A Dangerous Place

Maisie Dobbs Mysteries, Book 11

De: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrado por: Orlagh Cassidy

Four years after she set sail from England, leaving everything she most loved behind, Maisie Dobbs at last returns only to find herself in a dangerous place....

In Jacqueline Winspear's powerful story of political intrigue and personal tragedy, a brutal murder in the British garrison town of Gilbraltar leads Maisie into a web of lies, deceit, and peril.

Spring 1937. In the four years since she left England, Maisie Dobbs has experienced love, contentment, stability - and the deepest tragedy a woman can endure. Now all she wants is the peace she believes she might find by returning to India. But her sojourn in the hills of Darjeeling is cut short when her stepmother summons her home to England; her aging father, Frankie Dobbs, is not getting any younger.

But on a ship bound for England, Maisie realizes she isn't ready to return. Against the wishes of the captain, who warns her, "You will be alone in a most dangerous place," she disembarks in Gibraltar. Though she is on her own, Maisie is far from alone: the British garrison town is teeming with refugees fleeing a brutal civil war across the border in Spain.

Yet the danger is very real. Days after Maisie's arrival, a photographer and member of Gibraltar's Sephardic Jewish community, Sebastian Babayoff, is murdered, and Maisie becomes entangled in the case, drawing the attention of the British Secret Service. Under the suspicious eye of a British agent, Maisie is pulled deeper into political intrigue on "the Rock" - arguably Britain's most important strategic territory - and renews an uneasy acquaintance in the process. At a crossroads between her past and her future, Maisie must choose a direction, knowing that England is, for her, an equally dangerous place but in quite a different way.

©2015 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[Narrator Orlagh] Cassidy makes the tension palpable as German planes bomb Guernica, while her insightful performance develops the thought-provoking ideas in Winspear's 11th Maisie Dobbs adventure. Series fans will be delighted." (AudioFile)

Catching Up with Maisie Dobbs

If you could sum up A Dangerous Place in three words, what would they be?

Accepting a tragedy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Dangerous Place?

Maisie struggling with the will to go on. Her internal pain, her human weakness.

Which character – as performed by Orlagh Cassidy – was your favorite?

Maisie of course, but I also liked the owner of the cafe. He was so kind to Maisie.Viejo was also a most interesting character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had a heartfelt reaction to Maisie's struggle as I have followed her through all 11 books, from the time she was just a girl, a servant at Chelstone Manner.

Any additional comments?

Thanks to Jacqueline Winspear for another interesting story of Maisie.Dobbs. Waiting for more.

Least favorite of the series

I am a huge fan of the Maisie Dobbs series, but this one left me a bit flat. It is one of those stories that transitions a familiar character into a new situation without a doing a very good job of it. Orlagh Cassidy is amazing as always as Maisie. I will continue with the series.

Another wonderful Maisie Dobbs mystery

I loved it and am very happy to be visiting Maisie again. No spoilers here; my 4-star rating has more to do with some disappointment over not spending some time in Canada with Maisie and James, although I understand that Maisie was not "working" at that time, so there were no mysteries for her to solve. Also, I felt that some sections, although helping to convey the ongoing ups and downs of Maisie's emotional recovery, were too repetitious, somehow. I understand how an image can be emblazoned on someone's brain and then reappear at seemingly random times. And certainly, Maisie's traumatic losses qualify her for these PTSD symptoms. My minor beef is that I thought the language surrounding these events seemed repetitious, which distracted me to think more about whether or not I thought the repetition was a good thing rather than empathizing with Maisie.

Although I've spent way too many words on a nit-pick, I loved learning about this aspect of Maisie's character development and the political background for this aspect of the beginning of WWII, and am looking forward to whatever comes next -- and I do hope she gets home for Christmas.

Excellent chapter in Maisie Dobbs life

Great writer. Interesting reader. Always enjoy her books. A look at the Spanish Civil War and a surprising turn in her life.

Love Maudie Dobbs

I have enjoyed all of the Maisie
Dobbs books. After reading one by chance, I went back and started at the beginning. I hope Jacqueline Winspear is writing fast because I am now on the last of the series!

Compelling , tragic and hopeful

Maisie takes us through gut wrenching loss to a dark place and then finds herself again by losing herself in service! Each novel reveals more of Maisie's true character and we love her more!

Gripping

Another wonderful Maisie Dobbs adventure. A real heart stopping story . Ms Winspear you have done it again. Write again soon.

Winspear and Cassidy--a perfect combination

Would you listen to A Dangerous Place again? Why?

Yes. Unequivocally yes. These books were recommended to me by a friend who reads the printed edition. I can say only that I think she is missing some of the impact by not listening to them as well (anyone who has read the Harry Potter books and listened to Jim Dale's narration knows what I mean.) The content immediately grabs your interest and keeps leading you further into the complex experiences of Masie Dobbs. I am gaining more and more respect for Orlagh Cassidy whose narration adds to the emotional connection to the heroine. Most of all, Ms. Winspear is masterful in her presentation of so many aspects of recent history that it creates an atmosphere of actually being there.

What other book might you compare A Dangerous Place to and why?

It may seem strange, but the combination of author and narrator are so important to me that I can think only of Michael McGarrity and George Guidall association on the Kevin Kerney series. Though the content of the books is completely different, the cohesiveness of the collaboration makes them compellingas does the alliance between Winspear and Cassidy. My tastes in reading materials have become more eclectic because of my devotion to George Guidall’s narration--as someone mentioned in another review, he could read the tax code and I would find it interesting. I can see my interests expanding looking for Cassidy as the narrator.

Which scene was your favorite?

Because of the descriptive narrative and the emotional connection (fear of being discovered) what comes to mind is scene where Masie is observing the nocturnal activities of some of the characters. It may not be a climatic event that occurs in the book, but it generates a mental connection to the complexity of the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Always, and I have read all of the previous books and Journey to Munich. I can hardly wait to go through the others. But more than laughing or crying, I can identify with the history characterized in such detail.

Any additional comments?

Read them all. I don't usually take the time to offer reviews of my opinion, but I feel very strongly about this series.

Wisdom to be found in transition and change

As always Ms. Cassidy does a superb job delivering the well written pages of Ms. Winspear. As we follow Maisie through yet another difficult transition I her life the author shares with us the history of a time that is often overshadowed by the tragic events to come. The Spanish Civil War of the late 1930's is not often touched on in mainstream world history taught in the US. I was glad to be able to learn more about it through this novel. And as always the author does an excellent job exploring the motivations, fears, joys and sorrows of her characters. I always like to listen as Maisie explores her memories for advice others have shared with her, shaping to her own form of wisdom through her self reflection. It's this process which makes Maisie seem more real to me than characters I've come to know elsewhere. And while there is an overriding sadness that pervades the storyline, I do see a glimmer of hope in the future which will keep me engaged as a listen into the next chapter in Maisie's life.

Wow, another great story

I love this series... this story continues with out any let down ... it remains fresh and the reader is excellent!