The American Agent is the fifteenth title in the Maisie Dobbs series. The first book was published in 2003 with protagonist, Maisie, having been a nurse during WWI. The American Agent takes place in the Blitz during WWII. The perils that London faced remind me that, while facing Covid is our crisis, there have been many others that people have survived as well.
The Maisie Dobbs series is best approached in order as then readers are current with the events in Maisie’s life and those of the many recurrent characters. For me, The American Agent felt a bit like it might be the last book in the series although I do hope that will not be the case.
In this entry, Maisie is tasked with figuring out who has killed an American female journalist and why. In her personal life, Maisie’s best friend has been injured and Maisie’s much wished for adoption plan is not necessarily going to go according to plan. In this latest novel there is also the possibility of a new relationship with Mark, an American with whom she has been working. Around all this, Maisie solves her case.
I highly recommend this series and this title. Have you read the Maise Dobbs series? What do you think?
Editorial reviews:
“Excellent…. In Winspear’s capable hands, Maisie has evolved into a deeply sympathetic character. Readers will eagerly await her next outing.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
“The London blitz is the backdrop to Winspear’s latest as the inimitable Maisie Dobbs investigates the death of Catherin Saxon, an intrepid American journalist determined to document wartime Britain’s hardships for the folks back home. An immersive tale of wartime grit and grief.” (Booklist)
“Everything in this series turns on the psychological traumas of war. That’s what gives Maisie’s sometimes prosaic cases their sturdy backbone and air of urgency—that and Maisie’s own dynamic character. Hang on to your helmet and carry on, girl.” (New York Times Book Review)
“Advances Maisie’s inspiring activities, highlights the bravery of an embattled people during the Second World War, and intimates that lessons from that period have yet to be learned.” (Kirkus)
This title is a bilingual Spanish/English one. The book opens with some text about how colors brighten the world before teaching about the names of some colors in both languages. The illustrations are sweet, vibrant and engaging. This book is a nice way to introduce a young child to another language.
Helen Macdonald is the author of H is for Hawk. I loved that title about which I said at the time:
![Strong Women: 15 Biographies of Influential Women History Overlooked by [Kari Koeppel]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41RrMh2bJyL.jpg)
In the preface to this title, the author comments on the vast numbers of women that she could have chosen to profile. That, in itself, is such good news. Still, she chose well and this book is an interesting collection of biographies divided into three sections-Innovators, Change Makers and Ceiling Breakers. I was happy to see that I knew about some of these women already, including Murasaki, Ada Lovelace, Ida Wells and C. J. Walker. Other women were new to me and I enjoyed learning about them.
Ms. Sancez Vegara does a beautiful job telling the story of Jesse Owens. While reading this book, young readers will learn about Owens’s many incredible athletic achievements while also learning about the racism and hardships that he endured. This entry is most highly recommended. As always, the illustrations enhance the text.
![Queen Lucia By E. F. Benson by [E. F Benson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+eY2dN6SL._SY346_.jpg)
The Jojo Moyes book was the first one that I read by this popular author. The Mapp books are classics of their type…plus a few other titles. Do you see anything that interests you?
A glimpse at the marriage announcements in the New York Times makes it very clear that, along with everything else, the way that marriages are celebrated has changed under Covid. But no matter what, the dress for the big day is important.
