Rated of 5
by Juliet F. (clarendon hills, IL) thoroughly enjoyable!
This whole series just gets better and better, and this installment is particularly satisfying on many levels. Maisie Dobbs is a great character, and the era of pre-WWII England provides a perfect backdrop for her professional and personal development. The book works well as a whodunnit, but it's also interesting to watch her struggle to find her place socially, as an intelligent and independent woman. It's also a nifty piece of historical fiction. Thumbs up!
Rated of 5
by David L. (Celebration, FL) Another winner for Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs"
"Lesson in Secrets" is the 8th novel in the "Maisie Dobbs" mystery series. Jacqueline Winspear has a gift for capturing the look and feel of England between the two World Wars. Her characters -- some of whom, like Maisie, appear in all of the novels -- are fully fleshed out. Like the other novels in the series, "A Lesson in Secrets" is well-organized, intelligent, thought-provoking. A very good read.
Rated of 5
by Ann L. (Arnold, MD) A Lesson in Secrets
This was a very entertaining mystery story. Maise Dobbs is a great character. Her fans will not be disappointed in latest adventure. Even though this book takes place in 1932, Maise is a very modern, independent woman. And she even uses meditation to help her solve crimes. It's fun to read about her.
Rated of 5
by Julie R. (Jefferson, ME) A Female Detective Icon
Dectective stories often evolve via fierce horrific scenes of violence - not so of Jacqueline Winspear's, "A Lesson in Secrets" - as old friends from preceding books encourage the reader to become the sleuth in sorting through clues to solve the murder. If you enjoyed the first books of this series, you will not be disappointed with her latest novel. In addition, Ms. Winspear has woven bits of Maisie's past life into the story of this book so that readers unfamiliar with the character can still understand the references. I enjoyed the depth of character development and the author's fluid and straight-forward writing style. With humor. clarity and purpose, Maisie, as mystic and maverick, secures her detective agency, shares her sleuthing skills with government organizations and finds time to console her friends and family. Should we not regard and regale Maisie as one of the 19th century's top female detectives?
Rated of 5
by Patricia F. (Stony Brook, New York) A Cup of Tea, a Tapestry and Maisie Dobbs...
To quote our Maisie Dobbs...."She often thought of the early stages of an investigation as something akin to working a tapestry.." Picture the development and working of a tapestry and seeing meticulous labor and utmost care going into creating an important work of art. What a wonderful metaphor for a Maisie Dobbs novel! Maisie is an accomplished, capable investigator who is conducting intelligence work for the Crown. Maisie secures a job as an instructor at St. Francis College and in her undercover role, investigates the murder of Dr. Grenville Liddicote, principal of the school. This is classic Winspear at her best..peeling back the layers of the investigation with the professionalism and class expected of the time period.
Having read only two Maisie Dobbs' novels in the past, it was refreshing and welcoming to revisit Maisie and look ahead to more. It should be noted that enough information is included in each novel that each can be appreciated as a stand alone piece of work. A highly regarded addition to the series, A Lesson in Secrets will be read in one sitting.
Rated of 5
by Margaret R. (Atlanta, GA) A Lesson in Secrets
I am a great fan of Jacqueline Winspear having read all of her previous books. They present a picture of British life and thought during and after World War I along with an intriguing mystery. Her characters are all interesting and well developed, but this particular book had a few too many subplots and participants in them with changing names. Still it was a good read and a pleasant change from your run of the mill mystery.
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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of 5
by Juliet F. (clarendon hills, IL) 
of 5
by David L. (Celebration, FL) 
