Blog Tour/Review: In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear

About In This Grave Hour

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper (March 14, 2017)

"A female investigator every bit as brainy and battle-hardened as Lisbeth Salander." — Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air, on Maisie Dobbs

Sunday September 3rd 1939.  At the moment Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts to the nation Britain’s declaration of war with Germany, a senior Secret Service agent breaks into Maisie Dobbs' flat to await her return. Dr. Francesca Thomas has an urgent assignment for Maisie: to find the killer of a man who escaped occupied Belgium as a boy, some twenty-three years earlier during the Great War.

In a London shadowed by barrage balloons, bomb shelters and the threat of invasion, within days another former Belgian refugee is found murdered.  And as Maisie delves deeper into the killings of the dispossessed from the “last war," a new kind of refugee — an evacuee from London — appears in Maisie's life. The little girl billeted at Maisie’s home in Kent does not, or cannot, speak, and the authorities do not know who the child belongs to or who might have put her on the “Operation Pied Piper” evacuee train.  They know only that her name is Anna.

As Maisie’s search for the killer escalates, the country braces for what is to come.  Britain is approaching its gravest hour — and Maisie could be nearing a crossroads of her own.

The year is 1939, and at the very beginning, Great Britain declares war on Germany. When Maisie Dobbs, a psychologist and investigator, arrives home, she finds Dr. Francesca Thomas there. Dr. Thomas works with the Secret Service. She wants Maisie's help in finding the murderer of a Belgian refugee and fears there may be more deaths.

This is the thirteenth book in this series and the third one I have read. Because this one is so far along, it's the first one where I have felt a little more confused about what's happened in Maisie's life. That didn't keep me from enjoying this book, though.

Maisie has two assistants, Billy and Sandra, who help her, and they add a lot to the story. I like that we get a glimpse into their personal lives. Maisie also has some personal issues she's dealing with and she juggles those along with solving the case. There were developments that complicated things and she wasn't sure if certain people were being truthful with her.

This is a series that I highly recommend reading! Just be warned that if you start with this book, there's a lot of back story you will be missing out on. I have enjoyed getting to know Maisie Dobbs and love how each of these stories unfold. It's fantastic historical fiction which is well-researched and interesting to read!

My Rating=5 Stars
Source: I received a complimentary copy via TLC Book Tours, which did not affect my review in any way

Purchase Links for In This Grave Hour

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Jacqueline Winspear

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestselling Maisie Dobbs series, which includes In This Grave Hour, Journey to Munich, A Dangerous Place, Leaving Everything Most Loved, Elegy for Eddie, and eight other novels. Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was also a New York Times bestseller and a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.

Find out more about Jacqueline at her website, www.jacquelinewinspear.com, and find her on Facebook.

Tour Schedule:
 
Tuesday, March 14th: Reading Reality
Wednesday, March 15th: M. Denise Costello
Thursday, March 16th: Mel’s Shelves
Friday, March 17th: A Bookish Way of Life
Monday, March 20th: Helen’s Book Blog
Tuesday, March 21st: Book by Book
Wednesday, March 22nd: Jathan & Heather
Thursday, March 23rd: #redhead.with.book
Friday, March 24th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Monday, March 27th: History from a Woman’s Perspective
Tuesday, March 28th: What Will She Read Next
Wednesday, March 29th: Bookish Realm Reviews