In all fairness, I must preface this review by saying that I am not the ideal reader for this book. _Pardonable Lies_ asks the reader to assume a belief in spirit guides, mediumism, Fate, karma, capital-I Intuition, chakras, psychic powers, and such mystical elements. If that fits your worldview, stop reading; this review will only make you angry.

Still here? OK, I proclaim it: I am a rationalist, and I like detective stories in part because they're explicitly rational. And yet ... in the past, I've been happy to swallow less likely conceits than the above, all in the name of a good yarn. The problem with _Pardonable Lies_ is not just that it embraces a mystical worldview; Jacqueline Winspear applies that same fuzzy-thinking harmony-with-the-cosmic-all to the actual plot and structure of the book. With predictable results.

In fact, this is not really a mystery novel; it's a more of a gothic potboiler. _Pardonable Lies_ contains numerous features of the latter genre, such as:

* A brooding, ominous, emotionally charged atmosphere
* A secret passage
* A mysterious stranger who shadows the protagonist
* Lurking psychic and supernatural elements
* Guilty secrets and forbidden love that haunt the characters' pasts

What it doesn't have is any actual mystery. Here, according to this book, is how a "detective" "solves" a case:

1. Go on vacation to visit an old friend.
2. Walk past a bunch of random photographs in the old friend's house.
3. When you feel a mysterious intuitional pull, stop. The nearest photograph will explain all.

Yes! It's detection by Spider-Sense!

This is entirely typical of the plotting of _Pardonable Lies_. Maisie Dobbs just has to wander around. Strangers come up to her and explain their secrets. Vital evidence appears, almost magically, wherever she goes. Massive coincidences detonate all around her. A top intelligence official pours out secret information to her, for no evident reason ... and Maisie gets angry at him for not having done it sooner! (To be fair, the information is neither surprising nor relevant by that point in the story.) And the climax--arranged by another enormous coincidence--comes from so far out in left field that you couldn't see it with anything short of the Hubble Telescope.

In short, Maisie Dobbs
*DOES*
*NOT*
*EVER*
*HAVE*
*TO*
*THINK*
in the course of the book. (The closest she gets is using her nursing skill, in a trivial fashion, to resolve a dangling subplot.)

It would appear that Jacqueline Winspear did this knowingly and deliberately. For instance, there's good deal of interior monologue about the Mysterious Powers of Fate and how There Are Really No Coincidences and that Certain Things Are Meant to Be and ... you get the idea. If Danielle Steel had written an _X-Files_ episode, this would be the result.

It would be unjust of me not to stipulate that the book has its good points. Although it's not vividly described, the inter-war setting is used effectively to set the book's mood and theme. Even though I didn't care for the actual plot developments, the pacing was good--neither too abrupt nor too slow. Maisie herself is a pretty good character, and her struggle with what we'd now call post-traumatic stress is very well developed. The tone is serious, bordering on somber--I don't think there's a single moment of real humor in the whole thing--which may not be your cup of tea, but which is effectively maintained.

Nonetheless, _Pardonable Lies_ is a mystery only in the very loosest sense, in that facts not known at the book's start are known at its end. The process of getting from one to the other, however, is explicitly anti-rationalistic and frankly mystical. To put Winspear in the same genre as such authors as Aaron Elkins and Steve Hockensmith is misleading. To compare her (as the cover blurb does) to Christie and Sayers is just plain silly. If you like the "romantic suspense" category, you might like _Pardonable Lies_; if you're a stickler for the true mystery, I'd recommend you look elsewhere.

