Jacqueline Winspear's introspective sleuth/psychologist Maisie Dobbs works in 1930s London. In Messenger of Truth, Maisie is asked to investigate the death of Nick Bassington-Hope, an artist from a well-to-do family who served in World War I. Nick died in a fall while preparing for an upcoming art exhibit, and his twin sister thinks he may have been pushed. In addition, the exhibit's centerpiece, a painting reputed to be Nick's masterwork, is nowhere to be found.

Though each Maisie Dobbs book is centered on an investigation, sleuthing takes second place to Winspear's insightful exploration of post-war England. As in her three previous books, the crime in Messenger of Truth has its roots in the Great War, and Winspear again illustrates the world-changing power of that tragic conflict. Copyright 2006 BookPage Reviews.

This fourth installment in the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series (after Pardonable Lies ) finds our fearless psychologist/inquiry agent investigating the death of artist Nick Bassington-Hope. According to Detective Inspector Stratton, Nick's fall from a set of scaffolding was merely a tragic accident. Nick's twin sister, Georgina, however, insists he was murdered and hires Maisie to discover the truth. Maisie soon finds herself moved by Nick's powerful, often discomforting re-creations of his wartime experiences. But where is the painting on which he was working when he died? Maisie's probing questions and careful listening skills bring her close to danger as she uncovers a series of events leading back to World War I. Meanwhile, her relationship with Andrew Dene slowly unravels as Maisie realizes her work means more to her than he does. The mystery itself is rather transparent, but what makes this book delightful is how Winspear shows Maisie's emotional development amid the bitter legacy of the Great War. Her growing fan base should enjoy this latest entry. Strongly recommended.â€" Laurel Bliss, Princeton Univ. Lib., NJ

In Winspear's winning fourth historical to star British psychologist and PI Maisie Dobbs (after 2005's Pardonable Lies ), Georgiana Bassington-Hope, a pioneering female war reporter who was a classmate of Maisie's at Girton College (Cambridge), asks Maisie to investigate the death of her twin brother, Nicholas Bassington-Hope, a WWI veteran and artist. The police have ruled Nick's fall from a scaffold at a Mayfair gallery before his masterpiece could be unveiled an accident, but Georgiana suspects foul play. As Maisie delves into the art world and the dead man's unusual family, the author provides an insightful look at class divisions and dangerous political undercurrents of homegrown fascism in early 1930s Britain. Some might wish that the whodunit side of the story was more developed, but fans of quality period fiction will be well satisfied. (Aug.)