Facing the Past

Maisie Dobbs and her new partner, Billy Beale, are searching for a missing daughter of a successful business man. During their investigation curious murders of young female friends occur. Maisie is sure there is a common connection between these friends' murders and she is racing against time to discover this before her client's daughter is killed. What is the fatal secret these friends shared? Can this tied to the war, as many of the problems faced by returning veterans are? Her teacher, Maurice, has prepared her for her work as a private detective, and he taught her how to use her intuitive nature to help her solve her cases. Interesting reflection on her thought processes.

Living with Shame

I couldn't put down my latest read, Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. An examination of a mother-daughter relationship forged during the horrors of Germany during the days of World War II, this is a unique picture of the Holocaust. Jenna Blum examines the world of the lives of the German citizens during the war for her first novel. The author's experience of working for Steven Spielberg's Shoal Foundation for four years interviewing Holocaust survivors is mirrored in the work of the daughter, Trudy, trying to understand her mother's life during the war in Germany. Her mother, Anna, survives the war in Germany but pays a heavy price, doing anything to save her daughter's life. Recommended for Reading Groups.

England before World War II

I have been reading this excellent book, Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie is a private investigator with an uncany ability to perceive more than the average PI. She opens her own business in London ten years after the end of World War I. Coming from a lower class family she is befriended by Lady Rowan because of her unusual intelligence. Part of the story is a flashback which provides the reader with a fuller understanding of the character. This story is written so well that I had trouble believing it was not a true story. It the first of a new series with Maisie as the lead character. Enjoy