The Maisie Dobbs Books in Order

In what order should I read Maisie Dobbs books?

I'm thrilled to bring you our comprehensive guide to the enthralling Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. As an ardent fan of mystery novels, I've been captivated by the extraordinary journey of Maisie Dobbs, an empathetic and resourceful psychologist and investigator. In this post, we will delve into the Maisie Dobbs books in order, providing the perfect roadmap for those just discovering this remarkable series or for those seasoned readers eager to reminisce before immersing themselves in a new Maisie Dobbs book.

With each novel, we witness Maisie Dobbs confronting the challenges of a world recovering from the Great War and subsequently grappling with the devastating events of World War II. The Maisie Dobbs series transports us from the quaint English countryside to the vibrant streets of London, enthralling us with gripping mysteries interwoven with the complexities of wartime life. So, gather your favorite reading snacks and join me as we explore the captivating Maisie Dobbs books in order, unearthing the riveting tales of intrigue, growth, and inspiration that make this series truly unforgettable.

The Maisie Dobbs Books in Order

Maisie Dobbs (2003)

Thrust into the world of aristocracy as a maid at just thirteen, Maisie Dobbs finds herself under the tutelage of the fearless suffragette, Lady Rowan Compton, and the perceptive investigator, Maurice Blanche. These mentors pave the way for her education at the distinguished Girton College in Cambridge. But destiny has other plans, as war tears her away from her aspirations and propels her into the role of a frontline nurse.

A decade later, in 1929, a battle-hardened Maisie emerges as a private investigator, unraveling mysteries with her keen intuition and unwavering determination to uncover the truth. Her first case takes a thrilling turn as it delves into the unexpected. As fate would have it, Maisie is soon drawn into a gripping investigation involving The Retreat, a sanctuary for shattered ex-soldiers. In the process, she must face the shadows of her past that have been haunting her for years, leading to a riveting showdown between the ghosts of yesterday and the resilient woman she's become. "Maisie Dobbs" was a New York Times Notable Book, and winner of the Agatha Award for First Best Novel.

Birds of a Feather (2004)

In the blossoming spring of 1930, Maisie Dobbs takes on the task of locating a missing heiress, expecting a straightforward assignment. However, her investigation quickly spirals into complexity as three of the heiress's former friends turn up dead. The pressing question now is whether the enigmatic disappearance and the chilling murders are somehow intertwined.

What possible motive could someone have to eliminate three seemingly upstanding young women? As Maisie delves deeper into the case, she finds herself confronted by the harrowing specter of the Great War, revealing that the key to solving this perplexing mystery lies within the scars of a devastating past.

Pardonable Lies (2005)

When Sir Cecil Lawton's wife utters a dying request, he turns to Maisie Dobbs, a skilled psychologist and investigator, for help. Maisie soon discovers that Agnes Lawton refused to believe her aviator son perished in the Great War, a conviction that led her towards madness and the shadowy realm of dark arts and spiritualism. Taking on the case, Maisie's own spiritual resilience and her relationship with mentor Maurice Blanche are put to the test.

This intense mission unexpectedly reunites Maisie with her college friend, Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and lost three brothers in the war. As the investigation unfolds, it's revealed that one of Priscilla's brothers shared a captivating connection with the vanished Ralph Lawton, adding another layer to the enthralling mystery.

Messenger of Truth (2006)

In 1931 London, on the eve of his artwork exhibition at a prestigious Mayfair gallery, controversial artist Nick Bassington-Hope tragically falls to his death. While the police deem it an accident, Nick's twin sister, Georgina, a renowned wartime journalist, remains unconvinced. As the authorities dismiss her suspicions of murder, she enlists the help of her fellow Girton College graduate, Maisie Dobbs, a proficient psychologist and investigator.

A World War I veteran, Nick's case draws Maisie to the desolate shores of Dungeness in Kent and into the city's art world's sinister depths. As she unravels the dangerous remnants of the Great War lingering within a society attempting to heal, Maisie must keep her wits about her to solve the enigma of Nick's demise while evading the shadowy figures determined to silence her.

