Over
the course of four previous novels, Jacqueline Winspear's heroine,
Maisie Dobbs, has developed into one of the most complex and
compelling female sleuths in current mystery fiction. A former
World War I nurse simultaneously struggling to cope with the
ongoing legacy of what she saw and experienced in that horrible war
while trying to get her fledgling investigation business off the
ground in London, Maisie has emerged as a fully developed,
intriguing character. Appealingly contemporary in her personality,
credibly part of her time and place (thanks in no small part to
Winspear's impeccable historical research), Maisie Dobbs's fans
read these books as much for insights into this absorbing heroine
as for the engaging mystery plots the author constructs.

AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE, Winspear's fifth outing, will not disappoint
readers, with its skillful intersection of character development,
historical detail and intricate plotting. The novel opens with
Maisie seemingly making a fresh start after the tumultuous events
of her previous investigation (recounted in MESSENGER OF TRUTH), a
deeply personal case that forced her to confront events of the war
but left her estranged from her longtime friend and mentor.

Maisie's newfound happiness, though, is tempered by economic
pressures, as the worldwide depression of the early 1930s affects
her business prospects in London. When an old family friend asks
for her help in investigating some potential business acquisitions
in Kent, Maisie leaps at the opportunity to enhance her personal
financial situation while visiting with her beloved father. By
coincidence, Maisie's long-time assistant Billy is also in the
area, participating in the annual hop-picking with his family. It
turns out, however, that Maisie will need every bit of Billy's
help, her own ingenuity and even the assistance of some most
unlikely allies --- the gypsies who also make annual pilgrimages to
the region for the hop-picking --- to solve the multi-layered
mysteries that haunt this small Kentish village.

During her investigation of a series of petty crimes, including
arson, that plague the village and the brickworks her friend is
interested in acquiring, Maisie soon suspects that the events are
hardly the work of small-time thieves or petty vandals. Instead, as
she delves into the inhabitants’ history of heartbreak, loss
and suspicion, she begins to suspect a much more widespread, and
sinister, force is at work --- one that, like her own heartbreak,
dates back to the catastrophic events of the Great War.

Set during the turbulent, evocative years between the wars, the
Maisie Dobbs series delves into the gaping holes left by one war
while exploring the roots of another on the horizon. AN INCOMPLETE
REVENGE does a particularly masterful job of this, as Winspear
explores how the prejudice inspired by one conflict leads to the
insularity, fear and prejudice that can spark another. As for
Maisie, the character who readers will eagerly return to again and
again, this latest installment will not disappoint. Rather, as she
closes the book on one particularly painful chapter of her past,
Maisie seems poised, in future installments, to finally pursue the
contentment she so richly deserves. Will she uncover this potential
happiness with the same aplomb with which she tackles her toughest
cases? Readers will wait with bated breath to find out.