Critiques-
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Starred review from February 6, 2012
Set in 1933, bestseller Winspear’s excellent ninth novel featuring London investigator and psychologist Maisie Dobbs represents a welcome return to form after 2011’s less inspired A Lesson in Secrets. Five men Maisie hasn’t seen since girlhood break the sad news that Eddie Pettit, another friend Maisie hasn’t seen in years, died when a huge roll of paper fell on him in the paper factory where he ran errands. The gentle Eddie, who was considered slow, had a remarkable talent for relating to horses. The five, who suspect Eddie’s death was no accident, retain Maisie to find out what really happened. The case comes at an emotionally turbulent time for Maisie, who’s ambivalent about her relationship with wealthy James Compton and has begun to question the reasons for her own many acts of charity. The involved plot is as good as any in the series, and the resolution is intelligently complex. 9-city author tour. Agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. -
New York Journal of Books
"Long before the Downton Abbey craze, Jacqueline Winspear was writing remarkable mysteries about life in England circa WWI." — New York Journal of Books
"Compelling." — People (3 ½ out of 4 stars)
"A detective series to savor." — Johanna McGeary, Time
"A series that seems to get better with every entry." — Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
"When people ask me to recommend an author, one name consistently comes to mind: Jacqueline Winspear...Winspear chronicles the uncharted, sometimes rocky path chosen by her protagonist and delivers results that are educational, unique, and wonderful." — Deirdre Donahue, USA Today
"For as long as each novel lasts, we live in Maisie's suspenseful, intelligent world." — Evelyn Theiss, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"[Catches] the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman." — Chicago Tribune
"Engages the mind and enriches the heart." — Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch
"A heroine to cherish." — Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
"Terrific....Maisie is one of the great fictional heroines, equal parts haunted and haunting." — Parade
"For readers yearning for the calm and insightful intelligence of a main character like P.D. James's Cordelia Gray, Maisie Dobbs is spot on." — Hallie Ephron, Boston Globe
"Maisie Dobbs is a revelation." — Alexander McCall Smith
"Excellent....The involved plot is as good as any in the series, and the resolution is intelligently complex." — Publishers Weekly
"Like any typical PI, Maisie is preternaturally acute and given to noticing tiny details, but it's her compassion that allows her to illuminate some of the most pressing and staggeringly painful issues of her day, delivering unexpected answers and sense of peace to her clients-and her readers." — Nathalie Gorman, O, the Oprah Magazine
"Reading Jacqueline Winspear's Elegy for Eddie, the solid-gold ninth installment in a wonderful mystery series that shows no signs of flagging, you can't help thinking that her nurse-turned psychologist-turned sleuth would make an ideal PBS heroine." — Robert Bianco, USA Today
"A work of great humanity and a stellar entry in a superb series." — Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch
