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Maisie Dobbs

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This article is about the character. For the novel, see Maisie Dobbs (novel).

Maisie Dobbs is a fictional character created by the author Jacqueline Winspear. Dobbs is a "psychologist and investigator" in post–World War I London. After serving as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse during the war, she returned to London to work with her mentor, the accomplished detective Dr. Maurice Blanche. When Blanche retires, Dobbs takes over his private investigation business.[1]

The character

At the start of the first novel, we learn that Maisie Dobbs was raised in London by her father, costermonger Frankie Dobbs. Following the death of her mother and her father's inability to afford school fees, she was placed as a maid in the household of Lord Julian and Lady Rowan Compton. When Lady Compton discovered Maisie reading books in the family library, she was so impressed by Maisie's intelligence that she invited her friend, Mr. Maurice Blanche, to tutor Maisie. Maisie won a place at Girton College in Cambridge, but left soon after to volunteer as a nurse in the First World War. After the war, she continued nursing shell-shocked victims in England before returning to Girton to complete her university education. She then joined Dr. Blanche as an assistant in his private investigation and psychology practice.

At the beginning of the first novel of the series, Maisie is starting her own detective agency. The series follows the growth of her business, with each book focusing on a particular crime or mystery, as well as Maisie's own personal development as she comes to terms with the trauma of her wartime experiences.

Books about Maisie Dobbs

Seventeen books have been published in the Maisie Dobbs series:

Awards and reviews

Maisie Dobbs (2003) was chosen as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Mysteries of 2003, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year 2003, an Edgar Award nominee for Best Novel 2003, and the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel in 2003. In addition, Maisie Dobbs received an Alex Award in 2004.

Recurring characters

  • Dr. Maurice Blanche - A mentor and tutor to Dobbs since her teen years, Blanche is a celebrated detective with a mysterious past. When Blanche retires, he turns his clients over to Dobbs in support of her efforts to open her own business. Despite their close relationship, Dobbs' work eventually causes a rift between them. Although they remain on speaking terms, mentor and student grow apart for a time.
  • Frankie Dobbs - Maisie's father.
  • Brenda Dobbs née Bromley - Maisie's stepmother.
  • Priscilla Partridge née Evernden - Maisie's wealthy and stylish best friend. A former classmate at Girton College, Cambridge, she dropped out to join the Nursing Yeomanry and drove an ambulance in France. All three of her brothers were killed during the war and her parents died shortly after of influenza. She and her husband Douglas have three sons.[2] Priscilla smokes cigarettes and struggles with alcoholism throughout the series.
  • Simon Lynch - A doctor who Maisie Dobbs meets through Priscilla at Girton. They fall in love, and when working together during the war, a bomb destroys the casualty clearing station at which they were working. Simon is seriously injured; he survives after the war but cannot communicate and needs constant care. He lives in an institution paid by his parents. Maisie is injured as well, but makes a full physical recovery. Maisie focuses on her work at first to distract from the pain of loss, and then to work through her struggle find love again.
  • Andrew Dene - An orthopedic surgeon and love interest of Maisie's.
  • Richard Stratton - A detective inspector and love interest of Maisie's.
  • Viscount James Compton - Son of Lord Julian Compton and Lady Rowan Compton, and Maisie's husband. He is killed, along with his and Maisie's unborn child, while conducting research into military planes in Canada. [3]
  • Lady Rowan Compton - Maisie's employer and later, mother-in-law.
  • Lord Julian Compton - Maisie's employer and later, father-in-law.
  • Billy Beale - A former patient of Maisie's, Billy reconnects with his savior when she rents an office in the building where he works as caretaker. Billy is drawn in to helping Maisie with her work and quickly becomes her assistant and righthand man. Billy is married; he and his wife Doreen have several children.
  • Sandra Tapley - Maisie's secretary. Having worked at the Compton household with Maisie, Sandra is hired part-time after the unexpected death of her husband. [4]
  • Chief Inspector Caldwell - An inspector at Scotland Yard, he has reluctantly developed a professional relationship with Maisie.
  • Robert "Robbie" MacFarlane - An inspector at Scotland Yard's Special Branch, he recruits Maisie to take on a role with the Special Operations Executive in the lead-up to the Second World War.

References

  1. ^ Brunsdale, Mitzi, [1] Gumshoes: a dictionary of fictional detectives, Greenwood Press, 2006, pages 133-135. ISBN 0-313-33331-9. Retrieved January 26, 2012
  2. ^ Jacqueline Winspear, Pardonable Lies (2005), pp. 9–10.
  3. ^ Jacqueline Winspear, A Dangerous Place (2016).
  4. ^ Jacqueline Winspear, A Lesson in Secrets (2016).
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