ELEGY FOR EDDIE
A Maisie Dobbs Novel
Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator—”one of the great fictional heroines, equal parts haunted and haunting” (Parade magazine)—returns in a chilling adventure, the latest chapter in Jacqueline Winspear’s bestselling series.
Early April, 1933. Maisie’s newest clients are the costermongers of Covent Garden, men who sell fruit and vegetables from horse-drawn carts on the streets of London. To the costers, Eddie Pettit was simply a gentle soul with a near-magical gift for working with horses, and when he is killed in a violent accident, the costers are skeptical about the cause of his death. Because her father, Frankie, had been a fellow costermonger,
Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator—”one of the great fictional heroines, equal parts haunted and haunting” (Parade magazine)—returns in a chilling adventure, the latest chapter in Jacqueline Winspear’s bestselling series.
Early April, 1933. Maisie’s newest clients are the costermongers of Covent Garden, men who sell fruit and vegetables from horse-drawn carts on the streets of London. To the costers, Eddie Pettit was simply a gentle soul with a near-magical gift for working with horses, and when he is killed in a violent accident, the costers are skeptical about the cause of his death. Because her father, Frankie, had been a fellow costermonger, Maisie has known these men since childhood and remembers Eddie fondly, so she is determined to help, but it soon becomes clear that powerful political and financial forces are equally determined to prevent her from learning too much about Eddie’s death.
Maisie’s search for answers begins in the working-class streets of Lambeth—where Eddie lived, and where she grew up—but quickly leads her to a callous press baron, a “has been” politician named Winston Churchill lingering in the hinterlands of power and, most surprisingly, to Douglas Partridge, the husband of her dearest friend, Priscilla. As Maisie uncovers lies and manipulation on a national scale, she must decide whether to risk all to see justice done.
The story of a London affected by the march to another war years before the first shot is fired, and of an innocent victim caught in the shadow of power, Elegy for Eddie is Jacqueline Winspear’s most poignant and affecting novel yet.
- Harper Perennial
- Paperback
- October 2012
- 368 Pages
- 9780062049582
Buy the Book
$15.99
About Jacqueline Winspear
Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education, and in marketing communications in the UK.
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.
A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women’s magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She lives in California and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Praise
“Like any typical PI, Maisie is preternaturally acute and given to noticing tiny details, but it’s her compassion that allows her to illuminate some of the most pressing and staggeringly painful issues of her day, delivering unexpected answers and sense of peace to her clients—and her readers.”— Nathalie Gorman, Oprah.com
“This is what makes this series so good, so entertaining, and so different. The mystery is skillfully developed, and Maisie strives for a greater understanding of herself, the people around her, and how they all fit in the world they all share… Jacqueline Winspear has done nothing less than change the conventional mystery with Maisie Dobbs, a heroine who meditates, thinks deeply, and calls on her inner strength to live out the advice given to her by her mentor. It’s hard to believe this series can get better—and then it does. Brava! Highly recommended.”—NY Journal of Books
“Winspear smoothly combines both Maisie’s professional and personal quests in Elegy for Eddie, enhancing the complexity of a character that New York Times reviewer Marilyn Stasio has called ‘a sleuth to treasure.’”—Examiner.com