Maisie, Billy, and All Return. Yes!

It's like old friends we haven't heard from for a while return. I've followed Maisie through all of Jaqueline Winspear's books. This one doesn't disappoint. One of Pricilla's sons becomes a hero, but at a very high price. Billy's oldest son survives Dunkirk, but must return to the fight. WWII is underway with all the sacrifices for the characters we love. Maisie's work continues as she waits for a decision that is already changing how she works. This suggests there's another book, a continuation of Maisie to come. I hope it won't be too long. I love these tales because it's like the characters are real people I know.

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A Great Story

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. This is book fourteen in the Maisie Dobbs series. Maisie was a nurse in World War One; then trained to be a psychologist/investigator after the war. The story opens in May 1940. Great Britain is again at war with Germany. Maisie has been hired to investigate the disappearance of a fifteen-year-old boy, Joseph Combes. He is an apprentice painter working for a company that has a government contract to go about the countryside to paint a special fire-retardant chemical on strategic government and military buildings. The book is well written and researched. The author has the story set with a background of Dunkirk and the battle of Britain. This is a great historical novel. The plot twist and turns around family drama. I have read that Winspear bases a lot of the plot on her own family’s experiences. If you enjoy historical novels this book would provide you great enjoyment. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten and a half hours. Orlagh Cassidy does a superb job narrating the book. Cassidy is one of my favorite narrators. Cassidy is an actress, voice over artist and award-winning audiobook narrator.

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Listen to this book!!!

I am a big fan of Maisy Dobbs and have been reading about her for a while. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy listening to a book about her, though. But I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did!! It was a great experience in every way. The narrator made me feel like I was there, and she played all the voices just right, with different tones and inflections. I especially enjoyed Robert McFarland' voice. The storyline was fantastic, and the characterization was rich. I learned more about each person. The reoccurring characters have grown in this book. I found the book's premise to be very interesting and could see how something like this could happen. And I loved the World War II background. This was a wonderful book!,,

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Excellent British historical detective mystery!

Author Jacqueline Windspear began her wonderful Maisie Dobbs historical detective series in 2003. The first novel was set in London soon after the end of WWI with Maisie setting up her detective agency. Maisie's life has changed a lot since including personal tragedy. To Die buy Once is Book 14 in the series and it is set in 1940 early in WWII. Every novel has been great, even the painful ones. This one is no exception. If you are looking for a similar series Molly Morphy by Rhys Bowen is similar in many ways. Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series is also somewhat similar but is much lighter and more fun than Maisie Dobbs.

I'm a huge fan of narrator and American actress Orlagh Cassidy, but her narration of To Die but Once is disappointing because her English accent is off.

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Still Wonderful After All These Years

It's been wonderful going through life with Maisie. Now she is living in the cusp of World War II in England. I love all the details of the times and the relationships in Maisie's life. Wonderful mystery without all the gore and sex.

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Outstanding again!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I have recommended the series before to several friends and this one is no exception. While I wish the books would come faster, I appreciate the craft and skill involved.

What did you like best about this story?

I love Maisie's perspicacity. I love how she uses her patience and tenacity to perceive things that many would miss. The other part that I liked is something I hesitate to say lest I give away too much!

What does Orlagh Cassidy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Cassidy *is* Maisie Dobbs for me. There is a gentleness in her voice which matches the character beautifully. Each character is distinct and I appreciate that the male characters are performed in a way that I don't notice. They sound masculine, not like a woman trying to sound like a man.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

I cannot wait for the next one!

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The Day Has Come...

...that all Maisie Dobbs fans have known to be inevitable. It's 1940, WWII has officially been declared, and we now must witness as the characters we have come to love watch another generation (often, including their own children) face loss of innocence and the horrors they faced themselves in the first world war (and in the early books of this series).

I have been with Maisie and Winspear since the first book, and there have been ups and downs, certainly for the characters, but also for readers. This addition, in my opinion, is definitely in the Up category.

An awful lot is going on in To Die but Once; some might suggest it's a bit too much. WWII is really getting started for England, and we know Dunkirk is just around the corner. There are justified fears of invasion by Germany. War profiteering is raising its ugly head. Young boys are signing up and longing to get involved in the coming confrontation. Meanwhile, on the civilian side, Maisie is continuing her business and looking into a murder. There's a crime family, fear of spies, and even issues concerning harmful chemicals, adoption rules and gardening! A Lot!

Personally, I have always had trouble with the very syrupy-sweet delivery of Orlagh Cassidy in the audio versions of the Maisie adventures. These are old-fashioned mysteries, I know, but surely people never really talked that way!

Still, Winspear definitely delivers on the atmosphere of looming war. As readers and listeners experience the action with both hindsight and foresight, the emotion is raw and real. We ache for those who face another round of unimaginable war, and our hearts are broken by the prospects faced by their children. In this book, sixteen year olds are in very real dangers that they can't possibly understand or expect - both in war and on the Homefront. I finished To Die but Once ready to plunge into the next part of Maisie's journey.

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To Die but Once

I love this series! Masie and her crew seem like old friends and Ms Winspear captures the mood of England perfectly. I have a strong sense of being part of the scene - both city and countryside. Maxie's divergent thought process is fun to watch develop. All in all a marvelous book!

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Another great Maisie story

Very good! There have been a few books in this series that were less than stellar but I'm glad to say the last few have been excellent.

England in 1940. Maisie and her staff, family, friends, and business acquaintances have come a long way. They all face another war now and it will touch them all.

This was easy to read (listen to, in this case; Orlagh Cassidy does her usual fine job) and was interesting from beginning to end. There were a few tugs at heartstrings and maybe even a few tears. There are some unresolved issues so I look forward to the next book.

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Not the best Maisie Dobbs

This book started out at a good pace but then slowed. Really didn't care much about the characters and took forever to finish because I didn't really care. The story is good, but not as good as others in the series. I fell asleep listening and didn't always bother to back track to see what I had missed by the time I was half way into the book.

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