Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs #2)

by Jacqueline Winspear (Goodreads Author)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 7,525 ratings · 917 reviews

An eventful year has passed for Maisie Dobbs. Since starting a one-woman private investigation agency in 1929 London, she now has a professional office in Fitzroy Square and an assistant, the happy-go-lucky Billy Beale. She has proven herself as a psychologist and investigator, and has even won over Detective Inspector Stratton of Scotland Yard's Murder Squad - an admirabl...more

Paperback, 309 pages

Published August 2nd 2005 by Penguin (first published January 1st 2004)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Best Historical Mystery

54th out of 738 books — 1,615 voters

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Favorite Historical Mystery Series

31st out of 419 books — 403 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 20, 2011 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, mysteries

It is now 1930, and this second installment in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series finds Maisie's detective services requested by the rich grocery chain owner Joseph Waite, whose 30+ year old daughter Charlotte has run away from the family home and her feckless lifestyle. Maisie and her sidekick Billy Beale once again delve into the pain and anguish caused by WWI, and encounter a mystery tinged with loneliness, grief and revenge. In her quest to solve Charlotte's disappearence, Maisie uncovers the m...more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2010 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Winspear's smart writing style. Plus, her characters are easily loveable and detestable. The murders within this novel are frightening but not anywhere near what's considered scary like Stephen King (I avoid his stuff like the plaugue.) My only complaint is that I expected Maisie to reveal every bit of evidence she finds to the reader like those found at each murder further linking them together. I finally guessed what they were but it drove me crazy more so than trying to figure out the...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 02, 2009 Claire rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery

I'm giving up on this series. I want to like it, but I just don't. I'd like reasons behind her solving cases instead of mystic hunches. The set-up is great. The character not at all.

Also this book particularly annoyed me. Throughout, the author kept pointing out how little Maisie ate. All these comments about how she'd forgotten to eat breakfast or how she peeled the batter off her fish. I started wondering if the author wrote this while dieting since it added nothing to the character or the sto...more

8 likes · like · see review

Aug 01, 2007 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

the 2nd in a series - always a test to see how well the characters hold up, and I thought these did - actually liked this book better than the first one. the characters were more developed (maybe seemed a bit more "real", not that I was looking for that, but it struck me as a good thing when I was reading) and there seemed to be more of a real mystery this time. more themes about WWI and loss. and I love that Maisie might be ready for a new relationship. I'll definitely read more of the series.

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 June Pecchia rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those looking for a non-sensational, thoughtful mystery

Recommended to June by: book club

Shelves: historical-fiction-adults

So much fun to step back in time and place, including learning obscure words from early 20th century England: Learn what a "twitten" is on p. 120.

Many thoughtful characters work with Maisie to solve this mystery, including Dame Constance of Camden Abbey: "Simply and only, simply and only. Everything and nothing are simple, as you know."

Settle in for a cozy read.

like · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Grace rated it 3 of 5 stars

Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Title: Birds of a Feather
Description: Maisie Dobbs is hired by a wealthy man to find his adult daughter who has a habit of bolting from the house. Meanwhile, several young women of the same age turn up dead, and Maisie wonders if there is a connection. This book is the second of the Maisie Dobbs books (I haven’t read any of the others) and is set in post-WWI England.
Review source: This was one of the picks for our book group.
Plot: It was interesting to follow Maisie a...more

like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, mystery

When Maisie takes on the case of Charlotte Waite, the missing adult daughter of a self-made multi-millionaire grocer, she doesn't expect it to lead to three murders...and neither does Scotland Yard. In fact, Inspector Stratton is determined not to believe in any connection, because he thinks he already has the murderer. Maisie thinks things are not so simple, though, and are, as usual, rooted in the horrors of the First World War. Meanwhile, Maisie has her own problems. Her assistant, Billy Beal...more

like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Shomeret rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery-thriller, my-reviews

