Jacqueline Winspear books in order

By July 1914, the ties between Kezia Marchant and Thea Brissenden, friends since girlhood, have become strained—by Thea’s passionate embrace of women’s suffrage, and by the imminent marriage of Kezia to Thea’s brother, Tom, who runs the family farm. When Kezia and Tom wed just a month before war is declared between Britain and Germany, Thea’s gift to Kezia is a book on household management—a veiled criticism of the bride’s prosaic life to come.

Yet when Tom enlists to fight for his country and Thea is drawn reluctantly onto the battlefield, the farm becomes Kezia’s responsibility. Each must find a way to endure the ensuing cataclysm and turmoil.

As Tom marches to the front lines, and Kezia battles to keep her ordered life from unraveling, they hide their despair in letters and cards filled with stories woven to bring comfort. Even Tom’s fellow soldiers in the trenches enter and find solace in the dream world of Kezia’s mouth-watering, albeit imaginary meals. But will well-intended lies and self-deception be of use when they come face to face with the enemy?

This book 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.

A one-of-a-kind illustrated companion to the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series, which invites readers into the beloved heroine’s world—and shares her wisdom and inspiration.

Through fourteen books, the Maisie Dobbs series has had a resounding impact on fans. Readers have shared with author Jacqueline Winspear how Maisie’s stories have resonated with them or helped them through difficult times. Fans have been inspired by the heroine’s resilience and endurance, repurposing her strength in their own lives in a way perhaps best embodied by the phrase “What Would Maisie Do?”

Anchored by thirty of Maisie's most timeless quotes, coupled with Jacqueline Winspear’s inspiration for each nugget of wisdom, these reflections offer readers additional insight into the world of Maisie Dobbs and invite them to reflect on favorite moments and memories.

After sixteen novels, Jacqueline Winspear has taken the bold step of turning to memoir, revealing the hardships and joys of her family history. Both shockingly frank and deftly restrained, her story tackles the difficult, poignant, and fascinating family accounts of her paternal grandfather’s shellshock; her mother’s evacuation from London during the Blitz; her soft-spoken animal-loving father’s torturous assignment to an explosives team during WWII; her parents’ years living with Romany Gypsies; and Winspear’s own childhood picking hops and fruit on farms in rural Kent, capturing her ties to the land and her dream of being a writer at its very inception.

The historical mystery Maisie Dobbs was first published in 2003, introducing readers to an inquisitive, young, English, working-class woman as she opens her own London detective agency following World War I. Jacqueline Winspear’s debut won her the Agatha Award for Best First Novel and led to a New York Times–bestselling series. But just who exactly is Miss Maisie Dobbs?

In this profile, four characters very close to Maisie shed light on the beloved psychologist and investigator. Her father, Francis Dobbs looks back on her childhood and proclaims the pride she instills in him. Her first employer, Lady Rowan Compton, recounts finding a young Maisie studying late one night in her library. Dr. Maurice Blanche, her mentor, discusses her studies and their detective work. And Billy Beale, her assistant, talks about their first meeting during the Great War, as well as what it’s like to work for her. It’s an enlightening read that fans are sure to love.

Maisie Dobbs began working as a servant in a Belgravia mansion when she was just thirteen years old.

Caught reading in the library by Lady Rowan Compton, her employer, Maisie is amazed at how Lady Rowan and a family friend named Dr. Maurice Blanche support her desire for education .

When her education is halted by World War I soon after she begins her studies at Girton College, Cambridge, Maisie joins the overseas nursing service.

The year is in 1929.

Now a psychologist and investigator, Maisie’s first assignment after setting up her own business is a suspected case of infidelity; one which not only takes her on the trail of a killer, but also reminds her of the war that she has struggled so hard to forget.

It has been a memorable year for Maisie Dobbs. Having set up her own private investigation agency in the English capital in 1929 London, Maisie now owns a professional office and even has an assistant named Billy Beale.

A tried and tested psychologist and investigator, she has won over the admiration of Detective Inspector Stratton of Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad.

The year is now 1930. As Stratton is investigates a killing in Coulsden, Maisie is in Dulwich on a mission to find a runaway heiress.

The heiress in question is the daughter of a rich self-made man named Joseph Waite.

As Maisie goes about the disappearance case, she uncovers a shocking link to Stratton’s murder case and to the dreadful legacy of World War I.

Psychologist and investigator, Maisie Dobbs, is brought in to assist after a dying wife makes a request to her husband, Sir Cecil Lawton, KC.

Agnes Lawton has never accepted that her pilot son was killed in World War I, something that has not only driven her to the point of insanity but also prompted her to consult dark magic.

