Journey to Munich is book 12 in the series and sees Maisie being recruited by the secret service to do some spying in 1938 Germany.
You do have to suspend a little belief whilst reading these later books in the Maisie Dobbs series, but the goodwill engendered in the earlier books has been enough to keep me going. I've never been a spy myself, so I'm happy to accept that Maisie's approach to undercover work could, well, work (despite the doubts of other reviewers on Goodreads).
To be honest, I don't care that much. I don't read the Maisie Dobbs books for an accurate how-to on spying or detective work. I read them for the relationships, the personal journey of Maisie herself and for the feel-good effect they have on me.
I also read them for the historical fiction element. The books are set between the two world wars in England - a period of time that has fascinated me forever.
With Maisie's trip to 1938 Munich and her brush with Hitler's henchmen, Winspear is preparing the way for a change in direction. I'm feeling a growing sense of trepidation for Maisie's best friend, Priscilla and her family of boys. Boys who will be coming of age as WWII starts.
I've now put In This Grave Hour on order, so that I will be prepared for my next bout of blogging blues.
Do you have a favourite series or author that you turn to when times are glum?
Please feel free to share with us what your favourite cosy crime series is. It will be handy to have a comfort read resource to turn to when I finish the last Maisie book.
Maisie Dobbs #1
Maisie Dobbs #2 Birds of a Feather
Maisie Dobbs #3 Pardonable Lies
Maisie Dobbs #4 Messenger of Truth
Maisie Dobbs #5 An Incomplete Revenge
Maisie Dobbs #6 Among the Mad
Maisie Dobbs #7 The Mapping of Love and Death
Maisie Dobbs #8 A Lesson in Secrets
Maisie Dobbs #9 Elegy for Eddie
Maisie Dobbs #10 Leaving Everything Most Loved
Maisie Dobbs #11 A Dangerous Place
Maisie Dobbs #12 Journey to Munich
Maisie Dobbs #13 In This Grave Hour
Sounds like a good gentle comfort read but with enough quality to satisfy you. Hope there are lots more in the series for you!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this series too--I'm one book behind you, I just finished the one where Maisie is in Gibraltar and really liked that Whinspear skipped ahead so that now we are on the brink of WWII. I have been worried about Priscilla's sons for a long time now.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the Gibraltar book too, but lots of Goodreads reviewers didn't - they thought she had 'jumped the shark'. But I was struggling with all the romance stuff in the previous few books - it felt forced to me.
DeleteI have noticed (by the chapter sampler of In This Grave Hour in the back of this book) that the date jumps again to Sept 1939 - the beginning of the war.