When things happen, they happen in threes. So Maisie Dobbs finds out when she takes on a case to help a child accused of murder, a sort of double case dealing with soldiers killed in the war, and trying to find out who was trying to kill her. The child accused of murder is a girl barely thirteen forced into street walking, of the two soldiers, one was the brother of Maisie's best friend and the other the son of an MP who had promised to settle the question of whether the boy still lived or not. Lastly, the killer had surfaced as she began her investigations Was is someone connected to a case? Talented Jacqueline Winspear has written a story that will keep you reading, beginning to end. You will thoroughly enjoy meeting Maisie and the other characters while stepping back in time. A series of subplots woven into the fabric of the whole make for a satisfying and pleasant read. A touch of the paranormal added to the mix of mystery and romance give it a flavor to set it apart from the rodinary mystery. Any reader will find this deserves the title, cozy, even though it doesn't follow all the rules. You'll be looking for other books by this very able author. I know I will.

All of the Maisie Dobbs books are wonderfully written historical novels as well as mysteries. They take place between the wars, and speak of the horrors of the War to End All Wars. What the brave Brits don't know is that there is much worse to come.
I re-read the series often, and purchase it for gifts.

There is much to like in the mystery novels featuring Maisie Dobbs, private investigator in London, ex-nurse from World War I. First, there is Ms. Dobbs herself, an interesting mixture of liberated feminism and vulnerability. Memories of the war's blood and horrors are never far in the back of her memory. Everything she does is affected by this.

Then there is the time, a dozen years after the war, in the midst of the so-called Great Depression that hit Europe well before the United States, with an even bigger war looming in the guise of nazism and fascism. The reader recognizes this, but of course Maisie has no way to know what Mein Kampf will lead to in less than a decade.

Unfortunately the plot is just too slow, stopped cold from time to time as the author insists, for example, upon telling us the color and texture of every garment that a character is wearing, even though the raiment has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Moreover, the happenings are just a wee bit vague at times--too many times. This curious mixture of vagueness and too much information should have been edited out during the first read at the publishers.

Still, Maisie and her times merit at least three stars.

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.

Jacqueline Winspear provides us with a fresh breath in mystery writing. The author's vivid descriptions take one back to the time period of World War I. The main character, Maiser Dobbs, is a cross between Nancy Drew and Alexandra Cooper of the Linda Fairstein novels. It is difficult to put the book down, because you want to find out what happens next. In the end, you have not only been thoroughly entertained by Ms. Winspear's writing, but you are left with a feeling of peacefullness.

Pardonable Lies is the third installment in Jacqueline Winspear's series of historical mysteries featuring Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator. (Read my review of Maisie Dobbs, the first book in the series.) This outing finds Maisie juggling three cases. The first and least demanding of her attention involves a fourteen-year-old girl who's been charged with murder. More interesting, and more dangerous for Maisie, are the two cases that require her to confront her ghosts. Both an old friend and a prominent barrister charge Maisie with investigating the fate of their loved ones, a brother and son respectively, who were listed among the dead of the Great War. What happened to the men in fact proves to be more interesting than anything that was reported to their families by telegram. Looking into their deaths brings Maisie back to France, which in 1930 hardly resembles the shell-shocked landscape she knew during the War, when she'd served, and nearly died, working as a nurse at a casualty clearing station.

Pardonable Lies is well written and nicely plotted and steeped in period detail. The Maisie Dobbs books are cozies, which is to say that they are gentle reads, no wallowing in the gory specifics of blood and guts. But Pardonable Lies is not a light book, exactly. Maisie is indeed haunted by her experiences in the War, as are the people she is in daily contact with. The aftershocks of a war that claimed so many lives and ripped Europe apart are felt everywhere and provide the series with an affecting backdrop. And there are occasional references in this third book to the political goings-on in Germany, the emergence of Hitler and the growing influence of the Nazi party, which remind the reader--if we'd needed the reminder--that Maisie's world is a precarious place, destined soon enough for a second terrible war. Maisie doesn't know this yet, of course, and her ignorance--the ignorance of all of Winspear's characters--adds to the book's poignancy.

