An Incomplete Revenge
(A Maisie Dobbs Novel)
Jacqueline Winspear
Reviewed by Karen Morse
"There were ghosts in this village--
ghosts who would allow the neighbors no rest" (4).
Psychologist and private investigator Maisie Dobbs is a
strong, independent woman living in London
during the interwar years. After serving as a nurse in France
during the Great War, Maisie worked with Dr. Maurice Blanche, a noted
psychologist, philosopher, and expert in forensic science, before
setting up
her own practice.
Maisie's latest case brings her and assistant Billy Beale to
the village of Heronsdene
in Kent. Viscount James Compton, the son of Maisie's
benefactress, is interested in purchasing land and a brickworks on
behalf of
the Compton Corporation, but is concerned by a wave of vandalism in the
community. He engages Maisie to help
determine whether he can make a clean sale.
When two London
boys down in the country to pick hops are falsely accused of theft, the
village's problems begin to hit closer to home. As with many of her
cases,
there is more to the problem than meets the eye. This
becomes apparent when Maisie is on hand
to witness the villagers' reaction to an arson attack:
"There had been no surprise registered,
no shock at a tragedy averted by a hair's breath of time.
Instead, she had once again seen the emotion
she was becoming familiar with in the course of her work in Heronsdene:
fear. And something else: resignation,
acceptance. As if the events of the
evening were expected" (101). Maisie
must dig deep to uncover the roots of the problem and help heal the
village of
its ailment.
Although the book is a mystery
novel, An Incomplete Revenge is less a page-turning whodunit than a
well-crafted period piece that happens to be a mystery. Throughout the
book,
Winspear displays her knowledge of the historical backdrop and social
milieu of
the interwar years.
Maisie is a charming, full-bodied
protagonist. She's enchanting and
likeable and real. Winspear's gift for
characterization extends even to the non-recurring secondary characters. During the investigation, Maisie crosses
paths with B.T. Drummond, a female reporter trying to make it in a
man's
profession, Alfred Sandermere, a landlord more comfortable with
feudalism than
modern times, and Beulah Webb, a gypsy matriarch with the gift of sight. Each of these characters adds to the story
and Winspear seems to take pains to make them more than just stock
characters.
An
Incomplete Revenge is the
fifth installment in Winspear's award-wining
series, following Maisie
Dobbs (2003), Birds
of a Feather (2004), Pardonable
Lies (2005), and Messenger
of Truth
(2006). While each book does stand on
its own, those who pick up An
Incomplete Revenge may want to read the earlier books simply to
spend a
little more time with Maisie and to learn more about her backstory.