I've been picking things semi-randomly to read at my desk. I generally don't spend a lot of time here and am more comfortable abandoning things that simply don't work for me. This was a complete surprise and has kept me sitting at my desk instead of sitting out with the dog, crocheting and reading on my kindle. I had expected one of those cutely quaint little old lady mysteries and this is anything but.
According to Winspear's wiki, she has taken the period encompassing the aftermath of WWI as her own. Maisie is a non-traditional character in all aspects. Her family is lower class. Her father is the British equivalent of the guy we knew seventy years later in northern Italy as "Melone Banane" selling produce from a truck (or horse cart) through the city. Maisie goes into service, but catches the attention of her employer who recognizes her intellectual capabilities and provides her with an education - including entrance into the women's college at Cambridge. Then comes the war and Maisie abandons university for nursing.
The story runs two tracks between the "present day" as Maisie goes into business as a detective with a psychological side and the story of her upbringing, education, and war service. Unlike something I complained about several books back, the two tracks deepen the story and demonstrate a strong connection between the events of the two periods.
I really enjoyed this and I am looking forward to reading the entire series - since book one is available for kindle, I expect/hope that all of them will be.
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