Pardonable Lies

A Maisie Dobbs Novel

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Orlaugh Cassidy

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

In the third novel of this best-selling series, London investigator Maisie Dobbs faces grave danger as she returns to the site of her most painful WWI memories to resolve the mystery of a pilot's death.

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe. Every once in a while, a detective bursts on the scene who captures readers' hearts, and imaginations, and doesn't let go. And so it was with Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs, who made her debut just two years ago in the eponymously titled first book of the series, and is already on her way to becoming a household name.

A deathbed plea from his wife leads Sir Cecil Lawton to seek the aid of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator. As Maisie soon learns, Agnes Lawton never accepted that her aviator son was killed in the Great War, a torment that led her not only to the edge of madness but to the doors of those who practice the dark arts and commune with the spirit world. In accepting the assignment, Maisie finds her spiritual strength tested, as well as her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. The mission also brings her together once again with her college friend Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and who lost three brothers to the war, one of whom, it turns out, had an intriguing connection to the missing Ralph Lawton.

Don't miss other titles in the Maisie Dobbs series.

©2005 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, LLC

Critic reviews

"Agatha-winner Winspear's engrossing third Maisie Dobbs novel maintains the high quality of its predecessors....Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly." (Publishers Weekly)

Ghastly reading voice

I was really disappointed. The reader’s accent was terrible. People who grow up in Devon do not have cockney accents. People who grow up in Australia do not have cockney accents either. Many words were mis pronounced. I struggled to listen. How to ruin a good story!

The narration let me down.

I have really enjoyed these books, Maisie has not become the tittering damsel in distress as happens in so many of these types of books.
I was, however disappointed in this particular narration when they decided to keep calling Maurice, Morris. He is a Frenchman, and in the first 2 books his name was pronounced correctly. As I am listening and not reading, I am not sure if this is a narrator problem, or an author problem, but I cringed each time his name was spoken.

So Touching

As always, this story brings it all to life. The emotions overtook me at times. I’m on to the next in the series.

Enjoyed

Enjoyed very much, all Maisie Dobbs Books are special.Hope to read them all over again

Love this series…,

Great historical fiction, Britain between the wars with a challenging mystery, and an iconic character, Maise Dobbs.

3rd time is the Charm.

I enjoyed the first two Maise Dobbs books. But, this one is my favorite so far. The story was complex there were several mysteries within the story. I really like the characters of Billy and Priscilla. The young man she sets out to prove dead, was and is a very sad story.

Excellent!

The story line in this book compliments so many different issues. Winspear does an excellent job making the issues very real for the reader. You get to understand Maisie more in this book. The compassion in this story is it's greatest achievement...bravo!

Boy I love a good mystery, this is one!

Loved the 4 different mysteries running through this listen. You always think about how the world was changed by WWII, but this makes you think about how WWI changed things also, and how bad it will be in WWII.

Intriguing

A very intriguing story that kept my attention and had me regretting when I had to stop listening for any reason.

Returned due to terrible narration

Such fantastic books that it seems impossible that a bad performance could suck the life out of the text. Yet that is exactly the problem here. Flat, emotionless tone a la Prozac. And Maurice is NOT pronounced Morris. 🙄