“The American Agent” by Jacqueline Winspear – The Silenced Correspondent
Though the act is concealed by British authorities, the case finds its way into Maisie's lap, and with the help of an agent from the US Department of Justice, they try to unravel the mystery as death rains upon the country in the form of German bombers.
Jacqueline Winspear Raises a Political Intrigue
I believe (or at least, I hope) Great Britain's experience during the Second World War is a point of common knowledge at this point, at least in the overarching sense. They suffered through the Blitz, manifested in the form of continuous bombardments on the island of a country lasting almost a year. Nevertheless, life went on even in those conditions, as it does for Maisie Dobbs in Jacqueline Winspear's The American Agent.
The fifteenth book in the Maisie Dobbs series, it require absolutely no familiarity with the previous book, nor the series in general to be enjoyed. However, if you are into war-time mysteries, I do recommend you have a look at the earlier works as well.
In any case, this time around the plot revolves around the murder of Catherine Saxon, an American correspondent reporting on the war. Slain in her London home, Catherine's death is kept under wraps by the Secret Service, but this certainly doesn't mean they don't plan on investigating it. Soon enough, Robert MacFarlane, a middleman between Scotland Yard and the Secret Service, pays Maisie Dobbs a visit, asking for her help.
Needless to say, she takes up the case, and is made to work with a previous acquaintance of hers: Mark Scott, an agent for the American Department of Justice who helped Maisie escape Hitler's Munich a couple of years ago. As has become customary for our heroine, the leads to follow are far from numerous, but there is just enough to send them on a trail of twists and shocking discoveries.
Naturally, the Germans don't care much about Maisie's investigation and are continuously unleashing death from above as the Blitz goes on in full force. As the case becomes more dangerous and demanding, Maisie must also balance her responsibility to care for Anna, a young evacuee she has chosen to adopt, as well as find a way to deal with the tremendous blow of losing her best friend.
Conspiracies and Propaganda in The American Agent
Throughout the various investigations Maisie Dobbs has been sent on in the series, Jacqueline Winspear has often found ways of addressing concrete topics revolving around the Second World War, exploring them inside out with the insight of someone who can see the big picture. This time around, the main topic the investigation leads us to is propaganda and its nigh-unimaginable power.
As usual for the series, the mystery itself has the quality of a page-turner, piling on the small twists and minor revelations to always keep you on the edge of your seat. Though some of them do fall a little more on the predictable side, overall I would qualify the important twists as being difficult enough to guess for someone well-acclimated to the genre.
Jacqueline Winspear is quite good at spinning a large web out of a tiny thread, and she constantly piques our curiosity for the case by raising the stakes as we get new information. What seems at the outset like an insignificant crime in a country under siege slowly takes on the form of a beast whose presence cannot be ignored.
As I just mentioned it at the start of this segment, the mystery ends up leading us into the realm of wartime propaganda, which itself connects to a larger conspiracy relating to the United States and its engagement in the Second World War. That's about as much as I can say without spoiling anything important.
Winspear uses The American Agent as a way to study the various profound effects propaganda can have on people as well the many ways it can be used for both good and evil. While I wouldn't say she writes a dissertation on the subject, she does quite reasonably demonstrate some interesting points which successfully pushed me, the reader, to do a bit of thinking on my own, and I highly commend any book capable of doing that.
The Unforgettable Entourage
For those who already know what the Maisie Dobbs series is all about, it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn the author focuses as much on the plot as she does on various aspects of the protagonist's personal life, chief among them being the characters surrounding her.
She has acquired quite a stable of friends and acquaintances over the previous fourteen novels, and we get to see many of them come to life once again, each adding something of their own to Maisie's world, colouring her life with their existence. Even if you're not already familiar with them, these secondary characters still have a tangible weight in the world they live in, and learning about their lives is more than amusing, it's actually interesting.
Maisie's own internal world is also explored in a fair bit of depth, especially in her relationship with Anne, the adopted refugee. We witness how such a responsibility has changed Maisie's life for the best, despite all the hardships it brings her along the way. There are many bittersweet moments between the two which successfully warmed The American Agent, so-to-speak, contrasting well with the more dreadful exploration of the Blitz.
Indeed, Jacqueline Winspear doesn't simply use the mantle of historical fiction to set her story in a time she finds fascinating. Rather, she obviously views it as an obligation to give the reader a certain does of truth about the past, and in my opinion she fulfills it with remarkable skill and care, having obviously done as much research on the topic as possible.
Her depictions of the daily raids, the people running for shelter, the damage to the streets and buildings are all evocative and heartbreaking, as much as her portrayal of British character in inspiring. In her scenes she doesn't only capture images, but more importantly, feelings which stay with you well after you've put the book down.
The Final Verdict
The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear is yet another remarkable addition to the Maisie Dobbs catalogue, without a doubt one of the best historical fiction murder mystery series out there. It has a solid and compelling mystery, coupled with the profound character studies and memorable descriptions of war-time Britain which have become something of a trademark for the author.
If you enjoy murder mysteries and are looking for a story set in Britain during the Second World War, then I highly recommend you check this book out, and perhaps even the rest of the series.
 | 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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