At one point in my life, the mystery genre was my book of choice. Most were good, some were great. Winspear and Box, in my opinion, have taken their mysteries up another notch. Two totally different mysteries in every way but one: excellent writing and story telling. And I almost passed them by.
Diane, my best friend and voracious reader, had told me numerous times about Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, set in London around The Great War. Finally, one day I had no other books in mind when I somehow remembered her recommendation. Maybe my eye caught a title on the library's shelf or something else, but I finally picked up the first one, titled Maisie Dobbs.
Maisie is thirteen when her mother dies, so she and her father are on their own. He continues to sell vegetables from his horse-drawn carriage daily. Maisie can tell he can hardly look at her because she reminds him so much of her mother. But he's kind and wants a better life for her, so he sets her up as a maid with a wealthy family on his delivery route. Maisie is a hard worker, but she is caught reading in the library at night instead of sleeping. She thinks she will be sacked for sure but instead the matriarch introduces her to a man who becomes her teacher and mentor. Eventually, after his tutoring, she is about to go to University, when she lies about her age and goes to France to be a nurse in the war. After the war she becomes a psychologist and detective. Scattered in her books, Winspear’s love of vintage clothing and cars is apparent. I Google every piece of clothing and old car she mentions so I can see what they look look like. Each book in the series has a theme, like the men who had to go into war zones to make maps for the military. So far, I have read all fourteen books and look forward in anticipation for the next.
C. J. Box's Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett had been buzzing around me for quite some time. The author had an appearance at a local indie bookstore and one could hardly ignore his ranking on the best sellers list. But really, a game warden in Wyoming? Mine was a polite "no thanks". Then an appointment with one of my favorite doctors changed my mind. She is a hoot and a half and a delightful woman who is opposite of the usual "no-social-skills" of doctors. When you meet her, it's as if you've known her forever. A fly fisherwoman herself, she told of her trip to Wales to be in a fly fishing competition. She and another lady from America were the only two contestants to snag fish! But her favorite thing was getting everyone in the group hooked on Box's Joe Pickett books. Hubby and I are officially addicted.
These two authors not only do extensive research, but they've lived their lives in the setting they write about. In each series I have learned so many things and am grateful. I also love how they grow their main and minor characters in each and every book. Whenever I finish their books, I feel as if it was serendipity...needing to read them and not knowing until I did! What could be better than that?
