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    An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

    Written by Jacqueline Winspear

    Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In her fifth outing, Maisie Dobbs, the extraordinary Psychologist and Investigator, delves into a strange series of crimes in a small rural community

    With the country in the grip of economic malaise, and worried about her business, Maisie Dobbs is relieved to accept an apparently straightforward assignment from an old friend to investigate certain matters concerning a potential land purchase. Her inquiries take her to a picturesque village in Kent during the hop-picking season, but beneath its pastoral surface she finds evidence that something is amiss. Mysterious fires erupt in the village with alarming regularity, and a series of petty crimes suggests a darker criminal element at work.

    As Maisie discovers, the villagers are bitterly prejudiced against outsiders who flock to Kent at harvest time—even more troubling, they seem possessed by the legacy of a wartime Zeppelin raid. Maisie grows increasingly suspicious of a peculiar secrecy that shrouds the village, and ultimately she must draw on all her finely honed skills of detection to solve one of her most intriguing cases.

    Rich with Jacqueline Winspear's trademark period detail, this installment of the bestselling series, An Incomplete Revenge, is gripping, atmospheric, and utterly enthralling.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateFeb 19, 2008
    ISBN9781427203021
    An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    Author

    Jacqueline Winspear

    Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Consequences of Fear, The American Agent, and To Die but Once, as well as thirteen other bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels and The Care and Management of Lies, a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Jacqueline has also published two nonfiction books, What Would Maisie Do? and a memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing. Originally from the United Kingdom, she divides her time between California and the Pacific Northwest.

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    Reviews for An Incomplete Revenge

