Jacqueline Winspear's Elegy for Eddie is yet another satisfying instalment in the Maisie Dobbs series of books. To be honest, initially the mystery which concerns the death of a London costermonger didn't appeal to me as much as some of her previous stories. But as the line for the book is long at the library, I knew I had to read it now or go the back of the queue and wait weeks for another turn. It didn't take me long, however, to find I was totally absorbed in the story once I started, and now that I'm finished am sad to know there won't be another book to look forward to for at least a year. I've been on a mystery binge lately turning to mostly cozy, comfort read type books, so Elegy for Eddie matched my mood perfectly as it turns out.
If you follow the series as well, you'll already know about Maisie's history from her humble beginnings as a below the stairs servant in a grand country house and her love of reading and learning which caught the notice of Lady Compton who, along with Maurice Blanche, a family friend, helped nurture her talents to enable her to study at Girten College. WWI intervened in Maisie's education as she went off to France to serve as a nurse. All her experiences have helped mold her into a sensitive and inquisitive woman who is as interested in solving problems as delving into the psychological nature of both victim and perpetrator when she's asked to take on a new case. Although she is an inquiry agent, or private investigator, she takes care to deal with the total well-being of her family, friends, and those clients who come to her for help and not just find a solution to a crime.
Maisie is an interesting character and a formidable one. She's strong, intelligent and independent. In some ways she's been damaged by the war, which though it's long finished still hovers in the background of the stories. Perhaps she is more damaged, or better to say still affected by the war than she sometimes cares to admit. And she is definitely something of a perfectionist and maybe even the tiniest bit controlling, though her intentions are always to make life better for those around her. What I enjoy most about these books is seeing how she and the other characters have grown and evolved over time. In the last few books chinks to her armor have been spotted, and in this latest story she finally begins to realize some of her own shortcomings and how they impact those around her. It turns out that Maisie is as human as the rest of us.
Elegy for Eddie is set in 1933, and while often Winspear's stories look back on WWI, her more recent books are looking forward as ill winds are blowing in Europe with Hitler's rise to power in Germany. In the last book, A Lesson in Secrets, Maisie was asked to take on an assignment with the British Secret Service thanks to her association with Maurice Blanche her former mentor and colleague. Maurice's work was far reaching and has influenced Maisie in her own endeavors, but it's a traditional mystery she's asked to unravel this time out. Still, what appears to be a "simple" death under questionable circumstances will turn out to be darker and murkier and have far reaching connections to some close to her.
Maisie is asked to look into the death of a man she knew growing up. Her own father was a costermonger, who sold fruit and vegetables in London before moving to the countryside. Eddie Pettit, her elder by some years, was someone who was well loved by those close to him, and when he dies under unusual circumstances his friends come to Maisie hoping she can find answers to their concerns. Eddie had a natural affinity and gift for working with horses having been born in a stable. Although a gentle soul, there were a few around him who would take out their anger on his deficiencies, including a bully from his childhood who turns up just when Eddie seemed to be doing well for himself. Eddie, it would appear, had gotten caught up in events much larger and more dangerous than he could handle.
During her investigation Maisie finds that nothing is quite as simple as it appears, and Eddie's death is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of lies and deceptions perpetrated by some in positions of power. Finding a solution and revealing the truth becomes a moral conundrum, and while she might solve the murder she is left with uneasy answers showing that life is rarely pat and dry but plays out in shades of gray. As with so many of my favorite mystery series it's not just the solving of the crime I'm interested in, but with the characters' lives and the world in which they live. On these counts Winspear rarely fails to deliver. Maisie is likable, but she is not without her flaws, and more so in this story than in many of the others she shows herself to have weaknesses. And Winspear has a real knack for creating atmosphere and painting period details in a way that is natural and not glaring. I think I say this with every new Maisie book I read, but I really do think this is my favorite one so far.
I'm almost finished with Andrew Taylor's The Lover of the Grave, which is another excellent mystery series, though set in post-WWII England. I hope to write about it a little later this week. And I'm also wrapped up in a Miss Marple mystery, The Body in the Library and still contemplating something with an Italian setting as well. I'm having a really good run of mysteries at the moment!