Maisie Dobbs returns with her most gripping case yet

Christmas Eve, 1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the Home Secretary receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met. Maisie is invited into Scotland Yard's elite Special Branch as a special adviser on the case - and becomes involved in a race against time to find a man who soon proves he has the knowledge, and will, to murder thousands of innocent people. Before this harrowing case is over, Maisie must negotiate her way through a darkness not encountered since she was a nurse in wards filled with shell-shocked men.

'Absorbing and exciting . . . what charms most is Dobbs herself'
Wall Street Journal

"'In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has given us a real gift. Maisie Dobbs has not been created - she has been discovered. Such people are always there amongst us, waiting for somebody like Ms. Winspear to come along and reveal them. And what a revelation it is!'" - Alexander McCall Smith

"A fine new sleuth for the twenty-first century" - Elizabeth George

"'A vivid portrait of depressed London in 1931 and a good, atmospheric read'" - Literary Review

"A heroine to cherish" - New York Times

"A wry and immensely readable beginning to what promises to be a vivid new addition to crime fiction" - Praise for MAISIE DOBBS, Daily Mail

"The British counterpart to Alexander McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" - Associated Press

"Feisty, working-class heroine Maisie is a deliberate throwback to the sleuthettes of old-fashioned crime writing. The well-plotted story, its characters and the picture of London between the wars are decidedly romantic. American readers loved it; many Brits will, too." - Guardian

"A terrific mystery ... Intriguing and full of suspense, it makes for an absorbing read" - Observer

"Even if detective stories aren't your thing, you'll love Maisie Dobbs" - New Woman

"'Think Upstairs Downstairs meets Miss Marple - with a touch of chirpy cheerful Cockney from the Dick Van Dyke school'" - Yorkshire Post

"'Perfect for curling up (with a hot chocolate!) when the weather is bad'" - Woman's Way

"'A powerful, ultimately uplifting tale'" - My Weekly

"'This award-winning author has added another action-packed, well-plotted mystery to her series. It moves at a cracking pace... Good twist ending - very Agatha Christie'" - Newsbooks Magazine