Book 44: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline WinspearAnother day, another quirky private detective. From Botswana to Wales to 1920s London, where Maisie Dobbs is starting her own business after years under the tutelage of the irritatingly wise and mysterious Maurice Blanche. Interspersed with the story of her first case are flashbacks to her childhood and her time as a nurse at the front during the First World War. It could have been a hideously hackneyed tale, but enough twists are applied to the formula to save it from Sebastian Faulks territory. Cunningly, the first chapter of the next book in the series is included at the back and no doubt I will succumb.This is the only time of year I wish I had a television, so I can be put through mental torture by Tim Henman and fill in my little Wimbledon chart. Our terrestrial channels at work are out of action too, and you just don't get the same sweaty rush from internet updates. Happily, I did get to see some live tennis at Eastbourne for my birthday, where Kim Clijsters romped home in the International Championships to the cheers of a few thousand sunburnt lesbians, my mum, and me. I also had a lovely meal at Cafe Nia, where I lowered the tone by wearing deely boppers with L-plates on (my single concession to having a hen night).Tags: 50 Book Challenge 09:52 . . .
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