Until recently I thought that World War I lacked any enduring significance. Yet some of the most interesting historical fictions I've been reading this year take place during that period. Tara Chevrestt's Ride For Rights approaches WWI as instrumental in advancing the cause of women's rights. Joseph Richardson's Fire Angels reveals WWI as a crucible that defined the character of those who fought, and those who didn't fight. Jacqueline Winspear's Birds of a Feather also deals with attitudes towar...more

like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks

Maisie Dobbs is most certainly a different kind of detective. She is a young English woman who has set up her own business of taking on clients wanting her detecting services. She has reached that point in life starting as a girl working as a household maid, having her hunger for knowledge recognized and nurtured, and coming out of service as a volunteer nurse in France during World War I. She has an uncanny ability to sense or envision people and events in a psychic manner, yet she is intellige...more

like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Alyson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-historical

While I enjoyed the first in this series, this second book has me wondering if I really want to continue reading about Maisie Dobbs. The mysticism/woo used by Maisie to "sense" things is really becoming wearing and unnecessary--if Maisie is supposed to be so bright, intuitive, and observing of her surroundings, this extra "centering" and feeling the "hand" of a dead person on her shoulder is jarring and silly. There are also subplots with Maisie's father and partner that feel tacked on and, quit...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 20, 2011 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: maisie-dobbs

This is the sencond in the Maisie Dobbs series, and it does not disapoint!

"An eventful year has passed for Maisie Dobbs. Since starting a one-woman private investigation agency in 1929 London, she now has a professional office in Fitzroy Square and an assistant, the happy-go-lucky Billy Beale. She has proven herself as a psychologist and investigator, and has even won over Detective Inspector Stratton of Scotland Yard's Murder Squad - an admirable achievement for a woman who worked her way from...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Lauren rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I so want to like this series. I feel like I should like this series, that I’m the target audience and there is something wrong with me that I don’t like this series. But I don’t like Maisie Dobbs. At all. She’s a cold, self-centered woman with few redeeming qualities and the good fortune to be fictional and therefore able to ignore her numerous failings due to an author who wants to make her something wonderful. In short, she’s the literary equivalent of a spoiled, lazy, not-at-all bright teena...more I so want to like this series. I feel like I should like this series, that I’m the target audience and there is something wrong with me that I don’t like this series. But I don’t like Maisie Dobbs. At all. She’s a cold, self-centered woman with few redeeming qualities and the good fortune to be fictional and therefore able to ignore her numerous failings due to an author who wants to make her something wonderful. In short, she’s the literary equivalent of a spoiled, lazy, not-at-all bright teenager who gets into Harvard because of a legacy. After finishing this book, I made a list of what I didn’t like about this book (don’t worry, it’s not exhaustive) so that, whenever I start to think I should give this series another chance, I can read this list and remember why that would be a waste of good reading. What follows contains some small spoilers, but since I don’t think the book is worth reading, I don’t feel particularly bad about possibly ruining this book (seriously, don’t read it):

