Part of Maisie Dobbs, book 11
First published 2015
Spring 1937. Maisie Dobbs boards a ship from India to England, summoned home to care for her aging father Frankie. Four years abroad have brought her love and stability, but also devastating personal loss. Against the captain's warnings about danger, she disembarks early in Gibraltar. The British garrison town overflows with Spanish Civil War refugees fleeing violence across the border. Days after her arrival, photographer Sebastian Babayoff is found murdered. A member of Gibraltar's Sephardic Jewish community, his death pulls Maisie into a complex investigation. The British Secret Service takes notice as she digs deeper into the case. Political tensions simmer on the Rock, Britain's crucial strategic territory. Maisie renews an uncomfortable past acquaintance while navigating surveillance and suspicion. She stands at a crossroads between her years away and an uncertain future. England awaits, but returning home presents its own distinct perils for the detective.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: India, England, Gibraltar, Britain
Period: Spring 1937
309 pages · Hardcover · Harper