A review by jeannine
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

I’m only a few books into this series, but I am so impressed with them. This installment is a sweeping tale that involves Maisie tracking down details about the deaths of two soldiers lost during the war and helping a 13 year old accused of murder. During the search for the soldiers’ stories, Maisie goes back to France for the first time since the war and confronts the grief and guilt she feels over having survived. 

One of the soldiers is her dear friend Priscilla’s older brother, whose service intersected with the other soldier’s. The merging and resolution of those two storylines is wonderful. 

Maisie’s person storyline is heartbreaking, but healing (though her employee and fellow veteran, Billy, feels her recovery isn’t complete). We also get more development when it comes to Maisie’s uncommon abilities. There are hints in prior books about her being able to see things others don’t and it’s clear in this book that her abilities are supernatural. 

One odd note: I downloaded the audio version of this book to listen to a bit of it while on a long drive. The narrator refers to Maisie’s French mentor, Maurice Blanche, as “Morris.” It doesn’t affect my rating, but it was a funny and distracting aspect of the audiobook. I’m glad I mostly read this story!
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