Maisie Dobbs

Maisie Dobbs, Book 1

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was thirteen. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan Compton, soon became her patron, taking the remarkably bright youngster under her wing. Lady Rowan’s friend, Maurice Blanche, often retained as an investigator by the European elite, recognized Maisie’s intuitive gifts and helped her earn admission to the prestigious Girton College in Cambridge, where Maisie planned to complete her education.

The outbreak of war changed everything. Maisie trained as a nurse, then left for France to serve at the Front, where she found—and lost—an important part of herself. Ten years after the Armistice, in the spring of 1929, Maisie sets out on her own as a private investigator, one who has learned that coincidences are meaningful, and truth elusive. Her very first case involves suspected infidelity but reveals something different.

In the aftermath of the Great War, a former officer has founded a working farm known as The Retreat that acts as a convalescent refuge for ex-soldiers too shattered to resume normal life. When Fate brings Maisie a second case involving The Retreat, she must finally confront the ghost that has haunted her for over a decade.

©2003 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2022 Recorded Books

3 for 1

Delightful book! Emergence of a companionable character and her cast of well-drawn supporting players. This first-in-the-series is 3 books in one: a brief mystery, a coming-of-age tale and a more involved mystery (with a slim romance tossed in for good measure). The reader is perfectly matched to the character. Looking forward to more Maisie!

A glimpse into the lives of extraordinary people

When you keep thinking and wondering what the characters are doing while you are not listening, you know you’ve found a good story!

Good Story

Wonderful plot. I loved the narrator. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Pure enjoyment

Well written and narrated. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book. Will read her next one, I hope as good.

Must almost qualify as a cozy mystery

I needed to listen to this one while multitasking or driving as the whispery voice of the narrator would put me to sleep. Still, I did finish the story and enjoyed it even if it was predictable.

The new miss marple

Loved - sweet and suspenseful - a delightful mystery that draws you in with its characters and story.

Engaging

Quick listen from beginning to end. Good narration. Good historical references. Enjoyed the narrator’s tone. Looking forward to more from this author.

Compelling and satisfying.

I loved the character Maisie Dobbs, so cared about her experiences. And I was brought back into time to understand a period of history more, and to have even more compassion for all affected by war.

Excellent narrator!

Orlagh Cassidy is a superb narrator. She’s on par of David Suchet reading Death on the Nile.
The story has a slow middle, but ends very fast paced and interesting

Yay a new series for us !

Great presentation of a time disappearing into history. I've seen pictures of here wounds and the masks created for the wounded ad had a grandfather twice gassed... it made it more real. Loved the compassionate justice leveled by the ending.