An Incomplete Revenge (2008)

Amidst an economic downturn and concerns for her business, Maisie Dobbs welcomes a seemingly simple assignment from an old friend to investigate matters related to a potential land purchase. Her inquiries lead her to a picturesque Kent village during hop-picking season, where she discovers that all is not as idyllic as it appears. Mysterious fires plague the village with unnerving frequency, while a string of petty crimes hints at a more sinister element lurking beneath the surface.

Maisie learns of the villagers' deep-seated prejudice against outsiders arriving for the harvest, further fueled by the lingering impact of a wartime Zeppelin raid. As she delves deeper into the village's peculiar secrecy, Maisie must employ her finely tuned detective skills to crack one of her most enthralling cases yet.

Among the Mad (2009)

On Christmas Eve of 1931, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man's suicide on a bustling London street. The next day, a chilling letter arrives at the prime minister's office, threatening massive loss of life and specifically mentioning Maisie. Cleared by Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Scotland Yard's elite Special Branch, Maisie finds herself working as a special adviser on the case. Concurrently, her trusted assistant, Billy Beale, struggles as his wife spirals deeper into the depths of melancholia following their young daughter's death.

Racing against the clock, Maisie must track down a man capable of inflicting death and destruction upon thousands of innocents. In doing so, she confronts a darkness reminiscent of her nursing days tending to shell-shocked men, making this harrowing case a truly daunting challenge.

The Mapping of Love and Death (2010)

In August 1914, as Michael Clifton maps his newly acquired land in California's stunning Santa Ynez Valley, war breaks out in Europe. Bound by duty to his father's homeland, the young cartographer sails to England to serve in the British army, only to be listed as missing in action three years later.

Fast forward to April 1932, when Michael's remains are discovered in France, his parents enlist London psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs to find the anonymous nurse who exchanged love letters with their late son. This mission takes Maisie on a journey through her own poignant wartime romance, leading her to the shocking revelation that Michael Clifton was murdered in his dugout. As a tangled web of intrigue and violence threatens to engulf the deceased soldier's family and even Maisie herself, she grapples with the imminent loss of her mentor and the realization that she is falling in love once more.

A Lesson in Secrets (2011)

Private investigator Maisie Dobbs undertakes her first assignment for the British Secret Service. Tasked with posing as a junior lecturer at a private Cambridge college, Maisie is to keep an eye on activities that may not align with the interests of His Majesty's government. However, when the college's pacifist founder is brutally murdered, Maisie finds herself entangled in a sinister web of murder, scandal, and conspiracy. As she delves deeper, she uncovers connections to members of the rising Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei - the Nazi Party - operating on British soil.

Elegy for Eddie (2012)

Maisie takes on a case close to her heart, involving the costermongers of Covent Garden-men she has known since childhood, including her father, Frankie. When gentle Eddie Pettit, a man with a remarkable talent for working with horses, dies in a suspicious accident, the costermongers enlist Maisie's help to uncover the truth. Her investigation leads her through the working-class streets of Lambeth, where she grew up, to encounter powerful figures like a ruthless press baron, an ambitious politician named Winston Churchill, and even her dearest friend Priscilla's husband, Douglas Partridge. As Maisie unveils a web of national-scale deception and manipulation, she must decide if pursuing justice is worth risking everything.

Leaving Everything Most Loved (2013)

In London in 1933, Maisie Dobbs takes on a case involving the mysterious murder of an Indian woman, Usha Pramal, whose body was found in a South London canal. Usha's brother seeks Maisie's help after Scotland Yard's seemingly incomplete investigation fails to yield any arrests.

