Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Novel (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries) (Hardcover)

by Jacqueline Winspear (Author) "The young policewoman stood in the corner of the room..." (more)
Key Phrases: casualty clearing station, document case, inclined her head, Miss Dobbs, Sir Cecil, Ralph Lawton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Agatha-winner Winspear's engrossing third Maisie Dobbs novel maintains the high quality of its predecessors, Maisie Dobbs (2003) and Birds of a Feather (2004). In late 1930, the London "psychologist and investigator" gets involved in three cases: proving the innocence of a 13-year-old farm girl, Avril Jarvis, accused of murder; undertaking a search for Sir Cecil Lawton's only son, a pilot shot down behind enemy lines in WWI, whose body was never recovered; and looking into the circumstances of the death of her university friend Priscilla Evernden Partridge's brother in France during the war. Maisie must go back to the region where, 13 years earlier, she served as a nurse, and confront her memories of mud, blood and loss. Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly, enriching the whole with vivid details of English life on a variety of social levels.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–It is 1930 and Maisie Dobbs has been operating her detective cum psychiatric agency for more than a year. Her mentor, Maurice Blanche, a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, has retired and she has been successful on her own. But a new case threatens to take her back to a place she has been trying to forget: France, where she was a nurse during the Great War. She has been hired by a successful QC (Queen's Counsel) to prove that his only son did die in the war and was not still alive as his recently deceased wife believed. The case seems to pit her against Blanche, and she becomes as fearful of him as of the strange man following her. This case and one she casually takes on for a friend seem to converge frighteningly, and she is emotionally and physically exhausted by the time she wraps them up. Teens will get a great feel for the time between the World Wars and the social and economic milieu as the Depression approaches and the losses of 1914-'18 seem more trenchant. Maisie is indomitable and inspiring, and she must try to find space in her increasingly busy life for her father and her beau while helping her clients to deal with the scars they carry. A thought-provoking series entry, the story contains revelations of secret missions, homosexuality, the lives of persons from all layers of society, and a winning heroine who is not perfect and is willing to learn from her mistakes.–Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805078975
• ISBN-13: 978-0805078978
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,795 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Maisie Dobbs Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Coincidence is a messenger sent by Truth.", August 14, 2005

By	Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

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

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A crackerjack mystery!!, August 9, 2005

By	Laurel Johnson (Kansas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and insightful with historically accurate atmosphere, August 3, 2005

By	Gale Zasada "www.brownbookloft.com" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.