As we learned in the first Maisie Dobbs mystery (I have not yet read the second), Maisie was trained in a sort of holistic detection by an enigmatic wise man, Maurice Blanche. We learn more about Maurice's history in this installment, as Maisie's investigations lead to some trouble with her mentor. Among Maisie's skills are her ability to sense an interlocutor's emotional state by adopting his or her posture--something I find a little hard to swallow but which isn't made too much of in Pardonable Lies. We also learn here that Maisie has the ability to sense the presence of spirits. We are told, in fact, that Maisie is attended by two spirits herself. Readers may find the supernatural elements in the book off-putting, but again, these are not emphasized and are not essential to the plot. My qualms about the intrusion of the supernatural into Maisie's story aside, I quite enjoyed Pardonable Lies. It won't keep you up late reading, but it's a solid, enjoyable historical.

Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

I couldn't wait to read this second in a series of this lovely detective. What I particularly like are the interactions between all the characters and the sense of place and time you get when you read a Mazie Dobbs story.

An interesting follow up to previous Maisie Dobbs adventures...always enjoyable, I look forward to the next installment in Maisie's career.

Book 3 in the series - and just as much of a treat as the other two. Maisie works on three mysteries in this book and journeys to France and come to terms with her past. I raced through this book - and eagerly await the next book in the symptom.

Make no mistake, I have enjoyed all three books in Jacqueline Winspear's series about Maisie Dobbs: MAISIE DOBBS itself, BIRDS OF A FEATHER, and now this. The Cinderella premise of an intellectually curious parlormaid sponsored by her employers, sent to Cambridge and, after a hiatus serving as a nurse in World War I, becoming a private detective gives rise to a fascinatingly independent young woman who can transcend class boundaries. Her apprenticeship to a distinguished psychologist, coupled with her own natural empathy, gives her an ability to see into the heart of other people's problems. And Winspear's excellent sense of period is a delight, even as the postwar traumas which underlie so many of Maisie's cases give the books a serious ballast.

But I have to admit that I was disappointed in this, the third novel of the series. And much of the reason, I think, is that it IS a series; the author seems harder pressed to ring new variations on an old theme, and is rather stuck between writing for her old readers and her first-time ones. Yet the problem presented itself only gradually. I was thrilled when I started reading; the opening chapter, in which Maisie is called in by the London police to speak to a catatonic 13-year-old girl suspected of murder, is brilliant and moving, showing both the human warmth and unorthodox methods of the central character. But this requires no knowledge of the earlier books at all; for this reason, although it turns out to be a relatively minor subplot, the girl's continuing story becomes one of most successful threads in the book.

There are an unusual number of these threads, though. Almost immediately, Maisie takes on two further cases, similar but unrelated, investigating the fate of two young men lost in the war. Two or three other subplots spring from these, giving the book perhaps excessive complexity for its length, and leading to a rather ragged conclusion as these threads must be tied off one by one. In addition, Maisie must face some demons from her own past, and reassess her feelings about several of the other figures in her life.

The plot elements which are new to this book seem less traumatic, less deeply rooted in the special nature of the First War than in the earlier volumes. Only a couple of issues, having to do with contemporary attitudes to sexuality and spiritualism, seem to reflect the Zeitgeist on a more resonant level. Winspear connects the rather diffuse strands by means of coincidences which are difficult to credit, despite the zenlike philosophy of acceptance that Maisie has learned from her gurus. And in a detective novel neither Zen nor intuition are satisfactory substitutes for deductions arrived at by the methodical application of logic.

Alongside this, Maisie must face her past and the people in it, and here a new reader would be inadequately prepared. The passages of recapitulation are superfluous for one familiar with the previous books, yet not rich enough to draw a new reader into the personalities and emotions involved. This matters especially if we are to follow Maisie's feelings for the various men in her life -- for example her old mentor, severely wounded ex-fiancé, and current suitor -- and understand the background of memories which bring her close to nervous breakdown.

