Messenger of Truth

A Maisie Dobbs Novel

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Maisie Dobbs investigates the mysterious death of a controversial artist - and World War I veteran - in the fourth entry in the best-selling series London, 1931.

The night before an exhibition of his artwork opens at a famed Mayfair gallery, the controversial artist Nick Bassington-Hope falls to his death. The police rule it an accident, but Nick's twin sister, Georgina, a wartime journalist and a controversial figure in her own right, isn't so sure. When the authorities refuse to consider her theory that Nick was murdered, Georgina seeks out an old classmate from Girton College, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, for help. 

Nick was a veteran of World War I, and before long the case leads Maisie to the desolate beaches of Dungeness in Kent, and into the sinister underbelly of the city's art world. 

Following up on the best-selling Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear here delivers another vivid, thrilling and utterly unique episode in the life of Maisie Dobbs, in Messenger of Truth. 

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

©2006 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Excellent book!

I'd never heard of the author or 'Maisie Dobbs' before, but since the locale and time period are of interest, I decided to take a chance.

Lucky decision.

There's so much of value in this book, all in addition to the perfectly acceptable plot and complex, well-formed characters.

Maisie Dobbs is one of the newly-independent women in England, forced to become so because so many millions of men were killed or damaged during the Great War, they had no alternative to supporting themselves. She becomes an inquiry agent -- and this is one of her cases. She's also a psychologist, and througout the book, her psychological insights help her find the answers she was hired to find.

If you like 'period' mysteries -- Anne Perry, Charles Todd, Victoria Thompson, Michael Cox -- you'll like this series.

I like the detection alpects of these books, of course I do. But beyond that, it's all the tidbits of information the author includes -- how people lived, dressed, spoke, thought and interacted -- that adds to the charm.

A bunus in the audio version is a half-hour interview with the author, who tells how hard she works to keep the books technically accurate. Of particular interest were her comments about how words bounce back and forth between the continents, coming into vogue here or there, at various times throughout the centuries. For example, the word "smog" was in use in 1904 London -- we just think it's a modern term.

I'm looking for more "Maisie Dobbs" books -- and hope they're all narrated by Orlagh Cassidy, who gave a marvelous performance. I was sorry to see the book end.

"Messenger of Truth" is a fine book in every sense. You won't be disappointed.

Excellent audio!

The Maisie Dobbs series is absolutely wonderful -- a great combination of the "traditional British mystery" and the ugly bits of truth and progress that World War One brought to the surface -- the aftermath of war, unemployment, poverty, disease. The fallout from the explosion of the old myths is expertly and interestingly examined through characters that become friends, and complicated story lines. Cassidy's narration is terrific, I've searched for other titles she's done, simply to hear her lovely voice, and crisp, clear narration.

Paint the Truth

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if the friend enjoys British stories concerning the difficulties in England following WWI.

Who was your favorite character and why?

In this story, I was touched by the character, Billy, Maisie's assistant who suffers a great personal tragedy. He continues on in the face of great emotional pain.

Have you listened to any of Orlagh Cassidy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She always does a perfect job reading Maisie, Billy, and all the other characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is my second listen to this book. I enjoyed it more. After a year or so, I might listen again.

Any additional comments?

This is one of my favorite Maisie Dobbs stories. Jacqueline Winspear's talent as a writer shines through.

Narrator has very odd pronunciations...it's awful!

A poor narrator can ruin a good story. It is a shame that the producers of this audiobook decided to use an American narrator for an English character. Although Orlagh Cassidy has a pleasant timbre to her voice, she is absolutely the wrong person to narrate the Maisie Dobbs audiobooks. She goes so overboard in her effort to sound English, that she mispronounces even the simplest words - it is extremely irritating listening to her.

She does not apply distinct voices to her characters. Sometimes it is even difficult to determine if a man or a woman is speaking. And she has some very odd ways of pronouncing her words. "Applauding" is pronounced "applodding". "Walk" is pronounced "wok". And even the simplest French word - "Bonjour" - is pronounced "Bonjerr". I could go on and on. I am not sure if this is an affectation or if she really thinks she sounds British, but I personally think it is very distracting, and destroys my enjoyment of the story itself.

I wish that either of the first two narrators (for Books 1 & 2) had continued with this series - both were excellent. As is the Maisie Dobbs series itself - I love a character driven whodunit, and Jacqueline Winspear had created one of the best characters in the genre. But I see that Orlagh Cassidy has unfortunately been selected as the narrator for the rest of the series, and after listening to her for books 3 & 4 (I did try to give her a chance!), I just can't stand it anymore. She has so turned me off that I will not continue the series in audio.

I will buy the books instead.

liked the narrator

Nice characterization. Descent mystery well read. I'll look for this reader again. This book is aimed at a female audience.

Fun Listen

The series takes place in post WWI England, and is informative in capturing both time and place. Maise Dobbs is a unique personality, easy to like. The story is well-paced and intelligent. The narrator is excellent. I really enjoyed this one!

I love Maisie Dobbs!

I do. The books are well written. The characters have lives and growth yet this is all part of the story/mystery rather than extra. This particular mystery is a little sad. Sometimes good people do bad things for the wrong reasons. Excellent narration as usual. Highly recommended!

Great period piece

I very much enjoyed this period piece. This is set in the aftermath of The Great War, WW1, in England. It is so rich in details, you feel immersed. Great read.

A Pleasant Surprise.

Very well done. Most believable. The author shows a very good deal of intelligence, and a good researcher. Overall a very pleasant surprise. I'm buying my second one now.

Jacqueline Winspear and Orlagh Cassidy do it again

My copy of Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear is an audible book through my Kindle. I am a huge fan of the Maisie Dobbs series and of author Jacqueline Winspear. The production of the audible books in this series is fabulous and at the end of the book is an interview with the author – which was a great bonus! Jacqueline Winspear is an amazing author and listening to the interview at the end of the book was a real pleasure. She is passionate about her research into the time-period and history for this series. The narrator, Orlagh Cassidy, once again delivers an amazing performance as Maisie Dobbs.

In Messenger of Truth, Maisie takes a case brought to her by Georgina Bassington-Hope who wants the apparent accidental death of her brother, Nicholas, investigated. Georgina is a journalist who made her mark during the Great War and also attended Girton College like Maisie. Maisie soon discovers that the entire Bassington-Hope family are unusual and all of them have secrets. The majority of the family are artists of some type and their family home is filled with their art creating an unusual “country” home.

Maisie sets about getting involved in the art world to discover truth, but encounters dark secrets instead. Tragedy surrounds many of the artists she meets that points back to their time of service in the Great War. Georgina, herself, is still struggling to find her passion for writing again and seems adrift at the loss of her beloved twin brother.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the lonely, cold beaches in Kent where Maisie must journey several times during her investigation. The reader can feel the isolation and the cold wind from the author’s description. Along these journeys, Maisie’s personal life has some heartache as well as self-discovery. This reader was sad for her doing this book, but hopeful that she will find what truly makes her happy in the books to come.