Staff Picks Blog

I just finished Jacqueline Winspear’s new Maisie Dobbs mystery and absolutely loved it.  And as much as I enjoyed this book, I’m equally delighted about how I discovered it.  Recently I was in Ames for the day, had a lot of down time between appointments, and was not enjoying the book that I took with me.  I had my laptop so I navigated to ICPL’s eBook offerings and settled on this book.  I was immediately drawn into the story and the world of Maisie Dobbs (and delighted to be reading an eBook so easily).

Maisie Dobbs is a psychologist and investigator who lives in London.  In The Mapping of Love and Death, the remains of World War I soldier and cartographer Michael Clifton are discovered in France and Maisie is hired to find a mysterious woman who wrote letters to Michael during the War.  Maisie soon realizes that Michael was murdered and her inquiries are a catalyst for more violence in order to cover up the crime.

Jacqueline Winspear grew up in England but currently lives in the United States.  Her interest in World War I comes from her childhood experiences with her Grandfather who was wounded The Battle of the Somme in 1916.  From this she observed how much pain and suffering came from The Great War and the profound effect this war had on many lives.

I’m looking forward to reading more Maisie Dobbs mysteries.  ~~Enjoy~~