Searching for evidence that could prove that Ralph Lawton is either dead or alive, Maisie finds herself submerged into a case that will put her spiritual strength to the ultimate test.

In her endeavor, she will head to France where she will be reunited with an old friend who lost three brothers in the war; one of the brothers interestingly connected to the case.

The year is 1931 in London.

When controversial artist Nick Bassington-Hope falls to his death on the eve of the unveiling of his artwork at a renowned Mayfair gallery, the police conclude that it was an accident.

Georgina, a wartime journalist and Nick’s twin sister, however has her reservations.

This prompts her to seek for the help of fellow Girton College graduate, Maisie Dobbs who is a psychologist and investigator.

Maisie follows the trail which leads her to the dark and shadowy realms of the city’s art world.

But to solve the case, she must first avoid being eliminated by the people responsible for the artist’s death.

Maisie Dobbs is relieved to receive a seemingly uncomplicated case, especially now that the economy is strife.

Her investigation behind a potential land purchase leads her to a beautiful village in Kent during the hop-picking season.

Something however doesn’t feel right. Strange fires are ravaging the village with suspicious regularity, while a string of petty crimes point to a sinister criminal figure at work.

With an aura of secrecy riddling the village, this could very well be the most challenging career of Maisie Dobbs’s career.

It’s Christmas Eve of 1931.

Maisie Dobbs is on her way to see a client when she witnesses a man committing suicide on a busy street in London

The next day, a letter is sent to the office of the Prime Minister, threatening a wide scale loss of life if specific demands aren’t met.

The author of the letter even surprisingly mentions Maisie by name.

Poached by the elite Special Branch of Scotland Yard to assist with the case, Maisie quickly finds herself racing against the clock to identify a man who has the temerity and expertise to destroy thousands of innocent, unsuspecting lives.

The year is 1914 in the Santa Ynez Valley, California.

Michael Clifton is the youngest son of an English immigrant who relocated to America as a teenager in search of fortune. His plan seems on course years later after he buys a parcel of land he believes is rich with oil, only for war to strike Europe.

Pledging allegiance to the land of his father, Michael travels to England where he enlists in the army.

When Michael’s remains are discovered in France in the spring of 1932, his rich parents hire Maisie Dobbs to track down the woman only identified as “The English Nurse” who wrote a several love letters found amongst Michael’s belongings.

As Maisie undertakes her investigation, it soon becomes clear that uncovering hidden secrets often causes danger in the present.

It’s the summer of 1932.

Maisie Dobbs receives an undercover assignment of masquerading as a junior lecturer in a private college in Cambridge; the task directed by Scotland Yard’s Special Branch and the Secret Service.

When the Greville Liddicote, the contentious pacifist founder and principal of the college is found murdered, Maisie is directed to respectably withdraw from the investigation in favor of Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane and Detective Chief Inspector Richard Stratton.

Maisie however soon learns that the circumstances leading to Liddicote’s death seem to link to the suspicious activities of faculty and students under her watch.

The year is 1933.

The costermongers of Covent Garden, who sell fruit and vegetables from horse-drawn carts on the streets of London, request Maisie Dobbs to investigate the death of one Eddie Pettit.

Eddie, a kindhearted man with a soft spot for horses, met his death during a terrible accident which the costers have their reservations about.

Being that her father, Frankie, was also a fellow costermonger, Maisie decides to take on the case.

She also has fond childhood memories of Eddie and is determined to help uncover the truth.

It however doesn’t take long for the beloved psychologist and investigator to discover the ploy by powerful political and financial forces to prevent her from finding out too much about Eddie’s death.

The year is 1933 in London.

When a woman’s body is found in the saline water of a South London canal, the body is identified as that of Usha Pramal.

Two months later, her brother—who has just arrived in England from India—seeks the help of Maisie Dobbs to uncover the truth about her death.

Before her death, Usha was living at an ayah’s hostel until she was hounded out into the cold street, alongside other Indian women, when their services were no longer needed.

But when another Indian woman who had information about Usha turns up dead, Maisie knows that she is going up against a sinister figure determined to silence the truth.

The year is 1937.

Still trying to come to terms with her recent personal tragedies, Maisie Dobbs returns home after trips to America and India.

Gripped with fear and unsure of whether to return to her past life, Maisie disembarks in Gibraltar, despite several warning from the ship’s captain.

Gibraltar is a dangerous hub full of intelligence operatives, double agents, and refugees of the Spanish Civil War.

Upon her arrival on “the Rock,” she comes across the body of a member of the close Sephardic Jewish community named Sebastian Babayoff.

