By Erica

I am definitely late to this party, but I just discovered the Maisie Dobbs crime series. Starting in pre-WWI London, Maisie begins as a chambermaid, is noticed for her intelligence and educated at Cambridge by her employer and patron, serves as a nurse in France, is trained by a famous forensic physician (a friend of her patron), and sets out to solve crimes, on her own and for private clients and her government. Jacqueline Winspear, the author, engaged me (and my husband) thoroughly not only in Maisie’s evolution but also in the unvarnished details of life in London before, during, and after WWI and on to WWII where the series leaves off, for now. There are 12 books so far...can't wait to see what Maisie does next and how she evolves.