Finalist for the Inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award
Maisie Dobbs--one of the most complex and admirable characters in
contemporary fiction (Richmond Times Dispatch)--faces danger and
intrigue on the home front during World War II.
During the months following Britain's declaration of war on Germany,
Maisie Dobbs investigates the disappearance of a young apprentice
working on a hush-hush government contract. As news of the plight of
thousands of soldiers stranded on the beaches of France is gradually
revealed to the general public, and the threat of invasion rises,
another young man beloved by Maisie makes a terrible decision that will
change his life forever.
Maisie's investigation leads her from the countryside of rural Hampshire
to the web of wartime opportunism exploited by one of the London
underworld's most powerful men, in a case that serves as a reminder of
the inextricable link between money and war. Yet when a final
confrontation approaches, she must acknowledge the potential cost to her
future--and the risk of destroying a dream she wants very much to become
reality.