A Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear - 4 stars

[Ellen]

London, 1938, and the whispers of war are growing louder. Maisie Dobbs, recently returned from Spain where she tried to dispel her grief by working as a nurse to badly wounded soldiers, is approached by the British Secret Service. They would like Maisie to assume the identity of Edwina Donat, the daughter of a highly regarded scientist, who has been arrested and imprisoned in Germany. Leon Donat is being held at Dachau but the German government has agreed to release him, but only to a family member. Maisie greatly resembles Edwina and after some intense training with a firearm, Maisie sets off for Germany, but not before she is approached by a man she hates and blames for the deep seated grief is suffering. Mr. Otterborn would like Maisie to find his daughter, Elaine, who is somewhere in Munich and convince her to come home. Maisie reluctantly agrees to this request as well.

Once in Munich, Maisie is continuously thwarted in her attempts to have Leon Donat released to her care. Paperwork piles up daily on the desks of the German soldiers and they can't seem to locate the files they need. Meanwhile, Maisie connects with the errant Elaine, only to find that she is deeply attached to a young German soldier and refuses to return to England. Maisie herself knows that she is under constant surveillance and at great risk if her subterfuge as Edwina Donat should come to light. Getting Donat out of Dachau may prove to be the most harrowing experience of Maisie's life.

Once again Winspear has written a great Maisie Dobbs story. I do prefer Maisie as the private investigator rather than the spy, but this was a good departure from the normal stories.

[Joanne]

When I saw the name Maisie Dobbs, it rang a bell in my head-I must of read one of these books somewhere a long the way, not on any of my shelves so it must have been a while ago. This one looks like one I would like.

[[deleted user]]

Love your review. I have not this book but it sounds really good.

[[deleted user]]

I noticed this is a series? Can they be read as standalone books?

[Ellen]

Rachel wrote: "I noticed this is a series? Can they be read as standalone books?"
I think it might be difficult to read them as stand alone. So much of what Maisie does is based on what has happened to her along the way. It is a wonderful series though, so don't hesitate to start at the beginning.