    4.5/5

    88 ratings38 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I jumped into the series starting with this book and now I am going back to start at the beginning. I really enjoyed this book, the reading is not heavy so I could pick it up on a work night for pleasure reading, while at the same time feeling I was spending my time on something worthwhile. It was intelligently written and I loved the gypsy references. Can't wait to read more about Maisie Dobbs.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this one much more than the last--more action and less exposition.
    • 4/5
      There was a lot of character development for Maisie in this book and also for Billie. The mystery was easy to solve as Maisie was hired to do an investigative report on property that her former benefactor's son wanted to purchase. Maisie deals with Simon's condition, his mother, her friend Penelope, mentor Maurice and her ailing father while befriending gypsies and solving the case of the stolen property.
    • 5/5
      Winspear's series is captivating. in Maisie Dobbs, she has created a most interesting heroine and has placed her stories in England immediately following World War II. "An Incomplete Revenge" takes place about a decade after the war when Maisie is well-established as a detective. Consulted by the son of her former employer and benefactor to look into some oddities associated with the purchase of a brickwork in rural England, Maisie becomes involved with a band of gypsies, a strangely reticent rural community and local tragedy. She is also able to resolve some purely personal issues that have haunted her. Winspear's novels each seem to have a "theme" that ties the threads of the story together. This one focuses on school bullying and its sometimes tragic results. For potential readers, do be sure to read the first in the series, which sets up the main character and the surrounding circumstances. Winspear is an accomplished enough writer that it's not strictly necessary to do so but certainly would enhance enjoyment of the subsequent books.
    • 5/5
      Psychologist-investigator Maisie Dobbs takes on an assignment from son of her former employer and mentor, Lady Compton. James Compton's company is considering the purchase of an estate near Kent, just outside the village of Heronsdene. Since the end of the Great War, the village has experienced a rash of petty crime: fires, vandalism, and thefts. Before Compton Corporation makes a considerable investment in the brickworks associated with the estate, James wants to know what's what in Heronsdene. It seems like a straightforward enough task and Maisie's business has been slow. But, of course, things get complicated and Maisie -- with her legendary curiosity -- goes the extra mile to sort out the village. Having been the granddaughter of a Gypsy woman, Maisie makes friends with the travelers who are in Heronsdene for hop-picking. Also there for the same reason are Billy Beale and his family -- he's Maisie's able assistant. The trek to Heronsdene gets the family into the country for a time each year and helps them put aside money to emigrate to Canada, long a dream for the war veteran. Soon, Maisie discovers that the village's history of petty crime goes back more than a decade to a tragic Zeppelin attack during World War II -- a bombing that killed a Dutch baker, his wife and daughter. Now it's up to Maisie to figure out what really happened.I've been somewhat disappointed in the last two Maisie Dobbs novels, feeling they weren't quite up to the high standard as the first two. Don't get me wrong -- I would still recommend ALL the books in this series, but in An Incomplete Revenge (#5), Ms. Winspear is back to top form and I'm not going to wait another day to start reading Among the Mad, published in 2009l 02/22/2010
    • 4/5
      Maisie is such an interesting character, especially as, unlike a lot of fictional characters, her character feels very three dimensional. In this book she faces a number of challenges both personal and professional. Winspear is great at bringing in historical colour as she explores the annual London holiday to Kent hop picking as well as reminding us of how the scars from WWI lingered in Europe. My only criticism is that there wasn't enough of Billy in this book.
    • 4/5
      Protagonist: Maisie DobbsSetting: Kent, England, 1931Series: #5First Line: The old woman rested on the steps of her home, a caravan set apart from those of the rest of her family, her tribe.Businessman James Compton wants to buy an estate in the village of Heronsdene in Kent but hesitates after learning of a rash of mysterious fires. He hires Maisie to investigate. After meeting the current landowner, Londoners and a band of gypsies who are all there to harvest hops, Maisie soon learns that Compton was right to be suspicious. There's something else going on, too: the locals are very tight-lipped about a Zeppelin raid that killed an entire family in the village. It takes all of Maisie's skill to get to the bottom of it all.I enjoy this series, not just for the characters and the twists and turns of the plot, but for the glimpse into the lives of the British in the years after World War I. The "War to End All Wars" wrecked havoc all over the nation, changing forever the way people viewed themselves, others, and the world around them. Winspear does a marvelous job weaving all these threads together in a series of books that enduce you to keep turning the pages.Being a psychologist as well as an investigator helps Maisie with her investigations. Her experiences as a casualty clearing station nurse in France and all of her training give her insight into how to get answers to her questions. I had deciphered many of the clues in the book as I read, but the ending still had an impact. Human beings are indeed the most dangerous, and gullible, creatures on the planet.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite mystery series and it is holding up very well. It is summer and time for many of London’s poor to go into the country to earn extra money by picking hops. Maisie is also working on a job near one of the major hop picking areas and Billy manages to get his family attached to a farm in that area also. Thy mystery involves a town in which there have been numerous acts of vandalism, mostly involving small fires which the inhabitants insist are merely due to their own carelessness.I enjoy this series especially for depiction of life in England after WWI and for the continuing development of the recurring characters as they adjust to life after the war. These are not “puzzle” mysteries; rather they are novels that contain an element of mystery in their plots. Highly recommended—but start with the first one, Maisie Dobbs, which isn’t a mystery at all, but sets up the series.
