TLC Book Tours: In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear

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Happy Thursday everyone! Today I'm working with TLC Book Tours to showcase the newest addition to the Maisie Dobbs' series In This Grave Hour. Below you'll find the schedule for others that have also read and reviewed this book as a part of the tour. 





Publication: March 14, 2017 
# of Pages: 352
Source: Review Copy 


Sunday September 3rd 1939.  At the moment Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts to the nation Britain’s declaration of war with Germany, a senior Secret Service agent breaks into Maisie Dobbs' flat to await her return. Dr. Francesca Thomas has an urgent assignment for Maisie: to find the killer of a man who escaped occupied Belgium as a boy, some twenty-three years earlier during the Great War.

In a London shadowed by barrage balloons, bomb shelters and the threat of invasion, within days another former Belgian refugee is found murdered.  And as Maisie delves deeper into the killings of the dispossessed from the “last war," a new kind of refugee — an evacuee from London — appears in Maisie's life. The little girl billeted at Maisie’s home in Kent does not, or cannot, speak, and the authorities do not know who the child belongs to or who might have put her on the “Operation Pied Piper” evacuee train.  They know only that her name is Anna.

As Maisie’s search for the killer escalates, the country braces for what is to come.  Britain is approaching its gravest hour — and Maisie could be nearing a crossroads of her own.


This book! It was such an improvement from the Maisie Dobbs' book I read earlier. There were so many different and compelling elements that drew me in as a reader and kept me captivated throughout the entire book. First, I enjoyed the historical moments. This book takes place during WWII and ultimately provides the reader with a great amount of information in reference to this specific time in history. As a history major in college, I expected to know the general ins and outs of Europe's involvement in WWII; however, I was pleasantly surprised to learn so many interesting facts and information that I was not previously aware of. For example, I didn't realize that there was an influx of Belgians into England during the war. It definitely relates to the mass immigration that is occurring all over the world due to war. If anyone is interested in WWII or historical information in general then this is definitely a great book to pick up. 

What I also liked about this book was the writing style. While I enjoyed the writing style of the last Maisie Dobbs' book I read, for some reason the writing in this book was just amazing. I really appreciated how Winspear was able to capture my attention and draw me into the mystery. This book quickly become one that I continuously turned pages and literally ached for more of the story. In reference to character development, Maisie definitely proved to be much more than what I determined in my last review. She was innovative, intelligent, and it was great to see her interact with family and friends. 

Although a lot happens in this book, I must admit that Winspear manages to keep the story, characters, and plot fast paced and engaging. I love that she was able to add such a powerful and interesting book to the series. If you have any interest in mysteries or historical fiction then I definitely recommend picking up this book. The good thing is that the series doesn't necessarily have to be read in order so if you stopped the series because of certain characters, I would definitely say that this is a sort of redeeming book. Give it a chance and then make a decision on whether to continue the series. 



Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestselling Maisie Dobbs series, which includes In This Grave Hour, Journey to Munich, A Dangerous Place, Leaving Everything Most Loved, Elegy for Eddie, and eight other novels. Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was also a New York Times bestseller and a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.

Find out more about Jacqueline at her website, www.jacquelinewinspear.com, and find her on Facebook.
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2 comments:

  1. Jordan @ForeverLostinLiteratureMarch 30, 2017 at 1:06 AM

    Ooh, wonderful review! My mom recently picked up a few Jacqueline Winspear books at a book sale and I've been eyeing them quite a bit, so I was especially excited to see your post! This one sounds really interesting, and your review has helped me decide to add this to my TBR! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  2. Heather J @ TLC Book ToursMarch 31, 2017 at 11:42 AM

    I'm so glad that you are enjoying this series more and more!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour.

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