And yet I feel that Jacqueline Winspear may be poised on the edge of writing a novel that can no longer be contained within the frame of a traditional detective story. Although the plot strands of PARDONABLE LIES may be tenuously connected in logical terms, there is a definite thematic relationship between them, having to do with parents and adolescent children, and especially the case of absent mothers and 13-year-old girls. But to explore the theme fully would have required writing at much greater length and within the covers of a single volume, in which each component could be developed sufficiently to interact with the others in a complex counterpoint. You could see P. D. James addressing this as her novels (at least until THE MURDER ROOM) became longer and psychologically richer. On a different level, you can see Elizabeth George doing something similar in her more recent works. Jacqueline Winspear has created a multifaceted character and set her in the midst of a changing society in a traumatized period. There is ample material here for a novel of real substance, but it is unlikely to be achieved by mining the same vein in sequel after sequel.

read this book only if you like to figure out your mysteries pages and pages in advance, and have surprise new bad guys thrown in at the end to tie up loose ends.

In the aftermath of the Great War, Maisie Dobbs is called upon to investigate two unusual cases. In order to solve the mysteries, she will be required to travel to France where she will relive her own eventful and sad past.
The book makes for enjoyable light reading. Nothing particularly special though.

The third book in the Masie Dobbs series is, without questions, Jacqueline Winspear's best. Ms. Winspear mixes psychology, dark arts, sleuthing, and erudition in the grace and perseverance of Masie Dobbs.

The story of Pardonable Lies revolves around three separate, yet intertwined cases; the unsolved deaths of two WWI aviators and a young traumatized street girl held in a London jail on suspicion of murder.

There are times in the course of the three books when Ms. Winspear seems to go a bit far with the Eastern meditation meets Western psychology to inform Masie's detective work, but all in all it's a fun, smart series.

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.

The daring and adventurous Maisie Dobbs is back in another delightful mystery from author Jacqueline Winspear.

Set once again against the backdrop of London after The Great War, Pardonable Lies is the third novel in the bestselling mystery series. Because of an intriguing mix of characters and an interesting plot, Pardonable Lies is hard to put down, keeping me up into the wee hours of the night.

Psychologist and investigator, Maisie Dobbs has learned from the best, her mentor and confidant the elusive Frenchman Maurice Blanche, and decides to take on a new case. A young girl, Avril Jarvis, has been accused of murdering a man outside London. Maisie feels Avril is innocent and begins her investigation into the case.

Suddenly, Maisie is asked for her help on another mysterious case, this time from a prominent attorney named Sir Cecil Lawton whose wife recently died of a long illness. On her deathbed, his wife requested that he find their son Ralph who perished in a plane crash during the War. Before her own death, Mrs. Lawton believed her son was still alive. Despite his own feelings he harbors toward his son, who Cecil did not get along with in life, he grants his wife's dying wish.

Now with two cases to investigate, Maisie requests the help of her partner, Billy, to tackle the Jarvis case so she can focus her attention on finding Lawton's son. Maisie is reluctant to take on the case because of the possibility of traveling to France where she was a nurse during the War. Yet, when her old friend Priscilla decides to pay a visit, Maisie finds herself embroiled in a more unusual case than she first thought.

Pardonable Lies is an excellent book. Having not read the first two novels in the series and thoroughly enjoying this one, I plan to now read those.

Armchair Interviews says: The next book in the series will be Messenger of Truth.

This weekend I finished reading Jacqueline Winspear's third Maisie Dobbs mystery, Pardonable Lies (following Maisie Dobbs and Birds of a Feather). To call these books mysteries is almost a misnomer. Not that they aren't puzzling and suspenseful - they are - but they offer much more. These books include in-depth studies of character and motivation. They are historical novels that make the reader ache with sadness over the losses of World War I. They are about a woman struggling to maintain her own business, in a time when this was quite unexpected. They are about rising above a poor background to become educated and respected, and then straddling the line between two worlds.

I think that Pardonable Lies is the best of the series so far. Maisie, with the help of her reliable assistant Billy, investigates three different cases, all of which stir echoes from Maisie's past. Two of the cases require her to re-visit painful memories of the war (she was a battlefield nurse in France), while in the third she identifies with a vicitimized child. In the course of investigating these cases, she finds her life threatened by unseen enemies. The relentless pressure from the demons of the past and of the present push Maisie hard. I found myself indentifying so closely with Maisie while reading this book that I felt a bit vulnerable myself. I love a book that pulls me in so deeply.

