Leaving Everything Most Loved, Maisie Dobbs's 10th adventure, finds Jacqueline Winspear's heroine investigating the murders of two Indian women in London--and weighing several pressing personal questions.
An Indian man approaches Maisie about the murder of his sister, Usha Pramal, who came to Britain as a governess and later lived in a hostel with other Indian women, taking cleaning jobs to make ends meet. Well-educated and kind, Usha was a radiant spirit, a gifted teacher and a hard worker. Who would kill such a glowing soul, and why?
As Maisie seeks to unravel the threads of Usha's life, another young woman from the hostel is killed. Meanwhile, Maisie worries that the strain of her last case is still affecting her longtime assistant, Billy Beale, and continues to wonder if she can commit to marrying James, the man she loves.
Winspear writes sensitively of Maisie's inner struggles, with nods to previous cases and Maisie's personal journey from scullery maid to university graduate, war nurse and private investigator. Longtime readers of the series will appreciate a subplot or two involving familiar characters, while readers new and old will warm to Maisie and her thoughtful, incisive method of detecting. Both Usha's origins and Maisie's growing interest in travel abroad give this book an Indian flavor. Winspear touches on issues of empire without being heavy-handed, and resolves some questions while leaving others intriguingly open.
Well written, fascinating and layered (like all Winspear's books), Leaving Everything Most Loved provides both a satisfying mystery and an exciting new adventure for its heroine. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams