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lbewley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
celiapowell's review against another edition
3.0
After a bomb explodes in London and a threatening letter is sent to those in power mentioning a certain psychologist/detective, Maisie Dobbs is brought in to assist in the investigation. She's not treated with the greatest respect by the police, but of course her investigation uncovers the most valuable leads. As usual it's a good mystery, but the best parts of the book are the insight into life in Britain at the time, and the terrible aftermath of war (both on the country as a whole, and on individuals).
rfister_324's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jmarchek's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of my favorite historical mystery series. As this is #6, I recommend reading the others first of course. It's set in England in between WWI & II. Maisie is a psychologist and private detective and is helping Scotland Yard solve a mystery of a terrorist who's threatening London with a chemical weapon. It deals a lot with shell shock and depression, so it's not exactly light hearted, but Maisie is an independent heroine you can root for.
fatoodles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I'd give this one a five as I loved the subject matter of post wwi mental health and women's health as well as the atmosphere of this story and meeting fun new characters and seeing Maisie's story expand....but Maisie does something so stupid and unlike herself that I just can't.
Maisie puts herself in dangerous situations but nothing like this time.
Other than that I really enjoyed this one. It's insane how much harm was acceptable from those who vowed to "do no harm".
Maisie puts herself in dangerous situations but nothing like this time.
Other than that I really enjoyed this one. It's insane how much harm was acceptable from those who vowed to "do no harm".
heidihyde3624's review against another edition
4.0
Maisie is back again. Bombs. Clandestine war goings on lead to soldier in said clandestine goings on turning into a Bond villain when "the Man" royally screws him over. Maisie and the usuals are in a race against the clock mission to save London from certain doom. I loooovvveee this series. If there is any way Jacqueline Winspear can Benjamin Button herself into living forever ( and writing more books) I would get behind that fully.
fjette's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
One of the better Maisie Dobbs’ I’ve read! Always historically accurate and thoughtful.
meowserly's review against another edition
4.0
There something comforting about reading a series of books with the same characters. And it's even better when it's British period drama, it involves mystery, and there's a strong female lead. Among the Mad is Jacqueline Winspear's sixth Masie Dobbs novel, and it was just as good as the first five.
The series takes place just after the end of WWI, when a country, it's soldiers, and it's civilians are reeling and recovering from the physical, emotional, and mental damages of war. Maisie is a trained nurse who served in the war, but she now works as a private investigator with unusual methods of investigation. All of Maisie's cases have some connection to the hurt of war and the subsequent attempts at healing and moving on. She also has a plucky, lovable assistant named Billy and a slew of regular characters that pop up in every novel.
In the case of Among the Mad, Masie delves into a world of chemical warfare and the inevitable psychological damages of war. Maisie is temporarily recruited by Scotland Yard to find a once brilliant scientist who has lost his psychological battle and is threatening to release a chemical weapon on the masses of London.
Of course there are paralel's in the case to Maisie's personal life. Maisie did not escape psychological and physical repercussions on returning from war, and this book becomes Winspear's vehicle to push Maisie over the hump of emotional recovery. In fact, I have high hopes that Maisie will finally have a real romance in the next novel. (The funny thing is, Maisie doesn't really need a romance, but I like to read of dreamy men who respect verve and intelligence. I'm looking at you, Mr. Darcy and Gilbert Blithe.)
I can't say that the Masie Dobbs novels are sparkling brilliance, but they certainly provide quick-read entertainment that isn't inane. And despite the potentially heavy topics, the novels aren't generally heavy, even if they are a little heavy on the social messages.
The series takes place just after the end of WWI, when a country, it's soldiers, and it's civilians are reeling and recovering from the physical, emotional, and mental damages of war. Maisie is a trained nurse who served in the war, but she now works as a private investigator with unusual methods of investigation. All of Maisie's cases have some connection to the hurt of war and the subsequent attempts at healing and moving on. She also has a plucky, lovable assistant named Billy and a slew of regular characters that pop up in every novel.
In the case of Among the Mad, Masie delves into a world of chemical warfare and the inevitable psychological damages of war. Maisie is temporarily recruited by Scotland Yard to find a once brilliant scientist who has lost his psychological battle and is threatening to release a chemical weapon on the masses of London.
Of course there are paralel's in the case to Maisie's personal life. Maisie did not escape psychological and physical repercussions on returning from war, and this book becomes Winspear's vehicle to push Maisie over the hump of emotional recovery. In fact, I have high hopes that Maisie will finally have a real romance in the next novel. (The funny thing is, Maisie doesn't really need a romance, but I like to read of dreamy men who respect verve and intelligence. I'm looking at you, Mr. Darcy and Gilbert Blithe.)
I can't say that the Masie Dobbs novels are sparkling brilliance, but they certainly provide quick-read entertainment that isn't inane. And despite the potentially heavy topics, the novels aren't generally heavy, even if they are a little heavy on the social messages.