A Dangerous Place

Book 11

The year 1937 finds Maisie, reeling from recent personal tragedies—the happiest period of her life has ended abruptly, and after a period of time seeking solace in America, and once again in India, she decides to return home. But as her ship sails closer to England, she is overcome with fear that she is still not ready to take up her past life. She disembarks in Gibraltar, ignoring an ominous warning from the ship’s captain—she has arrived in a dangerous place. Gibraltar is indeed perilous: this key British stronghold is a hub of clandestine activity, overrun with intelligence operatives, double agents, and refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil War just across the border.

Soon after her arrival on “the Rock,” Maisie stumbles upon the body of Sebastian Babayoff, a member of the town’s close-knit Sephardic Jewish community. Over objections from the local authorities, Maisie begins looking into his murder. Before long, she finds herself under scrutiny by the British Secret Service—and other interested parties.

As she follows the evidence deep into a web of geopolitical intrigue, Maisie discovers that working again after such a long hiatus tempers her feelings of despair. It is only after she has unraveled the truth about Babayoff’s murder that Maisie feels able to return to England. What she chooses to do instead will astonish readers.

…the lovely, sometimes poetic way Winspear pushes her heroine forward, rewarding those who have read the entire series without excluding those who haven’t.
USA Today
Another winner from Winspear.
Booklist, Starred Review
Winspear again displays mastery of her craft as she weaves a gripping and moving story, filled with fully realized characters and spare but stylish prose.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Winspear elegantly weaves historical events with Maisie’s own suffering…all while constructing an engaging whodunit.
Kirkus Reviews
This is a well-written and well-paced page-turning novel. Historical fiction fans will savor the accurate and nuanced portrait Winspear presents of the Spanish Civil War.
The Jewish Book Council

The Maisie Dobbs Series