As Maisie delves into the case, she learns that Usha had been living at an ayah's hostel for Indian women, and that she was unlike the other residents. However, danger lurks as another Indian woman connected to Usha is killed before revealing crucial information. As Maisie navigates the intriguing and unfamiliar subculture, her investigation becomes entangled with unresolved issues from a previous case. Meanwhile, her lover, James Compton, presents her with an ultimatum she can't ignore, adding further complexity to her life.

A Dangerous Place (2015)

Maisie returns to England after four years abroad, having experienced love, contentment, and unimaginable tragedy. Eager for peace, she plans to visit India, but her stepmother calls her back to care for her aging father. On her way home, Maisie decides she's not ready to face England and disembarks in Gibraltar, despite the captain's warning of danger.

The British garrison town is overflowing with refugees from the Spanish civil war, and soon after her arrival, a local photographer, Sebastian Babayoff, is murdered. Maisie finds herself entangled in the case, drawing the attention of the British Secret Service. As she navigates political intrigue in Gibraltar and rekindles an uneasy acquaintance, Maisie must choose her path, aware that England poses its own set of dangers.

Journey to Munich (2016)

In early 1938, the German government agrees to release a British prisoner, but only to a family member. With the man's wife deceased and his daughter unwell, the Secret Service recruits Maisie Dobbs, who bears a striking resemblance to the daughter, to retrieve him from Dachau Prison near Munich. Venturing into the heart of Nazi Germany, Maisie faces unexpected perils and contemplates whether it's time to return to her previous work. However, the Secret Service might have other plans for her as she journeys deep into the Third Reich amid the growing shadows of war.

In This Grave Hour (2017)

On September 3, 1939, as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces Britain's declaration of war with Germany, a senior Secret Service agent enters Maisie Dobbs' flat with an urgent assignment: to find the murderer of a man who, as a boy, had escaped occupied Belgium during the Great War. With London under the shadow of barrage balloons, bomb shelters, and the threat of invasion, another former Belgian refugee is found dead. Maisie's investigation into the murders of these displaced individuals from the previous war leads her to encounter a new kind of refugee - a mute evacuee girl named Anna, whose origins remain a mystery. As Maisie's search intensifies and Britain faces its gravest hour, she may also be approaching a critical crossroads in her life.

To Die But Once (2018)

Following Britain's declaration of war on Germany, Maisie Dobbs investigates the disappearance of a young apprentice involved in a top-secret government project. As the public learns about the thousands of stranded soldiers on French beaches and the threat of invasion grows, a young man close to Maisie makes a life-altering decision. Her inquiry takes her from rural Hampshire to the shady operations of a powerful London underworld figure, highlighting the connection between money and war. As Maisie faces a final confrontation, she must consider the potential impact on her future and weigh the risk of jeopardizing a dream she desperately wants to come true.

The American Agent (2019)

Upon discovering the murder of American war correspondent Catherine Saxon in London, British authorities conceal the news. Robert MacFarlane, a liaison between Scotland Yard and the Secret Service, enlists Maisie Dobbs' help, accompanied by US Department of Justice agent Mark Scott, who previously aided Maisie in escaping Hitler's Munich.

Tasked with working alongside Scott to uncover the truth about Saxon's death, Maisie must balance solving this perilous case with protecting Anna, a young evacuee she has grown to love and wishes to adopt. As she navigates an investigation tied to wartime propaganda and American political intrigue in Britain, Maisie risks losing her closest friend and potentially finds herself falling in love once more.

The Consequences of Fear (2021)

In October 1941, young message runner Freddie Hackett witnesses a murder while on a delivery, only to later come face-to-face with the killer. When the police dismiss his report, Freddie seeks out Maisie Dobbs for help. While wanting to assist Freddie, Maisie must exercise caution as she secretly works for the Special Operations Executive, evaluating candidates for critical French resistance roles.

Her worlds collide when she unexpectedly encounters the murderer, and she realizes she's become entwined with a man whose motives for killing trace back to the previous war. As Maisie gets caught up in a power struggle between British intelligence in France and Free French agents across Europe, she must also address lingering concerns about Freddie's mental state, uncovering truths that could have disastrous consequences for all those involved.

