Search - Among the Mad (Maisie Dobbs, Bk 6)

As always, an interesting look at post-WWI England and it's effect on those who served.

"Among the Mad" is quite possibly the closest I'm ever going to get in liking the character of Maisie Dobbs. While I have enjoyed the series as a whole, I haven't always enjoyed Maisie, and it wasn't until her last adventure ( "An Incomplete Revenge" ) that Maisie and her cold fish-ery ways didn't make me want to wack her upside the head with a cloche hat. In fact, this installment (the sixth in the series) finds Maisie relatively normal. She's not conjuring up some Jedi power deep within her diaphram. She's relatively sociable to those people she interacts with (perhaps due to the fact that some of them are crazier then her). She has even condescended to pull that iron poker out from her rear end and invited a fellow detective for a bite of dinner in her flat (oxtail soup - with carrots, onions and potatoes - if you're interested).

Yes, Maisie is almost human this time around, and it certainly makes for an enjoyable read. The plot is more dramatic and chilling as well, and all the action takes place within a one week period from December 24th - December 31st, 1931. Someone in greater London has a vendetta against the government due to their treatment of shell-shocked WWI veterans, and is committing acts of terrorism to voice their anger and trigger a change. Deadly chemical weapons are being used, and the terrorist promises a full scale attack on New Year's Eve if their demands for change aren't met. Maisie liasions with Scotland Yard and Section Five to track down a mentally unstable war vet before they can bring their plan to fruition. In the meantime, Maisie's employee, Billy Beale, has problems of his own, as a problem within his immediate family threatens everything he has worked for. Can Maisie help both the government and the Beale family?

Good read, I enjoyed the historical aspects of the story.
Excellent commentary on a country's (any country's) war wounded.