Hired by the parents of a young man whose remains were just unearthed after years of being missing in action, Maisie is tasked with finding the nameless nurse whose love letters were among his belongings, setting on the path of a dangerous wartime story.
Jacqueline Winspear Plants a Trove of Secrets
For those of us who have never lived through wars and only studied them at a distance, it becomes frighteningly too easy to start seeing them in terms of numbers and statistics rather than the true tragedy they stand for: the massive and senseless loss of human lives and their stories. In the seventh book of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, titled The Mapping of Love and Death, our heroine steps right into the heart of one such lost story.
Though the bulk of the story does take place in 1930s London, as it did with the previous novel and all the ones before it, we are first taken to the year of 1914, where a young Michael Clifton is mapping the Santa Ynez Valley in California. When he learns war is declared in Europe, he sails over the ocean to serve in the British Army. In 1917 he is listed as missing in action.
Jump forward to 1932, where private investigator and psychologist Maisie Dobbs is hired by the Cliftons following the unearthing of their son's remains. At first, the task is simple: find the nameless nurse whose love letters were among Michael's belongings. However, war hides just as many dark secrets as it does inspiring ones, and Maisie's journey is about to become exponentially more complex.
After making the discovery Michael Clifton might have been murdered in his trench, the investigation takes on a very different tone, threatening to not only upturn the Cliftons' lives, but Maisie's own as well. The web of intrigue stretches deeper than even she could have predicted, and the point of no return was crossed ages ago.
Just to make it clear, each Maisie Dobbs book works perfectly as a standalone, and you don't need to have read any of the previous ones to understand this one. However, I do recommend you give them a glance when you have a moment to spare.
The Complications of the Cliftons in The Mapping of Love and Death
First of all, I would like to point out Maisie Dobbs novels have never been (so far at least) purely about the investigation itself. They've always been complemented by a healthy mix of Maisie's personal life as well as some of the more important and recurring characters, and this time is no exception. In my opinion though, it never detracts from the mystery itself, which is what I'd like to discuss for now.
If looked at from an overarching perspective ignoring the smallest details, I must take my hat off to Jacqueline Winspear for creating what I believe to be the most well-realized mystery in the series so far.
What exactly do I mean by that?
The investigation starts off relatively small and innocent, with Winspear slowly but consistently spinning the yarn into something larger and greater. Not too fast nor too slowly, we are revealed more and more information which does a good job at creating the increasingly complex and impactful mural of Michael Clifton's life story.
Additionally, once the intrigue is set and we witness how terribly complex the Clifton family is, things start to move along rather quickly, especially when Scotland Yard starts to get involved in the case, for reasons I would rather not spoil. In other words, I don't think there was ever a moment where I was bored or felt too comfortable in my prediction for further developments.
Speaking of which, the author does have a tendency to withhold some clues from us, and there are a couple of moments where it feels like Maisie makes a bit of a leap in piecing some clues together. However, I find those sins quite forgivable in the larger context of what the novel provides, which is an overall solid, multi-pronged and intriguing mystery.
Maisie In the Shadow of WWI
If you've read any of the previous novels in the series, then you know exactly just how important of a role the First World War plays in Maisie's life, forever bound to be hanging as a dark cloud above her. Once again her case drags her right back into it, and consequently, her memories about her very own wartime love and the overall tragedy of the event.
I just want to take a moment to say I think some periods in history are becoming a little too forgotten and overshadowed by bigger and more recent events, and World War I is certainly one of them. I find Jacqueline Winpsear's efforts in reminding us about it to not only be commendable, but also an important part in preserving a fading part of human history.
On her personal front, Maisie is also dealing with the imminent death of her mentor Maurice, as well as two wealthy gentlemen fighting for her affection. These segments never take up too much page space, nevertheless providing some welcome breaks from the main investigation, and consequently, the looming shadow of the war.
Speaking from a purely personal standpoint, I can't say I ever entirely bought the relationship between Maisie and Inspector Stratton, and was glad Winspear decided to move on with James Compton, whom she seems have an easier time to write and develop.
I'm not usually one to have my attention swayed from the main case by the personal affairs of lead investigators and detectives, being of the opinion many authors make the story suffer in exchange for poor attempts at humanizing their protagonists. As such, I think the fact I actually felt invested in Maisie's life nearly as much as her case speaks volumes for the author's ever-growing prowess.
The Final Verdict
The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear is an excellent historical fiction mystery, and in my opinion the best work in the Maisie Dobbs series so far. If you've enjoyed any of the previous books, or are looking for a solid historical mystery populated by characters you can care about, then I strongly recommend you give this book a shot.
 | Jacqueline WinspearPersonal site Jacqueline Winspear is a mystery author hailing from the United Kingdom, best-known for writing the Maisie Dobbs Series, taking place after WWI and following the titular inspector's investigations across over fourteen books at this point. The first novel in the series, Maisie Dobbs, earned her numerous award nominations, Such as the Edgar Award for Best Novel and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Additionally, she was also a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in 2015. |
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