Review: A Sunlit Weapon (Maisie Dobbs, #17)
Gaby Meares
Thank you Jacqueline Winspear for the gift of Maisie Dobbs. I always feel the world is a better place once I’ve spent some time with Maisie. She is an inspiration; I wish I could be as kind and thoughtful as Maisie is!
This is another cracking good mystery for Maisie to unravel - and the most confusing by far! However, as always, Maisie applies her well-honed skills to the puzzle and successfully finds the answers.
We’re still in the heart of WW2 and all that entails: rationing of food and petrol; blackout curtains; removal of street signage, air-raids and anxiety about loved-ones who are fighting. As the characters ‘just get on with it’, I couldn’t help but think of the world’s current situation with Covid, and how we have all embraced this attitude in the face of extraordinary times.
I love how Winspear uncovers unusual aspects in history, in this case the many women pilots who flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary in Britain, ferrying military aircraft between factories, repair units and airfields. She also explores the impact that American military servicemen arriving on British soil had on the locals, who couldn’t understand the American MPs insisting on segregating the coloured servicemen. It’s this sort of research that elevates the Maisie Dobbs series way above the other historic mysteries that are available on the bookshelves. Another writer of historic fiction, [a:Sarah Waters|25334|Sarah Waters|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248454p2/25334.jpg], describes these details as ‘poignant trivia’.
Again, Winspear has given her readers a fabulous mystery, with characters we have come to love over the previous sixteen novels. I can’t wait for the next instalment!