A Sunlit Weapon (2022)

In October 1942, 22-year-old ferry pilot Jo Hardy discovers she's being shot at while delivering a Supermarine Spitfire and later finds a bound and gagged American serviceman, who becomes a suspect in a fellow soldier's disappearance. Just two days later, another ferry pilot crashes nearby, prompting Jo to seek help from psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs.

Concurrently, Maisie's husband is responsible for securing First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's safety during her visit to Britain, as there's evidence of German agents targeting her. To protect Mrs. Roosevelt and the detained soldier, Maisie must find the connection between these events. Meanwhile, she grapples with her daughter Anna's personal challenges amid the turmoil of wartime.

The Comfort of Ghosts (2025)

In post-war London, 1945, four orphans with a murky history are squatting in an abandoned Belgravia mansion, left behind when the owners escaped the wartime bombing. Maisie Dobbs, an investigator and psychologist, is sent to check on the property and finds more than expected—among the group is a demobilized soldier, severely ill and struggling to recover from his experiences abroad.

As Maisie offers support to the children and the soldier, she stumbles across an unsettling link to her own past. The case unearths a mystery tied to her late husband, James Compton, who lost his life piloting an experimental plane. Digging into these revelations forces Maisie to confront her deepest grief and question truths she had always taken for granted.

This case, chosen by Maisie herself, becomes more than just a job. It is a path toward healing, offering her and her family the possibility of a new future while shedding light on the challenges Britain faces as the war draws to a close.

Maisie Dobbs Companion Books

What Would Maisie Do? (2019)

What Would Maisie Do?" is a unique illustrated companion to the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series, delving into the beloved protagonist's world and sharing her wisdom and inspiration. The series has significantly impacted fans, with many sharing how Maisie's stories have resonated with them or helped them through challenging times.

Embodying the phrase "What Would Maisie Do?", readers draw strength from Maisie's resilience and endurance. This book features thirty timeless quotes from Maisie, accompanied by author Jacqueline Winspear's inspirations behind each piece of wisdom, allowing readers to gain further insight into Maisie Dobbs' world and reminisce about their favorite moments and memories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Maisie Dobbs?

Introducing Maisie Dobbs: one exceptional woman who defies convention and fearlessly confronts danger head-on! This gutsy heroine from the heart-stirring mystery series has readers on the edge of their seats as she masterfully unravels enigmas and uncovers hidden truths. Fearlessly forging her own path, Maisie sets up her own business in the intriguing world of private investigation and psychology. Throughout her thrilling adventures, she navigates tumultuous post-World War I England with her razor-sharp intuition and unyielding determination. Maisie Dobbs is more than a detective; she's a trailblazing, unstoppable force captivating readers with her relentless pursuit of justice in the shadows of a world still reeling from the aftershocks of war and the lost generation.

Who is Jacqueline Winspear?

Hailing from the scenic county of Kent, England, Jacqueline Winspear pursued higher education at the University of London's Institute of Education before diving into diverse roles in academic publishing, marketing communications, and higher education. Upon moving to the United States in 1990, she chased her writing dreams, contributing to a variety of journals, esteemed publications, and an assortment of short stories and essays. Deeply influenced by her grandfather's experiences in World War I, Jacqueline was inspired to create the enthralling Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series, which boasts several New York Times bestsellers, and standalone novels such as "The Care and Management of Lies," a bestseller and finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her talents extend to non-fiction works, captivating essays, and contributions to anthologies, as Jacqueline's distinct storytelling continues to captivate readers by delving into the intricate facets of human emotions and experiences.

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Author
Penny Somerset

I'm an avid reader and bibliophile. With an unquenchable thirst for stories, I love nothing more than burying my nose in a good book - whether it's curled up on the sofa or out in nature. My deep curiosity and appreciation of diverse writing means that there's no one genre that I prefer, but I'm especially keen on books full of adventure and vivid imagination.
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