I hesitate to say more, because I don't want to spoil the book. But if you like mysteries about strong female characters, or you like historical fiction, especially World-War-I era stories, you should absolutely read this series. Be sure to start with Maisie Dobbs, the first book in the series, so that you'll know Maisie's full background.

You can also visit Jacqueline Winspear's website. I found it particularly interesting to read that "Jacqueline's grandfather was severely wounded and shell-shocked at The Battle of the Somme in 1916, and it was as she understood the extent of his suffering that, even in childhood, Jacqueline became deeply interested in the "war to end all wars" and its aftereffects." Perhaps this is why Maisie's grief, and the grief of those around her, feels so true to life in these books.

This review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on February 19, 2006.

Winspear writes superbly. And Pardonable Lies is the best of her 3 part series. She gives the reader the unusual experience of feeling as though they were sitting down with a friend, who is telling you her story. Fascinating to see the clever and believable ways in which Winspear manifests Maisie's past and how it has impacted her and those around her. Hopefully, she will write more of this amazing character she has created, for I want to be there as my new friend, Maisie grows older, perhaps falls in love and creates calm and justice where it has not been served before.

This book starts slowly to get us accustomed to Maisie Dobbs, and then pries into her emotionally sensitive side, before getting us to the stage of sequential deduction that's the "work" of solving most mysteries. The likable Ms. Dobbs rapidly grew on me, and I found myself hoping for many things for her, including a deliverance from some of her pain. The mystery unfolds well, but cautiously, which leads this book to its final stage, where it is more an exegesis of the pains and reasons why for WWI, and in that, is highly critical of many human tendencies. I liked it but its historical context was soberingly lugubrious.

This is the third entry in the Maisie Dobbs series. In this outing, Maisie takes on two assignments that require that she return to France and face her demons. It is no easy task and the solutions to her assignments - one to determine that the son of a barrister is really dead and the other to find where the brother of her best friend is buried - only complicate her quest. To add to her stress, she is being followed and attempts are being made on her life - but why?

Winspear moves the story along for the most part although there were times when I found myself skimming the pages to get to the "good parts." Another thing bothered me. I couldn't help feeling like there was another entry between the last (i.e., second) entry and this (the third) entry. Maisie had somehow greatly matured between the books - almost as if many years had passed between the two books. While disconcerting, this did not lessened the impact of the book nor the hard decisions that Maisie had to make along the way.

But over all, I was disappointed - the book seemed rushed at the same time that it seemed to have filler added in - it was less a procedural than a psychological study of our heroine.

Ms. Winspear succeeds once again in painting a perfect picture of life in 1930's London.
She also fascinatingly weaves together this intriguing story that involves solving crime and also delves deep into the psyche of the people of that era. And she succeeds at doing both equally well.
It is the added depth of her characters that take this book to a literary level far superior to that of others in its genre. Keep up the good work!

This is the best Maisie Dobbs yet!! (I repeat for emphasis.) This one goes even further into Maisie's life & nightmares. It has a story/case that just builds & builds & does not stop. I can't believe that I didn't figure out this one, & I thought I did, too. A beautifully well-thought-out character. Amazing story. Must read!!

I just recently became acquainted with "Maisie Dobbs". I
thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. Winspear gives
vivid descriptions of WW1-the war that was to end all wars.
As to Maisie Dobbs, I wish I could have been around at that
time and "knew" her. She,s totally enchanting.

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

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.

This 3rd installment in the Maise Dobbs series leaves no doubt that Jacqueline Winspear is the real deal. It would be wrong to just call this a mystery series since each of the books has really been about the main character, Maise Dobbs, and her evolution as a investigator and as an individual. The writing is wonderful, smooth and deep without being overbearing. It reminds me of how I would marvel at how much information and character Ed McBain could convey in his stories without overwriting. I finished this book and immediately wondered when the 4th one would come out. How much better can a book be than that?