1. I don’t care how many times an author tells me a character is smart. That doesn’t convince me. Show me a character is smart. I can say I’m 6’1” all I want, but that doesn’t make me 6’1”.
2. On a related note, when a character is supposed to be smart, don’t drop massive clues, have said character ignore said clues for one hundred pages, and then suddenly remember them when it’s convenient for the story. That makes the character looks stupid.
3. When an author bases a scene or resolution off what one character says or does, please make sure said action would make a normal person step back and go “yep, understand why that would evoke that reaction.” Having a character go into a murderous rampage because someone gives him a slice of cake doesn’t make sense unless it’s explained, for example, that the government programmed that person to go into a murderous rampage if served cake. As a reader, I want to understand a book. I don’t want to have to create my own explanations to make a plot or scene work.
4. When a murderer snaps several years after an event, it’d be nice to know what set him off.
5. I like suspense - but only if used properly. When used properly, it’s a great addition to a story. When not used correctly (like when the information being withheld ties in directly to the title of the book and in no way reveals the denouement – say, for example, identical feathers found at crime scenes in a book titled Birds of a Feather), it just makes a story tedious. Put another way: Not immediately revealing who owned the knife found at the murder scene and not revealing related information that would give away the mystery? Good use of suspense. Waiting one hundred pages to reveal a knife was the murder weapon (and treating it as super mysterious) when it doesn’t reveal anything and is easy to figure out with the information given? Not a good use of suspense.
6. Love triangles are overused, but, when used correctly, I always forgive the overuse and eagerly lap up the drama. However, crucifying one character to build a triangle, telling the audience why they should like a character without giving any examples as to why, and using the device as a way to put in a cheap, unnecessary cliffhanger are not acceptable uses of a love triangle - and remind me why I’d like them to become the exception rather than the rule in storytelling.
7. Also, if an author must have a love triangle in a story, it’d be nice if the person at the center does not seem like a cold, heartless fish. As a reader, I want to understand why two men are attracted to one woman and both pursue her. Telling me that Betsy is a vicarious, funny woman doesn’t convince me she is (especially when the book contains no examples of that) and doesn’t show me why two men are fighting over her. Said conflict is even more difficult to believe when the author points out (repeatedly) that the story is set in post-WWI England and available women outnumber men by a considerable degree.
8. Using “feelings” to advance a story. Nope. Sorry. Yes, I’m all about rooms giving off a certain vibe and going off gut instincts. But when an author uses meditation and mysticism in place of actual investigating, I don’t like it. It seems cheap.
9. Emotional scenes put in for no reason other than to take up page space and make a character seem deep. Nope. Don’t do it. Especially when an author can’t even let that melodramatic story tell itself – excerpts of brief, meaningless conversations about a problem suddenly invented are not fun to read and do not move me to any emotion other than annoyance.
10. If a character is suffering from a drug addiction and withdrawal, there needs to be some actual consequence. Having them absolutely fine whenever they are needed? Weak. I want consequences! Under this logic, Achilles still had a weak heel but it didn’t matter, and he won anyway. What’s the point of that?

Those are the major points about why I didn’t like this book. To boil it all down (and I could have put this earlier, but certain books just bring out a need to rant): Like the first one, this has all of the pieces of a good mystery but the actual product is not good. I can’t quite believe such a great premise is not only so badly executed but has spanned an (as of 2011) eight-book series. What am I missing? That’s the real mystery. Not recommended.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really grew tired of the plot device whereby the author hid essential information from the reader that Maisie had in order to keep me from figuring out the mystery. "Maisie sat down with Mr Jones and began to ask the questions that had been forming since she'd met with Mr Smith. ... When she left the office an hour later, the pieces were finally starting to fall into place." That's just a paraphrase, but it happened over and over. We are never privy to her thought processes, the identification...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, bookcrossing

I really wanted to like Maisie Dobbs. A new mystery solver for me, based in the London of 1930. What I found was a mixture of Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew, with a hint of No 1 Ladies.
Maisie is a Nancy who grew up in London, and like Nancy, is described flawless. She drives in her fancy car around the city resolving mysteries her police friend can't solve without her help, yet she does not want to become a full policewoman or investigator. Instead of a Ned Nickerson she has a helper called Bil...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2011 Leah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, fiction

I gave this second book in the Maisie Dobbs series a chance, after a lukewarm reaction to the first book. I ended up not really liking the second one either, which is a shame, because they have such great potential. A young, female detective in London in the years after World War I sounds like a great premise for a mystery series. But it's the execution of the characters that I just didn't like.

In this second book, Maisie Dobbs is investigating the disappearance of the daughter of a wealthy sto...more

