Leaving Everything Most Loved: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

London, 1933. Two months after Usha Pramal’s body is discovered in the waters of a city canal, her brother, newly arrived in England, turns to Maisie Dobbs for help. Not only has Scotland Yard made no arrests, but evidence indicates they failed to conduct a full investigation. Usha had been staying at an ayah’s hostel, a refuge for Indian women. As Maisie learns, Usha was different from the hostel’s other residents. But with this discovery comes new danger, as a fellow lodger who was close to Usha is found murdered.

As Maisie is pulled deeper into an unfamiliar yet captivating subculture, her investigation becomes clouded by the unfinished business of a previous case, and by a growing desire to see more of the world. At the same time, her lover, James Compton, gives her an ultimatum she cannot ignore. Bringing a crucial chapter in the life and times of Maisie Dobbs to a close, Leaving Everything Most Loved signals a vital turning point in this remarkable series.

my thoughts:

I love me some Maisie Dobbs, so of course I jumped at the chance to read her latest book in Winspear's wonderful series.  Now, I'm going to admit that I have not read all of the books, so at times there were bits of information that surprised me and kind of threw me for a loop, but overall I felt right at home with Maisie and 1930s London.

In this latest installment we have murders to solve, a runaway to find, and a HUGE decision to make.  Life is getting a bit more complicated for Maisie Dobbs and I'm not referring to the cases she's working on.  Maisie is now living with James Compton and their relationship has reached an impasse.  He wants to get married and she doesn't.  James is about to embark on a lengthy trip to North America and would like for Maisie to accompany him.  He wants reassurance that their relationship is moving forward in the right direction.  However, Maisie is feeling the need to travel to India - she wants to see the world and experience it on her own.  As much as she loves James, she's not ready to commit to him in such a permanent manner - of course, she's not ready to let him go either.  Hmmm....decisions, decisions.  Along with her personal drama, Maisie has to deal with her work and her employees' own dramas.  Looks like Billy has never fully recovered from the traumatic beating he took when he was investigating a case for Maisie - his work is sub par and his mind is distracted by a co-worker (yep, Sandra is making eyes at Billy and Maisie is not happy about it at all).  Oh, and did I mention that Maisie's father has been acting a bit strange lately - he's a got a secret!

Winspear has once again written a terrific story involving the inimitable Maisie Dobbs.  There is mystery, intrigue, danger, romance, and unexpected surprises.  I found myself falling in deep all over again with familiar characters, London, and Winspear's writing.  Leaving Everything Most Loved was a such a treat to read.  I would most definitely recommend this book to fans of Winspear's Maisie Dobbs' series and to readers looking for a new series to get lost in - you will LOVE this book!

Here's the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Leaving Everything Most Loved

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!