The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear

 

The Mapping of Love and Death is the 7th novel about Maisie Dobbs. I have enjoyed this series since the first novel, and  Maisie grows with each installment.  Her growthseems a natural evolution, as she learns to live with the consequences of the first world war.

Each novel in the series provides an interesting look at life in post-war London, and each one features events that hark back in some way to war itself.  This one is no different.

It is 1932, and when the remains of a young soldier are unearthed in France, the family wants Maisie to discover the identity of the young nurse whose love letters were discovered with the body.  It also becomes evident that Michael Clifton didn't die as a result of the shelling that buried him in the trench.  It appears that he was murdered before the shell that buried Michael and his companions hit the trench.

Maisie's mentor is also very ill, and Maisie shifts between her concern for the case and her concern for her friend whom she deeply cares for.

As usual, Winspear has created a fine mystery with great characters.  All of England is still suffering from the aftermath of the war even in 1932. Unfortunately, WWII is looming on the horizon, and I fear Maisie must live under the threat of the coming conflict.  

Fiction.  Mystery/Historical Fiction.  2010.  338 pages.