1 like · like · see review

May 09, 2011 AlixJamie rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book combines Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, taking the annoyances of both and the interest of neither.
I practically had to force my way through the book. The writing didn't flow and I felt like I was swimming against a tidal wave while I read it.
Maisie Dobbs is a bland, detached woman. I got so sick of her meditating and communing with the spirits of rooms and people. I think it was somehow supposed to show you her own inner turmoil, but, to be honest, I frankly didn't care about her tur...more This book combines Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, taking the annoyances of both and the interest of neither.
I practically had to force my way through the book. The writing didn't flow and I felt like I was swimming against a tidal wave while I read it.
Maisie Dobbs is a bland, detached woman. I got so sick of her meditating and communing with the spirits of rooms and people. I think it was somehow supposed to show you her own inner turmoil, but, to be honest, I frankly didn't care about her turmoil or see how it was really anything to be so concerned about. She showed no emotion and any emotion that was inserted was just that...inserted. There's a difference between saying a character is crying and miserable and showing why that character is crying and miserable. Mrs. Winspear tells us that Maisie is sad and thus we are supposed to take it on blind faith, because Maisie herself is not convincingly miserable. Miss Dobbs seemed incapable of showing feeling or extending warmth to anyone.
The plot was thick and almost impenetrable. It focused on everything but the mystery. Maisie was constantly driving here and there and doing this and that but nothing seemed to pertain to anything. There is almost a lack of continuity. I almost had to use a bookmark in this book because I would open the book to a driving scene (of which there are many...) and not even realize it wasn't the one I had left off on.
I also had difficulty remembering the names of characters she introduced and often had to stop reading and recall who was who and what they were.
As for the culprit, it wasn't very ingenious at all. We were hardly introduced to the culprit in the first place (to the point where you practically forgot the person existed) and in the second place every clue as to who it was was cut out of the book. You couldn't figure out who the culprit was until the end of the book because the author practically hid the culprit from view. The person hardly existed. (I did figure it out before the climax, which probably isn't a difficult maneuver). Very ingenious, Mrs. Winspear. Very ingenious.
In a nutshell, this book is heavy, boring and absolutely uninspired. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2011 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

More established after several more cases that have passed between book one and Birds of a Feather, Maisie and Billy have made quite a name for themselves. Suddenly they are in high demand, answering inquiries from wealthy Mr. Waite. Seems that Mr. Waite’s daughter, Charlotte has gone missing, yet again, and to keep his well-to-do family’s good name out of the paper, Mr. Wait is willing to do anything to catch and contain his wayward kid.

Tracking down the...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2011 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

As part of the I'm Mad for Maisie Read Along sponsored by the bookclubgirl, I read the second book in the Maisie Dobbs series, Birds of a Feather. Although it is set in 1930, and World War I had been over for little more than a decade, the effects of the war are still being felt.

Maisie's assistant Billy, who was badly injured during the war, has become addicted to pain killers. His wife comes to Maisie concerned about her husband, and confirming Maisie's own suspicions that something is wrong wi...more As part of the I'm Mad for Maisie Read Along sponsored by the bookclubgirl, I read the second book in the Maisie Dobbs series, Birds of a Feather. Although it is set in 1930, and World War I had been over for little more than a decade, the effects of the war are still being felt.

Maisie's assistant Billy, who was badly injured during the war, has become addicted to pain killers. His wife comes to Maisie concerned about her husband, and confirming Maisie's own suspicions that something is wrong with Billy.

The main mystery concerns the disappearance of a young woman whose wealthy father owns many grocery stores. Her disappearance comes on the heels of the deaths of three other women, women whom Maisie discovers were friends of the missing woman.

There are many possible suspects, but when the police narrow it down to one of the dead women's husbands, Maisie believes they have the wrong man. She uses the methods taught to her by her mentor Dr. Blanche, both scientific and intuitive, to find the killer. (Again, it could be a forerunner of the popular TV series CSI crossed with The Mentalist.)

My favorite line in the book is one of Dr. Blanche's teachings to Maisie:
"Coincidence is a messenger sent by truth. (That) there are no accidents of fate."
Maisie still visits Simon, the doctor she fell in love with during the war, at the hospital where he will never recover. Her compassion is touching, but in this book it appears that Maisie is ready to move on to having a romantic relationship with another man. She has two possible suitors: Dr. Dene and Inspector Stratton. It will be interesting to see in future books which man may win her heart, and whether either man can stand up to the memory of Simon.

Again, I loved the description of Maisie's clothes. I would love to see illustrations in the book of Maisie's outfits.

I also found the characters in this book more rounded out. Joseph Waite, the wealthy father of the missing girl, is intriguing. He is overbearing with his daughter, but he is kind to his customers and to the families who lost sons and husbands during the war. Joseph's relationship with his daughter caused Maisie to reflect more on her own relationship with her father, which seems more distant as the years go by.

The Order of the White Feather was something I had never heard of before this book, and it was incorporated well into the story. Young women tend to be dramatic, and the way in which these young ladies thought they were helping the war effort caused more pain than they could have ever imagined. And in the end, it caused them much pain too.

