I love this period of history and the gentleness of Maisie Dobbs as she has risen as a women in an era where women were just coming into their own. The writing of Jacqueline Winspear always leaves me wanting more. I feel sad when the book is closed and I have to wait what seems to be way too long for the next volume in Maisie's life. This book poses a murder mystery with many possibilities as to the villain. In the end we feel somewhat sorry for the murderer...which is unusual for this genre. We are made to look at the good and evil in men and their countries as we head towards WWII and the fascination with Hitler in some European circles as they strive to recover from the horrors of WWI just a few decades before. Because these stories refer to Maisie's past so often, it might be wise to read them sequentially. However, there is enough background that even without doing that, the reader will still enjoy the twists and turns of a well constructed plot.