecil Lawton, whom she persuades to represent Avril as part of her fee. Sir Cecil's son Ralph disappeared during the war in France, and his wife, believing him still alive, has exacted a deathbed promise that Sir Cecil will search for him. In addition, one of Maisie's friends from the Ambulance Corps, now married to a wealthy author in France, has begged her to try to find where the third of her brothers died and was buried in France.

The horrors of World War I pervade the novel, and when Maisie goes to France, these horrors come alive, for both the reader and for Maisie, as she learns she must "slay her dragons" at last. Intriguing characters add color to the novel--a doctor who has been with the secret service, a psychic who knows too much about Maisie, a paralyzed member of Parliament who was a close friend of Ralph Lawton, and an elegant woman and her granddaughter who live in a decaying castle.

As the mysteries develop, a plethora of key photographs, kept by numerous characters, connect some of the characters with specific times and places. Romantic elements, such as a secret passageway leading to a musty room, a hidden journal written in code, assumed identities, an important clue buried under a tree, and several attacks on Maisie keep the action moving. Physical details of clothing, social customs, and landscape give a sense of realism to this mystery, with all its coincidences, and there is just enough danger to sustain the tension in this well written and unusual addition to the genre. n Mary Whipple

Mystery fans who have not yet discovered Maisie Dobbs would be well advised to correct that oversight! This author's writing is first rate and Maisie Dobbs is a deliciously detailed heroine.

In the Fall of 1930, London is mired in economic Depression. And England's citizens have never quite recovered from World War I, including Maisie Dobbs. She still struggles with her experiences as a nurse at the Front. The man she loved in wartime is little more than a vegetable confined to a
wheelchair. And her mother's untimely death haunts Maisie's thoughts, asleep or awake. Still, her work as an Investigator / Psychologist keeps her focused and busy as she pursues a cautious relationship with a devoted admirer, Dr. Andrew Dene. Maisie Dobbs is plucky, determined, and has
become a skillful investigator in her own right. She'll need every ounce of courage and skill she possesses to survive the case that unexpectedly presents itself.

Sir Cecil Lawton QC is a legal miracle worker and one of the great orators of his time. He promises his wife on her death bed to search for proof of their son Ralph's death. Sir Cecil hires Maisie to investigate the fiery airplane crash in France to prove Ralph dead. In exchange, Maisie agrees to halve her fee if Sir Cecil will defend an innocent, imprisoned girl awaiting trial for murder. While Maisie follows one intriguing lead after another in her search for evidence of Ralph Lawton's death, her assistant Billy Beale seeks information to bolster her belief that an innocent girl has been wrongly accused of murder.

To complicate the investigation into Ralph Lawton's death, long time friend Priscilla begs Maisie to find information about her brother Peter. Soon, Maisie's educated hunches and focused search for clues lead her to believe that the disappearance of both men is related. After several attempts on her life, Maisie is convinced that someone powerful wishes to prevent a firm conclusion of her investigation. The list of suspects is painful to contemplate because it includes her old friend and mentor, Maurice Blanche. Why would investigating the death of two brave soldiers lost to war move anyone to kill her? Once Maisie ties up all loose ends to her investigation, the truth is shocking and poignant. Should she reveal the utter truth, or are a few "pardonable lies" in order?

This book is a delightful read in every way. It's a crackerjack mystery, written by a skillful writer. The characters seemed like real people; they were that well-developed and appealing. Winspear creates an interesting and
believable milieu for her characters and provides fascinating details of the era following World War I. Such details add to, and do not in any way detract from, the mystery and plot development. I applaud Ms. Winspear and her intriguing heroine. The possibilities for this series are endless, and
wonderful to contemplate.

Maisie Dobbs is a gentle, independent woman living in post World War I England. Like many other women of her time, she served as a nurse in the war, doing what she could for her country. She saw men experience the physical and psychological effects of battle and never be quite whole again. She saw her friends' families suffer shock and loss as they received telegrams about their sons, husbands and fathers.

