Among the Mad - Tapa dura

"A powerful, ultimately uplifting tale" -- My Weekly 'A vivid portrait of depressed London in 1931 and a good, atmospheric read' -- Literary Review 'Perfect for curling up (with a hot chocolate!) when the weather is bad' -- Woman's Way 'That Maisie's traumas help her understand the criminal mind is just one of the unexpected depths of this engrossing mystery' -- People Magazine PRAISE FOR THE MAISIE DOBBS SERIES -- * * * 'In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has given us a real gift. Maisie Dobbs has not been created - she has been discovered. Such people are always there amongst us, waiting for somebody like Ms. Winspear to come along and reveal them. And what a revelation it is!' -- Alexander McCall Smith 20060515 'A fine new sleuth for the twenty-first century' -- Elizabeth George 20060515 'A heorine to cherish' -- New York Times 20060515 'A wry and immensely readable beginning to what promises to be a vivid new addition to crime fiction' -- Daily Mail 20060515 'The British counterpart to Alexander McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' -- Associated Press 20060515 'Feisty, working-class heroine Maisie is a deliberate throwback to the sleuthettes of old-fashioned crime writing. The well-plotted story, its characters and the picture of London between the wars are decidedly romantic.' -- Guardian 20060515 'A terrific mystery ... Intriguing and full of suspense, it makes for an absorbing read' -- Observer 20060515 'Even if detective stories aren't your thing, you'll love Maisie Dobbs' -- New Woman 20060515 'Think Upstairs Downstairs meets Miss Marple - with a touch of chirpy cheerful Cockney from the Dick Van Dyke school' -- Yorkshire Post 20060515 'That Maisie's traumas help her understand the criminal mind is just one of the unexpected depths of this engrossing mystery' -- Ellen Shapiro, People Magazine 20060515 'This award-winning author has added another action-packed, well-plotted mystery to her series. It moves at a cracking pace... Good twist ending - very Agatha Christie' -- Newsbooks Magazine 20060515

Christmas Eve,1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the Home Secretary receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met. Maisie is invited into Scotland Yard's elite Special Branch as a special adviser on the case -- and becomes involved in a race against time to find a man who soon proves he has the knowledge, and will, to murder thousands of innocent people. Before this harrowing case is over, Maisie must negotiate her way through a darkness not encountered since she was a nurse in wards filled with shell-shocked men. In Among the Mad, Jacqueline Winspear combines a heart-stopping story with a rich evocation of a fascinating period to create her most compelling and satisfying novel yet.