    • 5/5
      This is a great series. I was not that pulled in by the first book, but I have increasingly come to enjoy the series. Her plots are really unique and the historical background is very well researched. Best of all, the detective is a skilled empath--that's a first in detective fiction.
    • 4/5
      Another gentle, wise Maisie Dobbs mystery. it seems the norm for this series is that the crime at the center is only a metaphor for the human lessons being gleaned by all the characters, including Maisie herself. As I have read this series I am struck by the incredible, lasting impact of war on a nation's men, women and children. I really loved the opening section about Maisie's new love of color and weaving and the way that blends into the rest of the story.
    • 4/5
      Quickly working my way through the series. I'm quite enchanted with Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator, and her independent ways. However, I admit that, while enjoyable, Maisie is called to investigate a series of vandalism and thefts in a small village. Along the way, she finds the villagers are a tight-lipped, insular bunch. There is plenty of distrust to go around - between the villagers, the Londoners come to Kent for the hops-picking season and the Gypsy clan set up at the edge of the woods. Add in a despicable younger son having taken up residence at the manor house and Maisie has her work cut out for her. Especially interesting were those portions dealing with the gypsies, their background and Maisie's own unique heritage. One wonders, thugh, how readily they would accept strangers in their midst. Also enjoyed Beattie, up and coming reporter. Hope we haven't seen the last of her.
    • 4/5
      While I am not a huge mystery fan, I am a huge Maisie Dobbs fan. Winspear writes eloquently about post WWI Britain and the scars felt by its citizens, British class society, opportunities for women, the rapid changes in life in the countryside and the city... and all with a wonderful voice, and an intensely likeable investigator in Maisie.
    • 4/5
      Had I not won this as one of Early Reviewer books, I probably would never have picked it up. Really, that's a shame. This is probably the book that I've had the most enjoyable experience reading that I've gotten from the ER program. Other than "Any Given Doomsday" - this is the only fiction book I've gotten. And if you read my review for the former, you know I didn't think that book was particularly well written. This book, however, is.Don't get me wrong. The pacing of this book is very slow. Very little action and very little plot, ultimately. It's about a woman in England during the 1920's that works as a private investigator. Except she's kind of been chilling out and taking art classes since no one has really been hiring her. I must admit, I kind of liked the Maisie Dobbs I met at the beginning a little better. The one who likes making tapestries and who is learning how to relax. The minute she gets this case she gets wound pretty tight, which I guess is how she was in the other books.I like that this is the fifth book in a series and I didn't really notice. Many mentions are made to Maisie's past, but in a way that makes me want to go read the other books and not take away from my job of reading this one. It took some getting used to with the dialogue from England; I did not, for example, truthfully understand everything her assistant said in very strong cockney, but I tried to put it all in context. I like how all the relationships are shown and explained both past and present; her assistant, her father, her old mentor, and her dying lover. The latter being the most sad of the stories, her visits to his bedside were what really got me into the book. I also loved Maisie's crazy best friend with the three French sons. I wish I had a friend like that.Give this book a chance. It's by no means the best book I've ever read, but it's well-written and a pretty engaging tale. I'm pretty hard to please and I really liked it. You just might like reading it, too.
    • 5/5
      AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE by Jacqueline Winspear is a wonderful novel. It is rich in historical detail of the impact of this ‘Great War’, and all wars on individuals and communities. This story of Maisie develops as she flashbacks to her own past along with confronting the challenges of her life today. She has to confront the slow death of a dear friend and all the mixed emotions that she feels. The telling of the rich and vivid interactions and events with gypsies who have come to live for a time near this small village for the hop-picking season to earn a bit of money to support their own community adds a depth to this book that kept me compelled to continue the reading. I can still almost hear the rhythm and tunes of the violin in the moonlight. In this particular story Maisie is hired to investigate a potential purchase of a large piece of property, but in the area there is also a series of fires and acts of vandalism and theft that complicate the events surrounding the potential purchase. As Maisie conducts her investigative work she becomes more involved in the lives of the community and business that she and her associate Billy are investigating as becomes convinced that there are other dynamics involving the prime characters that tell a sub story that needs to be understood. I was delighted by both the warm feeling that Windspear painted when relating her interactions and involvements in the gypsies community and saddened by the sense of loss she painted as the story of war and loss in the citizens in the village. The descriptions of the individuals prejudices, fears and angers were strong and gave a color to all the stories and incidents of the novel. There were times that I felt as if I were inside Maisie feeling her pain, joy and frustration. She is a strong and extremely complete character. I look forward to reading more of the Maisie Dobbs series. