AMONG THE MAD

Winspear's latest Maisie Dobbs mystery is delightfully narrated by Orlagh Cassidy, who has done several others in this series. Not only does she navigate nimbly through conversations featuring various British accents, but she also is skilled at capturing personalities through speech. Maisie, the self-employed private investigator, is smart, self-confident, and a little headstrong, and here she knocks heads with Scotland Yard inspectors over a threat of mass murder. This is 1931-32, and the horrors of WWI are still haunting those who fought. Between suspenseful episodes, Cassidy invests scenes like cooking a simple dinner with an almost- sensuous domesticity. Just when you think things are wrapping up, Winspear cranks the plot one more time. J.B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]