A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

Genre: Mystery
Series: #8 in the Maisie Dobbs series
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 261
Source: eGalley provided by publisher through NetGalley


The Short Version:
Maisie Dobbs is recruited by the British Secret Service for an undercover investigation of activities at a private college but finds much more to investigate after a murder.

Why I Read It:
I have enjoyed every book in this series more than the previous ones and this is no exception and the only bad thing about being caught up is that now I have a long wait for the next one.

The Book:
Maisie Dobbs is a private investigator in 1930’s London. In this installment of the series she is recruited by the British Secret Service to go undercover as an instructor and a private college in Cambridge. They are concerned about activities a the college that may not be in the interests of the government.

Shortly after Maisie is hired and begins her work a the school, it’s founder is murdered. Maisie is caught up in the middle of multiple investigations. The Secret Service needs her to preserve her cover as a teacher and her primary investigation into possible communist groups at the school. At the same time she’s involved with Scotland Yard’s Special Branch in the investigation of the murder.

As she delves into the present and past activities of the students and faculty, Maisie uncovers a multitude of secrets, including probable governmental coverups of events that happened on the battlefields of World War I. Maisie also develops a growing concern over the activities of a group that is supportive of Germany’s developing Nazi Party. Although the Secret Service is far more concerned about Communists than Nazis, Maisie sees trouble on the horizon.


My Thoughts:
Once again the historical setting and background is as interesting as the central mystery. That’s probably my favorite part about this series. The portrayal of the period between the wars is fascinating. As the wounds and aftermath of World War I begin healing, the signs of what is coming from Germany and other parts of Europe are beginning to garner more and more attention.

In the meantime, Maisie’s personal and professional life continues. Her recruitment by the Secret Service is perhaps a beginning of a new aspect of her life as an investigator. I hope that’s the case as I find it quite fascinating. Maisie’s personal life took quite a turn in the previous book and in this one Maisie is still adapting to her new circumstances and relationships. I liked the path her father’s story is beginning to take and can empathize with Maisie’s unease when she first learns of it.

I always enjoy the parts of the story that relate to Maisie’s assistant Billy Beale and his family and it’s nice to see some positive things happening in that part of the ongoing story too.

The central case in this one was again a different kind of case for Maisie and although there were a lot of suspects and stories to track it all flowed well and kept my interest. The side story of a former co-worker of Maisie’s was good but I felt like that one was sidelined a bit near the end and wrapped up a bit too quickly and neatly compared to how it had started to develop. Nevertheless this is another strong and satisfying episode of a series that I continue to highly recommend.


Rating 4/5