The White Lady

A Novel

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times and National Bestseller

“A triumph. . . . Winspear creates in Elinor White (the ‘White Lady’), a complex, endearing, achingly flawed hero. This is both fast-paced and thoughtful, bold and nuanced, a thriller that is thrillingly human. I loved it.” —Louise Penny

The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity—when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind.

A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, ultimately exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government.

The private, quiet “Miss White" as Elinor is known, lives in a village in rural Kent, England, and to her fellow villagers seems something of an enigma. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or that their mysterious neighbor is haunted by her past.

It will take Susie, the child of a young farmworker, Jim Mackie and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanor—but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie. Yet in her quest to uncover the truth behind the family’s pursuit of Jim, Elinor unwittingly sets out on a treacherous path—yet it is one that leads to her freedom.

©2023 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Brilliantly structured drama

Initially I was disappointed not to be hearing a new Masie Dobbs mystery. Ms Winspear has excelled herself. The three eras of the story, of WWI, WWII and the immediate aftermath of WWII in England weave together to knit a spellbinding mystery, but there is so much detailed history that “mystery” is too narrow a genre to capture the story. Bravo fir a brilliant work of historical fiction.

Another great book by Jacqueline Winspear!

If you enjoy excellent historic fiction (and don’t need sex in every chapter because it’s about the story), try this! Spanning the Great War, WWII, and the period thereafter, this book focuses on the adventures and experiences of a strong woman and the people who she encounters in her life. Well done with conflicts and issues raised by wartime service to create food for thought and discussion. I listed to it and Orlando Cassidy always does a fantastic job! Highly recommend!

Good story

The story was a bit clumsily unraveled, but I enjoyed the main character and her journey.

Another win!

As a fan of Winspear's other work, this was exactly what I would expect from her. Well done and well read.

Maisie writ large

The heroine in this enjoyable story is very Maisie Dobbs-like, though this new character, Elinor White, is forced into events and behaviors that go beyond what we've seen with Maisie. The setting is again war-time Europe, and historical details of the resulting post-war deprivation in England are seamlessly woven into the narrative. The story moves back and forth from present to past, and we see how the war shaped the lives of all the characters. It's surprising that the description of highly emotional scenes falls a little flat (I would say the same about the Maisie Dobbs series), and that's reflected in a lessening of Orlagh Cassidy's typically stellar performance. One could also argue about the use of the same stylized accent for the highly educated Scotland Yard DCI Warren and Billy Beale (from the Maisie Dobbs series). That said, if this is the first in a new Jacqueline Winspear series, and I hope it is, I look forward to the next installment.

The White Lady

Excellent story! Riveting!! Narration was outstanding. I would highly recommend this story. Couldn’t stop listening!

Story good. Not read well

This is a typically good Winspeare novel. But why oh why does an American actor narrate in an English accent? Ms Cassidy doesn’t know any of the English pronunciations of places like Harwich and Fenwicks. There are some other mispronunciations that just make you cringe. Shame as it mars a good story.

Superb experience

Marvelous performance. Spanning two world conflicts, seemed seamless A wonderful ending. I look forward to Winspear’s next.

Winspear Wins Again

This goes down as one of my favorites. Jacqueline Winspear wrote winner after winner in her Maisie Dobbs series. I was afraid there wouldn't be another like that great character. However, Winspear wins again with a fully drawn female protagonist and eloquently written prose. This thought-provoking novel is expertly narrated by Orlagh Cassidy. I highly recommend this story which spans two world wars and the espionage during and between them.

The story.

The narrator did a tremendous job with the various characters. This was a very enjoyable read. The story and plot were quite interesting.