Elegy for Eddie

Fans of Maisie Dobbs rejoice!  Elegy for Eddie is Jacqueline Winspear at her finest, and once again my only disappointment is having to wait for the next one.

In 1933 London the costermongers of Covent Garden still rely on horses and wagons to sell their fruits and vegetables. Any good mechanic can fix a car, but the costers know that only Eddie Pettit can be counted on to fix an ailing horse.  Gentle Eddie is loved by all, and when he is killed in a suspicious accident his coster friends reach out to Maisie for help. How, you may ask, do these rough, working-class men know a highly educated psychologist/investigator such as Maisie? Because her father was a costermonger, that's why!

One of the many things I love about this series is the character development of Maisie Dobbs herself.  She started life in a place that is light years away from her current social position.  Her first job was as a maid in the London home of the Comptons, and now she is engaged to the son of the house.  She has inherited her mentor's country home, but her father insists on living in the stable house, and he is "paying calls" on her housekeeper. None of this would seem too extraordinary now, but the social norms of 1933 were still very strict. Reconciling her life now with her life growing up as a costermonger's daughter is a constant struggle for Maisie, and we get to see how she continues to figure things out. Now throw in the threat of war and powerful people manipulating public opinion for the greater good, and you have another great Winspear novel.

Now, go put on the teapot and settle in for a good read.
Cheerio for now!

Mary Kay