Maisie, too, is scarred by the war. She dreams of blood and dying men. She is haunted by the fate of her ex-lover who is too shell shocked to recognize her. In this book, Maisie must face some of the demons in her past.

While assisting the police in the interrogation of a young girl accused of murder, Maisie is approached by a client who is required to fulfill the terms of his deceased wife's last wishes. The client asks Maisie to find his son, who was lost in the war, that his wife believed was still alive. The client, however, wants to prove that his son is deceased. To do this, Maisie will have to go to France and re-live some of her memories of the war. When she talks to her best friend, Priscilla, about her upcoming travels, she asks Maisie to see if she can find out exactly what happened to her brother, Peter, since Maisie is already doing one investigation in the area. She reluctantly agrees to take on both cases.

As the investigations progress, it is clear that someone doesn't want Maisie to complete at least one of her cases. Maisie is in danger, but it isn't clear which case is the cause of the threats on her life. As she digs deeper into all of them, she finds that nothing is quite what it appears to be. War can be the catalyst for subterfuge in even the closest of relationships.
World War I brought new opportunities for employment and self-improvement for many women who needed to fill roles previously held by the men lost in battle. The author does an excellent job of portraying what life was like during an era that was full of pain even as it held new opportunities. Maisie is a warmhearted, likeable character who takes a humanistic approach to problem solving.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who likes mysteries with an intelligent, insightful protagonist and historically accurate atmosphere.

"Pardonable Lies" is set in England of 1930, but its subject is really World War I. Dobbs, an independent woman making her way as a freelance psychologist and investigator, is asked to determine the fate of two men missing in action during the war, one an aviator and the other a soldier, but both possibly linked to dangerous intelligence work on or behind the front line.

Dobbs has good reason to be concerned about taking on these seemingly innocous tasks. She served as a battlefield nurse, and what she saw and did -- revealed to the reader only in glimpses -- threatens to destroy the defenses she has worked so hard to build up since the war.

Dobbs prefers to work alone, so stretches of the novel are given over to her introspections. It's a slow-paced novel as we follow her to a grand English country home, her journey across the channel to France, and her visit to a small village, where she encounters both a spritely 14-year-old girl, seemingly untouched by the war, and the secrets that lead her to the solution.

"Pardonable Lies" is a fine look at a young woman making her way amid the economic and social dislocations of 1930s Britain. It falters only when the cliches of the mystery genre surface. Some people fear what she may uncover, so Maisie is threatened and attempts on her life are made, but they are easily foreseen by the reader, and it seems like even Maisie is only distracted by the threats. She has more important things on her mind. Strip away the genre's trappings, and "Pardonable Lies" is a reflection, a meditation even, on how those of us who have experienced war carry with us the scars that can reopen in an instant.

Maisie's not quite Marple or Ramotswe, but when people retain the services of this Psychologist/Investigator, they sure get their money's worth. Hard working Maisie Dobbs is a meticulous sleuth, a shrewd judge of character, and has the tenacity of a bloodhound.

This is the third book of the series, and in this one, Maisie tries to save a young girl accused of a brutal murder, confirm the death of a pilot supposedly killed during a WW1 mission (but whose mother never believed a word of the report), and also find the resting place of her best friend's brother, also lost to the war effort.

Along the way she encounters some unsavory characters, has several close shaves, hunts down mediums and seers, and tries to put some of her own demons to rest. Her most difficult task however, is deciding whether the whole truth (and nothing but the truth) will hurt more than it helps.

An extremely entertaining read and highly recommended


Amanda Richards, November 19, 2005

Psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs is a rarity in early twentieth-century London --- and in the pages of detective fiction. Cambridge-educated, independent, and dedicated to her work, the spirited sleuth is the owner of a thriving London detective agency, drives a red convertible, regularly assists Scotland Yard, and uses her considerable skills to unravel even the most baffling of mysteries.

