Review: The Consequences of Fear
Gaby Meares
It’s 1941 and the blitz is devastating London. Winspear is at her best when describing what the war experience must have been like, particularly for those on the home front, and how fear becomes all pervasive.
‘Fear, she thought, had a viscous quality to it, to the extent that you could even feel it in your feet as you were running to the shelter; a burden slowing you down, despite the fact that you were moving as fast as your legs could carry you. Fear was sticky, like flypaper, something to steer clear of as you went about your business, because if you were sucked into that long banner of worry, you would be like an insect with wings adhered and feet stuck, never to escape.’
Young Freddie Hackett witnesses a murder, but is dismissed by the over-worked police, so he turns to Maisie Dobbs for help. Of course, there’s more to this murder than meets the eye and Maisie and her wonderful Billy find themselves uncovering a historic crime that could have terrible repercussions for the French/British alliance.
It’s the small pieces of incidental information that are scattered throughout the Maisie Dobbs’ books that elevate them above the rest. For example, as Maisie assists the pathologist in his examination of a man found floating in the Thames, she says ‘The shrapnel wounds are telling, don’t you think?’ to which the pathologist replies, ‘Yes. I saw so many just like this in the last war - the the water has brought more shards to the surface of the skin. I daresay he picked out a few splinters each week, and the constant reminder probably gave him nightmares about the day he got them.’
My only reservation with this latest instalment is the distraction created by Maisie’s domestic situation: her relationship with a dishy American (who’s not a particularly well drawn character) and her responsibility for her adopted daughter, Anna. She spends too much time worrying about them, rather than applying her skills to the crime at hand! But it’s a small quibble.
The book finishes with the news of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, and the USA entering into the fray, which will, of course, create more heartache for our beloved Maisie.