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      In this Maisie Dobbs mystery, it’s autumn of 1931 and Maisie is in Kent during hop-picking season. She’s investigating a series of thefts and fires in a village in which her employer wishes to buy the property of the last remaining member of a gentry’s family. Londoners and gypsies, both there for the hop picking, are the obvious suspects, but Maisie’s investigation leads her back to WWI and a Zeppelin bombing of the village. Continuing in this book is the story of Maisie’s past as a WWI nurse in France and her relationship with the doctor with whom she fell in love, and who was severely wounded. The relationship suffers a profound and permanent change.Gypsies and their lifestyle play an important part in this book, and it is revealed that Maisie’s grandmother had been a gypsy. The annual migration of people to the country to participate in hop picking (which included the author’s grandparents) provides an interesting bit of history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot is good, the characters interesting, the historical information well-woven, and Maisie herself continues to grow as a person.
    • 4/5
      This is the fifth in a mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear, a Maisie Dobbs novel. I now want to go back and read the first four because I learned so much about England between the Wars. Maisie finds herself in Kent during the harvesting of the hops, amid Londoners who want to earn some extra money and the Romy people in their caravans. She is hired to find out about arson fires in the village of Heronsdene and petty thefts. Part gypsy herself, she is able to glide between the world of the Romy people, especially the matriarch of a caravan named Aunt Beulah, and the rest of the villagers. The ending uncovers a secret known only to the villagers about an event that occurred in World War I. I learned about gypsy life and customs, the picking of hops and England in general. Maisie was an independent woman living on her own and earning her own living. She drives an MG and it sounded so much fun driving back and forth between Kent and London. British customs and prejudices were portrayed in a non-threatening way. So much of English life was restricted for women, and I came to see how the First World War slowly changed all that....less (edit)
    • 5/5
      I've enjoyed all the Maisie Dobbs books, but I think this is the best yet. Winspear is a master at character development and at digging below the surface of our received knowledge of World War I and its aftermath to produce amazingly believable stories. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      I dipped into this popular mystery series set in 1930s England “because it was there,” and found it enjoyable. Maisie Dobbs is a psychologist-detective and a former World War I nurse. This book, smack in the middle of the series, is set during the hops picking season in rural Kent. Maisie is investigating a series of mysterious thefts and fires and senses that the villagers, always happy to blame the incidents on Gypsies, know more than they let on. Maisie is an interesting character, the mystery here is neat and tidy, but the real appeal for me was the rich setting, and especially the chance to learn more about the customs and beliefs of English Gypsies.
    • 4/5
      This is the 4th Maisie Dobbs mystery in the series, and the 4th that I have read.I was originally drawn to the books by the setting, the time period, and the amazing level of historical detail in the books. This book did not disappoint on any of those accounts.As I have read the series, I have enjoyed the way the characters have developed. In the first book, I felt that Maisie Dobbs was too controlled and too thoughtful and too perfect to be entirely believable. With each book, however, her character has become more complex and much more "real."I'm looking forward to continuing to read books from this series!
    • 4/5
       Winspear has delivered yet again. The Inter-War Years is a great period, and Winspear does a splendid job of bringing that period to life through her Investigator/Psychologist Maisie Dobbs.
    • 4/5
      Jacqueline Winspear is a unique voice in the mystery genre. Her novels are much more than mere mysteries. With believable characters that seem so real you almost think they actually existed, her spellbinding stories are filled with details of the era of the Great War and its aftermath. In this tale, Maisie must break a wall of secrecy that envelopes a small village. Using all her powers of observation and intuition that she seems to posses in large quantities, she shows that revenge does not give peace but that discovery of the truth can heal old wounds, at least a little. An engrossing novel.
    • 5/5
