c Waterloo Public Library 2008
The most recent book in the Maisie Dobbs series, An Incomplete Revenge was just released a few months ago. Maisie is hired by Lady Rowan's son, James, who wants her to investigate what is going on in a small village where he hopes to purchase property. A series of fires has James concerned, and the villagers seem reluctant to discuss the incidents.
Maisie arranges for her assistant, Billy Beale, and his family to hire on with a local farmer; it is hop picking time and numbers of families from the city come to help with the harvest. In addition, there is a group of gypsies who help with the harvest. One of them--Aunt Beulah--has a vision about Maisie before her arrival. Maisie soon learns that the villagers seem to have a bias against outsiders; however, she is able to win the confidence of the inn keeper and his wife when she alerts them to a fire set to the Inn. As Maisie investigates further, she uncovers a series of secrets shared by the villagers.
As the story continues, Maisie reconnects with her friend, Priscilla, who takes her to see Simon one last time. Simon is the young doctor that Maisie had met and fallen in love with during the War; he was wounded in an explosion and withdrew into his own mind. Simon's mother is there and they comfort each other as Simon dies. Maisie spends time with her father and gets him to talk about her mother's side of the family--and we find out another reason for why Maisie may be so intuitive. Her father also persuades her to visit Maurice, who now lives nearby, and their visit helps her see that she is no longer simply his mentee.
This is another intriguing mystery and a great read. Maisie is one of those wonderful characters who seems to continue growing in each book. I highly recommend it.
You can find An Incomplete Revenge on the New Book shelf at WPL.
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