Birds of a Feather

What's the connection between the disappearance of a grocery chain heiress and the murders of three women? It is 10 years after the Great War, and the 1920s' era detail forms a perfect backdrop for this Maisie Dobbs mystery. Kim Hicks has a voice to listen to all day without tiring of the sound. Her rich, lush, mellifluous narration is a terrific fit for P.I. Maisie's newest adventure. Jacqueline Winspear, winner of the 2003 Agatha Award for Best First Mystery Novel, provides a cheery, intelligent heroine, as well as an assortment of believable types, while Hicks delivers clear, deft characterizations, excellent accents, and a strong sense of place. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 3, 2004
The eponymous heroine of Winspear's promising debut, Maisie Dobbs
(2003), continues to beguile in this chilling, suspenseful sequel set in England a decade after the end of the Great War. Maisie, "Psychologist and Investigator," as the brass nameplate on her office door declares, gets hired by a wealthy industrialist to find his only daughter, Charlotte Waite, who has gone missing. With the help of her cockney assistant, Billy Beale, Maisie sets out to learn all she can of Charlotte's habits, character and friends. No sooner has Maisie discovered the identities of three of these friends than they start turning up dead—poisoned, then bayoneted for good measure. At each crime scene is left a white feather. Increasingly preoccupied with these tragedies, Maisie almost loses sight of her original mission, until it becomes apparent that the murders and Charlotte's disappearance are related. As in her first novel, the author gives an intelligent and absorbing picture of the period, providing plentiful details for the history buff without detracting from the riveting mystery. Readers will be eager to see more of the spunky Maisie, with her unusual career as a one-time maid, nurse and university student. Agent, Amy Rennert. (June 15)

Forecast:
A Top Ten Book Sense 76 pick for 2003,
Maisie Dobbs has been nominated for both Agatha and Edgar awards. A win of either of these in late May, followed by a national author tour, will help propel sales of
Birds of a Feather.