      An investigation on behalf of James Compton, son of her former employer, takes Maisie to the hop fields of Kent during picking time. James is eager to buy some property in the village of Herondene, but he has concerns about the petty crimes and vandalism that plague the village. The villagers are closed-mouthed about these occurrences. They're more than ready to blame the thefts on either the London or gypsy field crews. Suspicion and fear have everyone on edge.The novels in Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series have been consistently strong, and in my opinion, this is the most powerful yet. There wasn't a single aspect of the book that disappointed me. In its pages I could smell the ripe hop fields, apples, and fires of harvest time. I could see the vivid colors of the gypsy camp, and I could hear their music. Winspear stirs the emotions by probing touchy subjects such as bullying, prejudice, revenge, and grief, but she also soothes with illustrations of forgiveness, friendship, and love. This isn't a formulaic mystery, and it should appeal to readers of other genres, including historical fiction, literary fiction, and women's fiction. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Maisie Dobbs was sent to investigate a potential land purchase. She travels to a village called Kent during the hop picking season. She finds a sinister dark force at work thru the town which divides it. Everybody is a suspect and the novel keeps you guessing. There are mysterious fires that erupt thru the town; each reference in the book has a deeper meaning. The novel also focuses on forms of prejudice and added to the small town microcosm. Almost, the townspeople could not think on their own, more like a bunch of followers than leaders. I loved the references about the dog. This was a nice touch and I can appreciate it being an animal lover. I did not like the references to the gypsies, it was kind of weird. I know that it is important to paint a background picture of Maisie. Otherwise, a pretty good book overall that captured my attention.
    • 5/5
      A masterfully weaved mystery in 1930s Kent. Enjoyed the narrator's voice.
    • 4/5
      Another good Maisie Dobbs mystery. Liked the narrator too although at times her upper crust British got a little too crusty. Or maybe that's the American in me reacting.
    • 5/5
      Maisie is asked by her patron's son to investigate some irregularities surrounding a property he wishes to purchase. Maisie sees this as the perfect assignment to get her out of London for a bit and check in on the Beale family while they are picking hops in the country. Maisie arrives in the idyllic village only to be confronted with theft, arson, bigotry, and a pompous arrogant young landowner. Almost as disturbing are the secrets the villagers are keeping about a tragedy during the war and Maisie's own reactions to the group of gypsies that have come for the hopping. With villagers blaming their woes on the Londoners and the gypsies; and the Londoners blaming gypsies and villagers; and the gypsies mostly keeping their own council, Maisie will have to step lively to reach the truth. Luckily for her there is a gifted musician to provide accompaniment as she weaves her way through secrets and revenge.
    • 4/5
      I discovered the Maisie Dobbs series of mysteries sometime back and have enjoyed them as a casual read for their mix of mystery and history and a strong heroine. However, in An Incomplete Revenge I think Winspear has reached new level of assurance and skill in her writing. The historical details are well integrated into the story and there is more personal character development for Maisie. For those who are not familiar with the series, Maisie has risen from the lower orders to obtain a university education. She was a nurse during World War I, where she saw her Doctor fiancé injured by shrapnel. He survived but was not the same and had to have constant care in an institution. Maisie took over the investigative practice of her mentor Maurice Blanche and many of the cases she investigates reveal other wounds of the Great War.In An Incomplete Revenge, Maisie is investigating the sale of a brickworks but finds secrets haunting the nearby village of Heronsdene and the encamped gypsies (Roma) and visiting Londoners there to harvest hops.I appreciate the way Winspear uses the mystery form to explore the larger questions of personal responsibility, the ramifications of World War I, class and gender issues in the rapidly changing interwar period. The series is an enjoyable thought provoking read and An Incomplete Revenge is a standout. I am only surprised no one has yet adapted the series for television.
    • 5/5
      The fifth book in the Maisie Dobbs series, An Incomplete Revenge, follows Maisie as she investigates a rash of crime in the Kent countryside for her patron's son, who is considering purchasing property there. Like the rest of the series, this book is rich in historical detail and full of well-developed characters. I highly recommend An Incomplete Revenge for followers of the Maisie Dobbs series!
    • 4/5
      Winspear juggles several plots in the fifth outing of her heroine, Maisie Dobbs. "An Incomplete Revenge" succeeds in the main and feels stronger than the third and fourth books in the series. This time Maisie is called upon for help from the son of her mentors, the wealthy Comptons. James Compton has what appears to be a simple request - do some background checking on a piece of property he's considering purchasing. As Maisie learns, there are secrets surrounding the present owner that bleed into a tragic secret the nearby village has been keeping since the middle of the First World War.Tied into this plot is one revolving around a group of gypsies who have gathered nearby for the annual hop-picking season. Maisie's personal heritage comes to the forefront in an interesting twist. She also says a final good-bye to the love of her life.While the mystery section of the novel is interesting and well-plotted, side lines don't always blend as well as they should. A dip into the family life of Maisie's best friend, Priscilla, often seem to distract rather than add to the book. Whether Winspear is setting up the plot for a future adventure remains to be seen.Readers who enjoy historical mysteries, especially those of the mother-son team, Charles Todd, should not miss the opportunity to meet Maisie Dobbs. Winspear's attention to period details are spot-on and her heroine is a multi-layered and fascinating character.
    • 3/5
      I didn't like the first Maisie Dobbs, but this is pretty good even if it is something about insurance.