Pardonable Lies - (Maisie Dobbs Novels) by Jacqueline Winspear (Paperback)

About the Book

In the third novel of this bestselling series, London investigator Maisie Dobbs faces grave danger as she returns to the site of her most painful World War I memories to resolve the mystery of a pilot's death.

Book Synopsis

In Pardonable Lies, the third novel of this bestselling series from Jacqueline Winspear, London investigator Maisie Dobbs faces grave danger as she returns to the site of her most painful WWI memories to resolve the mystery of a pilot's death.

"I couldn't put the book down and rushed out right away to get the other two. Maisie Dobbs is a joy." --The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

A deathbed plea from his wife leads Sir Cecil Lawton to seek the aid of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator. As Maisie soon learns, Agnes Lawton never accepted that her aviator son was killed in the Great War, a torment that led her not only to the edge of madness but to the doors of those who practice the dark arts and commune with the spirit world. In accepting the assignment, Maisie finds her spiritual strength tested, as well as her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. The mission also brings her together once again with her college friend Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and who lost three brothers to the war--one of whom, it turns out, had an intriguing connection to the missing Ralph Lawton.

Following on the heels of Winspear's triumphant Birds of a Feather, Pardonable Lies is another compelling installment in the chronicles of Maisie Dobbs, "a heroine to cherish" (New York Times Book Review).

Review Quotes

"In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has given us a real gift. Maisie Dobbs has not been created--she has been discovered. Such people are always there amongst us, waiting for somebody like Ms. Winspear to come along and reveal them. And what a revelation it is!"
--Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

"Maisie is a sleuth to treasure."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Worth cheering about . . . [Winspear] keep[s] her series about the astonishing Maisie Dobbs alive and as fresh as new paint."
--Chicago Tribune

"When people ask me to recommend an author, one name consistently comes to mind: Jacqueline Winspear. . . . What makes Winspear so special is her ability to write convincing historical fiction. Going beyond the correct details about headgear and slang from the 1920s and 1930s, she convincingly captures the interior lives of her characters. . . . Wonderful."
--USA Today

"Maisie Dobbs, Winspear's brilliant psychological investigator, returns for her fourth adventure. . . . Definitely more of a political and psychological read than a simple whodunit."
--Daily News

"What makes this book delightful is how Winspear shows Maisie's emotional development amid the bitter legacy of the Great War. Her growing fan base should enjoy this latest entry. Strongly recommended."
--Library Journal

"If you haven't read the Maisie Dobbs stories, you are missing a treat."
--The Ledger Independent (Kentucky)

"Fans of Miss Marple and Precious Ramotswe are sure to embrace Maisie, a pitch-perfect blend of compassion and panache."
--Booklist

"To give an idea of how much I liked Pardonable Lies, I immediately went to my local bookstore and ordered the first two in the series. Long live Maisie Dobbs!"
--Mystery News

"Maisie is immediately captivating. . . . Dobbs ponders the mysteries of life as well as the mysteries she is hired to solve. . . . Surprisingly eloquent, evening moving."
--Saint Paul Pioneer Press

"Jacqueline Winspear's historical mysteries prove exactly what this subgenre can achieve, offering a prism of the past and a mirror of the future. . . . Fascinating."
--Sun-Sentinel

"A fine examination of a young woman making her way amid the economic and social dislocations of 1930s Britain . . . Pardonable Lies is a reflection, a meditation even, on how those of us who have experienced war carry with us the scars that can reopen in an instant."
--The Sunday Patriot-News

"Winspear again treats us to a story broad in scope and rich in detail and suspense. . . . An excellent series."
--The Orange County Register

"Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly, enriching the whole with vivid details of English life on a variety of social levels."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Winspear twists the suspense to a high pitch in this dark and moody tale that will please newcomers to the series as well as Winspear's many fans."
--Rocky Mountain News

About the Author

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the Maisie Dobbs novels, Maisie Dobbs and Birds of a Feather, which won the Agatha Award for Best Novel. A New York Times Notable Book, Maisie Dobbs was nominated for a record eight awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, and won both the Agatha and Macavity Awards for Best First Novel, as well as the Alex Award for an adult novel suitable for young adults. Born in England, Winspear now lives in California.