In PARDONABLE LIES, the third adventure in the series, Maisie tackles not one but three cases. A 13-year-old girl, Avril Jarvis, is being held by Scotland Yard, charged with murder. Maisie is convinced that Avril is innocent and is determined to prove it. Next, Maisie is retained by Sir Cecil Lawton to find evidence verifying that his son, Ralph, perished in World War I more than a decade earlier. The aviator's body was never recovered, and on her deathbed Sir Cecil's wife --- who never accepted that her son was dead --- extracted a promise from him to lay the matter to rest once and for all. When Maisie's old college friend, Priscilla Partridge, finds out that she is looking into the death of a soldier, she asks Maisie to do the same for her brother. He, too, died during the war, and Priscilla has no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding it. These three seemingly disparate cases, as Maisie comes to discover, overlap in unexpected ways.

Maisie's quest for information about the two soldiers leads her to France, where the journey takes a personal turn when she visits a site that continues to haunt her. Thirteen years ago, Maisie was a nurse on the front lines in World War I. An attack on the makeshift hospital where she was serving scarred her emotionally and physically, and robbed her of the man she loved, Dr. Simon Lynch, who is broken in body and mind. Here she hopes to, as her father says, "slay her dragons." While in France, Maisie also learns some startling facts about her mentor and former employer, Maurice Blanche.

PARDONABLE LIES finds Maisie navigating treacherous ground, testing her detecting skills, her moral integrity, and her spiritual strength. Like the two previous books in the series, MAISIE DOBBS and BIRDS OF A FEATHER, this novel has as its backdrop the shadow of the Great War. History buffs will revel in the evocation of the time and place --- London in the year 1930, a city still reeling from the treacheries of war and unaware that another conflict looms on the horizon.

Jacqueline Winspear has created a truly engaging series with the Maisie Dobbs novels. The historical accuracy, compelling plotlines, and vivid descriptions make for smart, appealing page-turners. But the key to their success is the character of Maisie. She's everything a heroine in mystery fiction should be --- brave, complex, hopeful, and beguiling enough to leave the reader wanting only one thing: more Maisie.

--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna

Like Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Maisie Dobbs mysteries are about a detective who is still dealing with the after-effects of his/her experiences in the First World War. Unfortunately, the Maisie Dobbs books also resemble the Ian Rutledge books in that both series started off promisingly, and then suffered a sharp decline in quality. I gave the first book in this series four stars, the second book three stars, and I have to give this one two stars.

There are too many different subplots in this book, and the subplots aren't connected to each other in a satisfying way. I realize that the real focus of the book is meant to be on Maisie's psychological state, and how the different cases she handles in the course of the story force her to deal with events in her past that she would prefer to suppress (her mother's death, her wartime experiences). However, the book purports to be a mystery, and the plot strands in a well-crafted mystery have to be connected on more than just the psychological level.

There are also several factual errors in the book, which suggest that it may have been written in haste (and which a good copy editor should have caught, or would have if publishers weren't cutting corners these days by getting rid of copy editors). One character - a high-powered barrister - is repeatedly referred to as a "QC" (Queen's Counsel), even though the British sovereign in 1930 (when the action of the book takes place) was George V, so the character would have been a KC (King's Counsel), not a QC. And Maisie's benefactress - a woman named Rowan Compton - is sometimes referred to as "Lady Rowan" and sometimes as "Lady Compton", even though there's a significant difference between those titles which would have been understood by just about everyone in England in 1930. (To give the author her due, she does appear to have done her research on fashions of the 1930's. Unfortunately, however, she uses that research to provide excruciatingly detailed descriptions of everything Maisie wears in almost every scene.)

The library from which I checked out this book categorized it as a "Young Adult" book, which surprised me until I read it. Now that I've read it, I understand that categorization. Pardonable Lies is probably best suited for young girls (probably not boys) who liked the Nancy Drew books and are ready for the next level, but who are not yet ready for adult mysteries. For more mature readers, however, the book is disappointingly thin fare.