I'd like to see Maisie become more emotionally open, and hope that in future books in the series, we see her find some happiness. Perhaps in the next novel in the series, Pardonable Lies. If you enjoy historical fiction and female protagonists, Maisie is the lady for you.
(less)

like · see review

Jan 20, 2011 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-and-children-s-class

Maisie Dobbs is back, and she will find all about vengeance in this delightful second book in an extremely delightful (yes, it is English) series. Set in post-WWI England, this series tracks the adventures, both investigative and highly personal in nature, of an almost thirty-year-old "psychologist/detective. The wonder and delight of this book comes form the amazing appeal of its protagonist, Miss Dobbs, raised form housemaid to scholar and nurse by virtue of her own amazing wits and gumption,...more

like · see review

Dec 01, 2010 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary-novels

The subject of Birds of a Feather is pain—the kind of physical, mental, and emotional agony that exists only in real life and in the very best literary fiction. And yet, the story is very beautiful.

I categorize the books of the Maisie Dobbs series as "literary" rather than "mystery" because the focus is not really on the plot. Although they are well structured and provide plenty of suspense, the novels of Jacqueline Winspear are very rich in terms of the other elements of fiction: namely, charac...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 11, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: litfic, mysteries

I generally don't enjoy literary fiction, but the Maisie Dobbs series with one foot in mystery genre fiction and one foot in lit fic is an exception. Again we are dealing with issues of the First World War; again Maisie is working on herself as well as her job, and again the mystery is quite well done. The slight life-coachiness continues to irritate me but I'm getting over it.

My biggest question: why does Winspear insist on describing every darn thing Maisie wears just as soon as she shows up...more

like · see review

Jul 10, 2010 Phillip rated it 4 of 5 stars

This 2nd book in the Maisie Dobbs series benefits from the firm foundation provided by the first book. (In other words, read "Maisie Dobbs" first.) Actually, as a stand alone mystery it holds up pretty well. But the more you know of Maisie's origins the more profound your appreciation of her will be.

This mystery, initiated by the search for a runaway heiress, is not so much clever as it is insightful into the nature of human beings. In fact the armchair detective will be frustrated by the moment...more

like · see review

Jun 02, 2010 AnnaMay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading a Maisie Dobbs book is like eating comfort food. There are such good supporting roles (Maurice Blanche, Lady Rowan, her father, Billy, and more are being added...) It's nice facing life's challenges with such a crew bouying you up, I imagine.

Reading this story helped me reflect on my own supporters. We are such a result of those whom we love and associate with, even those from whom we seem naturally repelled. Each day we're torn down in new ways, built up in others, morphing into better...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2009 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I feel exactly about this book as I did about the first Maisie Dobbs novel. About halfway through the book, I thought, This is OK. But by the end I really liked the way the author tied everything together. There are two criticisms I have--one, that the book lags a little too much, and two, that Maisie is sometimes a little too intuitive, almost psychic. I don't feel it's believable when she sits in a room and its "energy" can give her clues to solve the case. Maisie seems too practical to believ...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2011 Philip rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The follow-up to MAISIE DOBBS, and the second book in the series. This one will determine whether or not I'll continue with subsequent books - I did enjoy the first book enough to go on to the second. Winspear is from England, which should lend these books authenticity, but perhaps she's lived her so long that some of her natural "British-ness" has worn off - instead of feeling like I'm reading a British mystery novel by a British writer, I have that "Faux-British" feeling I get with American wr...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this second installment in the Masie Dobbs series. I find Masie a nice mix of pragmatism, strength and independance who nevertheless displays her fragility in her loneliness and relationships with others and goes beyond the purely physical evidence to empathise with and understand her subjects. Sometimes the 'psychic' qualities she displays go a little too far but other than this small gripe she is a very likable heroine.