But by looking into the murder, Maisie makes herself a person of interest for the British Secret Service, and other interested parties.

The year is 1938, and Maisie Dobbs has just returned home from Spain.

While on her way to Fitzroy Square on morning, Maisie is approached by Secret Service agents Brian Huntley and Robert MacFarlane who need her help.

The German government plans to release an important British subject from prison, albeit on the grounds that he is to be delivered to a family member.

And given that the man is widowed and his only child is terribly ill, the Secret Service needs a reliable female agent to masquerade as his daughter in Dachau, Munich.

Britain however isn’t the only party interested in Maisie’s journey to Munich.

Her nemesis, and the man she blames for her husband’s death, is also in desperate need of Maisie’s help.

The year is 1939.

As British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declares with Germany on national television, a high ranking Secret Service agent breaks into Maisie Dobbs’ apartment.

Dr. Francesca Thomas wants Maisie to identify the killer of a man who escaped Belgium as a boy during World War I.

With an impending threat of an attack, a second body of a Belgian refugee is discovered.

As Maisie investigates the killings, another refugee—a little girl only known by the name Anna—storms into Maisie’s her life, plunging her further into mayhem.

The year is 1940.

Months after Britain declares war on Germany, Maisie Dobbs investigates the disappearance of a young novice assigned on a secret government contract.

As news about the thousands of soldiers stranded on the beaches of France begins spreading like wildfire, and threats on an attacking reach fever pitch, another youthful man dear to Maisie makes a dreadful, life changing forever.

Through her investigation, Maisie is reminded of just how interrelated money and war are.

As the final duel approaches, will she put everything on the line and risk everything she has worked so hard to make her reality.

British authorities conceal news of the death of an American journalist named Catherine Saxon whose body was found murdered in her London apartment.

Acting as a linchpin between Scotland Yard and the Secret Service, Robert MacFarlane approaches Maisie Dobbs for help.

These two are brought together by Mark Scott, an agent from the US Department of Justice, who helped Maisie escape for Hitler’s Munich.

As the Germans unleash death and destruction from the skies, Maisie must not only find a way solving this dangerous case but also protect Anna—the young refugee whom she loves enough to want to adopt her.

As Europe buckles under Nazi occupation, Maisie Dobbs investigates a possible murder that threatens devastating repercussions for Britain's war efforts.

October 1941. While on a delivery, young Freddie Hackett, a message runner for a government office, witnesses an argument that ends in murder. Crouching in the doorway of a bombed-out house, Freddie waits until the coast is clear. But when he arrives at the delivery address, he’s shocked to come face to face with the killer.

Dismissed by the police when he attempts to report the crime, Freddie goes in search of a woman he once met when delivering a message: Maisie Dobbs. While Maisie believes the boy and wants to help, she must maintain extreme caution: she’s working secretly for the Special Operations Executive, assessing candidates for crucial work with the French resistance. Her two worlds collide when she spots the killer in a place she least expects. She soon realizes she’s been pulled into the orbit of a man who has his own reasons to kill—reasons that go back to the last war.

As Maisie becomes entangled in a power struggle between Britain’s intelligence efforts in France and the work of Free French agents operating across Europe, she must also contend with the lingering question of Freddie Hackett’s state of mind. What she uncovers could hold disastrous consequences for all involved...

Possible attacks on British pilots leads Maisie Dobbs into a mystery involving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

October 1942. Jo Hardy, a 22-year-old ferry pilot, is delivering a Supermarine Spitfire—the fastest fighter aircraft in the world—to Biggin Hill Aerodrome, when she realizes someone is shooting at her aircraft from the ground. Returning to the location on foot, she finds an American serviceman in a barn, bound and gagged. She rescues the man, who is handed over to the American military police; it quickly emerges that he is considered a suspect in the disappearance of a fellow soldier who is missing.

Tragedy strikes two days later, when another ferry pilot crashes in the same area where Jo’s plane was attacked. At the suggestion of one of her colleagues, Jo seeks the help of psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs. Meanwhile, Maisie’s husband, a high-ranking political attaché based at the American embassy, is in the thick of ensuring security is tight for the first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, during her visit to the Britain.

There’s already evidence that German agents have been circling: the wife of a president represents a high value target. Mrs. Roosevelt is clearly in danger, and there may well be a direct connection to the death of the woman ferry pilot and the recent activities of two American servicemen.

To guarantee the safety of the First Lady—and of the soldier being held in police custody—Maisie must uncover that connection. At the same time, she faces difficulties of an entirely different nature with her young daughter, Anna, who is experiencing wartime struggles of her own.