This isn't the type of book I often read. I got it mainly to try to expand my horizons, so to speak-I figured if I didn't like it, I'd give it to my wife. She reads mysteries all the time.

I'll be giving it to her to read, but I want this one back.

Pardonable Lies is Jacqueline Winspear's third novel featuring Maisie Dobbs, a "psychologist and investigator" in England. The novel is set in 1930, and is peppered with references to unrest in Germany and the concern many people felt about the man who was leading that country. I was first struck by the truthful nature of the conversations about Hitler-there were many people who really didn't see much to worry about, and nobody wanted another world war.

Maisie takes on three seemingly disparate cases in this book: she is drawn to the trial of a young woman named Avril Jarvis, who is acused of murder. She accepts the assignment of a prominent lawyer, Sir Cecil Lawton, to determine whether his son was killed in the war. And she agrees to investigate the war record of the brother of her dearest friend, Priscilla Evernden. Of course, these cases quickly become intertwined.


And that's the thing I enjoyed about this book the most: the fact that just when you think you have everything figured out, Winspear throws a monkey wrench into the works. Parts of the Lawton case were easy to figure out, and the pieces of the Evernden case fell quickly into place. The way these two related were less obvious at first, and cause me to slap myself in the forehead several times, saying "Why didn't I see that!" In fact, the book took me longer to read because of the number of times that I went back to re-read parts to find out what I'd missed.

The characters in the book may seem stock to some-the intrepid young female investigator (a la Nancy Drew), her wealthy friend, the doctor/love interest, the aging mentor, etc. But the characters work, and Winspear has given them each enough of their own personality that they are unique in their own ways. The settings are fascinating-especially since I've just finished reading Michael Shaara's World War I novel To The Last Man.

This is the first Maisie Dobbs mystery that I've read, but it won't be the last. As I said, I'm trying to broaden my reading horizons a bit from the science fiction/alternate history rut that I've been in lately. It's looking like mystery will be a good genre to expand into.

The third in the Maisie Dobbs series, Pardonable Lies, maintains the high quality of writing evident in her first two mysteries. Author Jacqueline Winspear transports us back to the 1930's, when the Great War (WW1) was still fresh in the mind. Maisie Dobbs served as a nurse in France during that engagement, after the war, with help from mentor Maurice Blance, she attended college and became a psychologist and detective.

In this book, Maisie is asked to lend her expert assistance on three cases. The first, to prove an impoverished young girl innocent of a crime that might send her to the gallows. The second, to discover the fate of the brother of her closest friend and confidante, reported dead by the military. Her third case is to discover whether a young aviator shot down over France is dead or alive. His father, Sir Cecil Lawton, doesn't really care one way or the other but feels he must fulfill the deathbed promise made to his wife.

As she investigates, she learns that there are a few intertwining threads among these three seemingly unrelated stories. Probing deeper, she discovers shadowy figures following her and an attempt is made on her life. But which case is the one that inspires such passion?

In order to get to the heart of the matter, Maisie forces herself to return to France where she is still haunted by her memories of nursing wounded soldiers. She must confront her demons and put her past behind her - or suffer the consequences.

Jacqueline Winspear has written a highly complex and masterful story. Readers will gain a real feel for the time between the two World Wars from all the exquisite detail Winspear has painstakingly included. Maisie herself is an appealing, imperfect heroine, who is more than ready to admit her faults, showing a character that is all that much more authentic.

I love all the books in this series. My mom and I both read one copy of this book in less than a week between the two of us. You can't put these books down. Maisie Dobbs is a smart believable character who solves people problems as well as mysteries. What always seems like a strait forward problem will develop layers of complexity without losing focus. Winspear allows her main character to grow and develop in each book. If you haven't read the first two, buy them with this one. You'll love all three!