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.

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!

Maisie Dobbs is a young woman in London during the early thirties. Due to events given in the earlier books, she has a unique background for finding answers to the cases presented to her. She has the help of a faithful assistant and uses it well. I would suggest that readers find the introduction to Maisie Dobbs in the book with that title as it would give the background to her training and various other characters in this book. Maisie is a five-star special.

I just finished this book. I started it two days ago and could hardly put it down. I usually only do that with suspense/thriller books, but this one just hooked me. I have to say I already liked the first two books, so I was familiar with the characters and liked them. But this one is the best so far. It has the right blend of mystery, suspense, storytelling, even romance. The main character of Maisie and also Maurice Blanche are complex individuals and it's a joy to discover a little about them in each book. If Ms. Winspear is reading this (during breaks from writing the next book, I hope) I can't wait for the next installment.

The story continues about a young woman detective after WW I. Masie is a great character, but this edition was a little slow and not as intriguing as the first two books.

The other reviewers' criticisms of this book and series are definitely correct. I love the time period, attention to detail and the characters--although this book is not as tight as the pervious two. The whole "castle in France" bit and her mentor's involvement with the British secret service content could have been condensed--I like that she always deals with multiple issues but this book had one too many. Masie is less conflicted over her "upstairs/downstairs" status, but she's moving up in the world so it's somewhat expected.

Masie's always being infallible is, yea, easy to notice. I actually like this trait because it reminds me of reading Nancy Drew, who critics always say that this character is too perfect and too goody-goody. Think about the voice in the books, descriptions of Masie's traits, descriptions of her outfits, and the setup that allows her a lot of freedom--all very comparable to Nancy Drew. Overall, this series also reminds me of Hercule Pirot, both because of the writing style and the time period.

Jacqueline Winspear has another winner in her Maisie Dobbs mystery series.
This and the previous novels in the series display that immaculate British sense of bad news without becoming overwhelmed and hysterical.
The Maisie Dobbs mysteries give the reader a real sense of post-World War I Britain and the devastating consequences on its citizens.

I found "Pardonable Lies" the weakest of the three Maisie Dobbs books. I was looking forward to reading this after thoroughly enjoying "Maisie Dobbs" and "Birds of a Feather", but Winspear appears to have fallen into the trap of making Maisie a bit too great and wonderful. Too many of the characters, really everyone but the villain, essentially say that Maisie is right and oh so wise. It gets irritating. How right can she always be and why is everyone else always wrong? Characters are so much more interesting with some flaws. If anything, I felt Maisie become a little holier than thou in this book, shaking her fingers at all the other naughty people saying, "bad, bad you!"

Also the extreme deference shown by the servants in Lord Julian and Lady Rowan's household rings a little false to me. I would have expected a little friction or more of a hands off type of interaction between Maisie and the other servants. What made Maisie so interesting in the other books is that she is caught between the classes and she kept that in mind in the first two books, not intruding on Sandra and the other maids' space, etc., but now, well, yeah, they are essentially acting as Maisie's servants. And she seems to have no problem with that. Before we had at least hints of Maisie's conflicting feelings. Now nothing.

Another strong point of the first two books was the interesting background and historical details Winspear gave. I felt there was a little less of that here making the book weaker.

And as for the plot and mystery? The conclusion and solution of the book felt tacked on and not particularly well thought out.

I have a scale on my book buying in that if I love the author, I buy their new books in hard back, first editions (Carol O'Connell of the Mallory stories is a fine example). If I'm not that excited about the writer, I'll wait for the paperback. Maisie Dobbs is sliding into that paperback category. I hope Winspear pulls her back in the next book to hardcover worthy purchasing.

I loved this book! The plot and the chachters were wonderful!
Full of Supense, and one feels that home in that time period.