The subsidiary characters such as Billy, Joseph Waite, La...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 MissSusie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, reviewed, mysteries

The first book introduced us to Maisie Dobbs and where she comes from and her history with a bit of a mystery, this one is more mystery. I love the time setting in this series it really gives you a feel of the time and the aftermath of war. Maisie is on the case of a missing young(Late 20’s?) girl is she missing did she runaway or is something more sinister at work? While on the case she finds that friends of the girl have been found dead, does this have anything to do with Charlotte’s disappear...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2013 Claire Rutherford rated it 5 of 5 stars

I hadn't read a mystery in a while and this book was definitely a good way to get back into it! It is the second book in the series, but I didn't realize until I began looking for more books by Jacqueline Winspear. This book is set after World War I in England. The main character, Maisie Dobbs, runs her own detective agency with an assistant named Billy Beale. They are asked to help a rich, self-made man find his daughter who has run away; again. The daughter is an adult but her father insists s...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Kathie Turner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is the 2nd book of the Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs series, and she does not disappoint. Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
This is more interesting than the first. Maisie is becoming a more independent and settled character, who is confident in her abilities as an investigator. She has a skill set, thanks to her training with Maurice Blanche, her mentor, who took her to several other people to be taught various arts that would help her in different ways. (avoiding spoilers here)

M...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Downton Abbey fans

Last March I discovered the wonderful world of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs when I read The Mapping of Love and Death. I was enchanted by the intelligence and heart of the main character and vowed that I would be reading more books from the series. Over the summer I read (and loved) the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which gave me a lot of the background that I was looking for and was hinted at in The Mapping of Love and Death. I picked up a copy of the second book, Birds of a Fea...more Last March I discovered the wonderful world of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs when I read The Mapping of Love and Death. I was enchanted by the intelligence and heart of the main character and vowed that I would be reading more books from the series. Over the summer I read (and loved) the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which gave me a lot of the background that I was looking for and was hinted at in The Mapping of Love and Death. I picked up a copy of the second book, Birds of a Feather, at a local bookstore a few months ago and joined the "March is Maisie Month" TLC blog tour just so I would have an excuse to finally read it.

Once again I was struck by the way that Maisie's adventures are not only full of mystery and suspense, but also place a lot of importance on characters' emotions as well. Maisie's history as a former maid and nurse in World War I give her depth and a particularly interesting point of view from which to approach her cases. Indeed, even though at the outset Maisie's investigation into the disappearance of a wealthy heiress doesn't seem related to WWI, it gradually becomes clear that there are unexpected connections to it. I find it interesting and logical that the upheaval of the Great War would have such lasting effects on people in 1930 (the year this book takes place). I also was intrigued by how the beginnings of the Great Depression were in evidence throughout the story.

As with my experience reading The Mapping of Love and Death, I was utterly surprised by who ended up being the murderer. Maisie keeps her cards close to the vest and while I knew she was starting to connect the dots I was still utterly in the dark about the murders and their connection to the runaway heiress. I love it when a mystery can keep me guessing right up to the final reveal. This was another great book in the Maisie Dobbs series and I plan to continue with the rest of the series.

On a related note, if you are a Downton Abbey fan, you should give Maisie Dobbs a try! I was particularly struck by the common threads between that show and these books after watching the second season of Downton Abbey, which takes place during World War I. Maisie Dobbs was a maid before World War I and she worked as a nurse during the war. She observes many changes that occur within society during the war and the years afterward that would be familiar to fans of Downton Abbey. So if you're looking for Downton-esque reads, put the Maisie Dobbs series on your list!(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Signing!!!	2	28	Aug 05, 2008 06:32am

combine
Other Editions (19)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

578 users

Historical Fiction

188 users

Mystery > Historical Mystery

39 users

European Literature > British Literature

35 users

Mystery > Crime

20 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

19 users

Mystery > Cozy Mystery

14 users

Adult Fiction

14 users

Adult

13 users

Mystery > Detective

10 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Wings Of Fire
by Charles Todd
Death of Riley
by Rhys Bowen
Murder on Bank Street
by Victoria Thompson
When Gods Die
by C.S. Harris

About Jacqueline Winspear

Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.

She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a li...more

More about Jacqueline Winspear...

Books by Jacqueline Winspear

The Mapping of Love and Death (Maisie Dobbs, #7)

An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs, #5)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Birds of a Feather

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Birds of a Feather
avg rating	preview: Birds of a Feather Goodreads rating: 3.93 (7525 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83083.Birds_of_a_Feather?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309209720l/83083.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83083.Birds_of_a_Feather?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear[/url]

Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website