The Consequences of Fear

Locations
Call Number: Large Print Mystery / Winspear, Jacqueline, Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / Mystery / Winspear, Jacqueline
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Large Print Mystery / Winspear, Jacqueline	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / Mystery / Winspear, Jacqueline	4-week checkout	On Shelf

September 1941. While on a delivery, young Freddie Hackett, a message runner for a government office, witnesses an argument that ends in murder. Crouching in the doorway of a bombed-out house, Freddie waits until the coast is clear. But when he arrives at the delivery address, he's shocked to come face to face with the killer. Dismissed by the police when he attempts to report the crime, Freddie goes in search of a woman he once met when delivering a message: Maisie Dobbs. While Maisie believes the boy and wants to help, she must maintain extreme caution: she's working secretly for the Special Operations Executive, assessing candidates for crucial work with the French resistance. Her two worlds collide when she spots the killer in a place she least expects. She soon realizes she's been pulled into the orbit of a man who has his own reasons to kill, reasons that go back to the last war.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Consequences of fear submitted by camelsamba on August 14, 2023, 4:28pm I like how theme of fear keeps getting (explicitly) woven through the narrative: what fear drives people to do, how it can be a protective tool (eg secret agents) or a destructive force (eg the murders). I sticky-note-marked 7 different places where fear is discussed explicitly, and it was probably even more pervasive. Most of all, Maisie is warned to not let fear get in the way of her happiness, and at various times she muses on how fear is affecting her relationships.

Two aspects I didn’t like as much. To begin with, the free French infighting feels like a repeat of the Belgians two books ago (To Die But Once). Also, here goes Maisie on another meddling mission to save people (in this case, the Hackett family). McFarlane even says to her "Ah, but that's the rub, isn't it---you can't let go of the more interesting ones. You don't want to find out who's gone off with the family jewels, or even someone else's wife, but you do like it when a real puzzle comes along to pique your interest, and if you think you can save a life along the way." She definitely has a savior complex.