Maisie Dobbs was a richly written book full of great character development and a careful and textured recreation of historical time and space. For me the mystery in Maisie Dobbs was secondary to getting to know this character and her life, and I found her to be intriguing. She was strong, smart, and sensitive. She did not compromise her dreams and desires in order to accommodate others (I'm looking at you, Bess Crawford), yet she wasn't selfish or uncaring.I can't say that I was particularly charmed by the mystery in this story, but I was charmed by Maisie, and the depth of her character.