Elegy for Eddie

Elegy for Eddie is another Maisie Dobbs mystery, this one set in 1930s London teeming with costers and the last of the horse-drawn vehicles, which are rapidly losing ground to the fast-rising motorcar. Maisie is in the early(ish) days of her agency, and Elegy for Eddie focuses as much on Maisie, and her finding her place in the world and being comfortable in her own skin, as it does on the mystery of Eddie Pettit’s demise. So.

A group of costers come to Maisie to request that she investigate the “accident” that befell Eddie Pettit, a man whose “simple” mind, coupled with his uncanny talents, would likely see him placed somewhere on the autism spectrum. Maisie investigates, but – unlike other Maisie Dobbs books I’ve read – this one feels rather unsatisfying, both in the resolution of the mystery(ies), as well as the amount of ink devoted to Maisie’s personal life. I realize this is necessary to create the plot elements that allow for a full series, but I’m less interested in Maisie than I am in the “cozy mystery” aspect of Jacqueline Winspear’s work. To that end, I’m not sure how many more Maisie books I will read.

Three stars.