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    The Mapping of Love and Death: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    The Mapping of Love and Death: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    The Mapping of Love and Death: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
    Ebook398 pages7 hours

    The Mapping of Love and Death: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

    By Jacqueline Winspear

    4.5/5

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    In the latest mystery in the New York Times bestselling series, Maisie Dobbs must unravel a case of wartime love and death—an investigation that leads her to a long-hidden affair between a young cartographer and a mysterious nurse.

    August 1914. Michael Clifton is mapping the land he has just purchased in California's beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, certain that oil lies beneath its surface. But as the young cartographer prepares to return home to Boston, war is declared in Europe. Michael—the youngest son of an expatriate Englishman—puts duty first and sails for his father's native country to serve in the British army. Three years later, he is listed among those missing in action.

    April 1932. London psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs is retained by Michael's parents, who have recently learned that their son's remains have been unearthed in France. They want Maisie to find the unnamed nurse whose love letters were among Michael's belongings—a quest that takes Maisie back to her own bittersweet wartime love. Her inquiries, and the stunning discovery that Michael Clifton was murdered in his trench, unleash a web of intrigue and violence that threatens to engulf the soldier's family and even Maisie herself. Over the course of her investigation, Maisie must cope with the approaching loss of her mentor, Maurice Blanche, and her growing awareness that she is once again falling in love.

    Following the critically acclaimed bestseller Among the Mad, The Mapping of Love and Death delivers the most gripping and satisfying chapter yet in the life of Maisie Dobbs.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 23, 2010
    ISBN9780061987878
    Author

    Jacqueline Winspear

    Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Consequences of Fear, The American Agent, and To Die but Once, as well as thirteen other bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels and The Care and Management of Lies, a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Jacqueline has also published two nonfiction books, What Would Maisie Do? and a memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing. Originally from the United Kingdom, she divides her time between California and the Pacific Northwest.

    Read more from Jacqueline Winspear

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    Reviews for The Mapping of Love and Death

    4.5/5

    68 ratings62 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this-- one of the better Masie Dobbs novels. I may be a bit prejudiced since I recently heard the author talk about how she came to write the book, and she read from it, too.
      When's the next one come out?!
    • 5/5
      Edge of your seat, so good....filled with secrets, greed, family betrayal.

      Michael Clifton's death wasn't just another casualty of war...can Maisie figure out why he was murdered and live to tell about it? Someone wants the truth to remain buried, while others desperately seek to gain Michael's fortune...
    • 4/5
      This is the seventh title in the Maisie Dobbs series. Not only is there a good mystery for Maisie to solve, but there are also changes to her personal life. As is often the case in real life, change brings both happiness and sorrow. The future however looks interesting and I'm looking forward to title eight!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this although not as much as the previous in the series. I got a bit confused at the end as to who was who but a pleasant enough read.
    • 4/5
      Maisie Dobbs has been given an interesting new case. It is that of a dead cartographer who came from the USA to join in the war that was shaking Europe. Michael Clifton was of British ancestry and as a cartographer he new his skills would be needed. Like many young men he did not survive the war and when his remains are finally found sixteen years after armistice, evidence suggests that he was not killed in combat but that he was murdered. The thing was he died before he could settle his affairs and there was a parcel of land that he bought in California that is presently in legal limbo.

      Winspear does a great job of revealing history in such a way that the reader always learns something. In this case the role of the cartographer in wartime was detailed and she explains how important these young men were.

      In the background of course there is a clever killer also waiting to be discovered.
    • 5/5
      Once again, Maisie deals with the events of the Great War on her country and especially on her generation. I think this one may be the best yet as Maisie becomes more sure of herself and able to let herself feel. Many changes are in store for Maisie by the end of the book. I am wondering how far into the "future" (from 1932) this series will go. After all, one of the effects of World War I was World War II. By 1932, when this book is set, portents of that war were beginning to appear. Dare I hope that Maisie will be involved further down the line? (P.S. Tired of mysteries? Try Paul Fussell's THE GREAT WAR AND MODERN MEMORY to understand more about the world Winspear, Charles Todd, and Carola Dunn write so well about.)
    • 5/5
      This series has remained solid but had leveled out in the last few books. Not so with Mapping. And not just because Winspear finally got my two favorite characters together. The mystery was well-paced and the characters as always deep and interesting. Yeh for a good series getting better.
    • 5/5
      Masie Dobbs book 7 in series. I hope it never ends. Love the writing and the fact that Maisie's personal life becomes ours too.
    • 4/5
      The best in the series since An Incomplete Revenge. Maisie is engaged in a case seeking the story of a WWI cartographer's death, and continues on her path towards finding herself... with bonus love interest! Don't mess it up, girl.
    • 4/5
      The whole Maisie Dobbs series is wonderful, and this latest was no exception. A lovely, thoughtful series perfect for summer vacation or winter break, when you have a little extra time to enjoy the savoring.
    • 4/5
      One thing I find intriguing about Ms. Winspear's mysteries is how the crimes often look so unusual - and yet the motives so often boil down to basic greed. I enjoyed getting to know a little more about how important map makers were in a time when there were no satellite pictures to give armies a sense of where they were. I also was very pleased to see that Maisie is finally ready to move forward in her personal life - and sorry to see the loss of one of the major influences in her life. A satisfying installment in this series.
    • 5/5
      Another fantastic entry in a favorite series of mine. The mystery of this story was very well done and I always feel like I am a part of early 20th century England when reading this series. Also, I love the way Winspear weaves in the recurring characters of the series into each novel, moving their stories forward in a way that flows seamlessly within the story. Can't recommend this series enough.
    • 4/5
      Maisie Dobbs is once again working on a mystery with potentially explosive consequences for a family. Dr. Charles Hayden, the American doctor she met during the war and has continued to correspond with, has referred to her some Boston friends who want to know what happened to their son. Edward Clifton, the son of a major British shoe manufacturer, left England for America as a young man, and made his own fortune in America. In 1914, his youngest son, Michael, a cartographer, bought some land in California and then, hearing of the start of World War I, travels to England to enlist in the British army. He never returns, and his body, along with the rest of his cartography unit, has just been found now, twelve years after the end of the war. Because he was "missing," the family has been unable to resolve his estate; more importantly, Michael's journals and letters he had received and saved show that he had met and fallen in love with a young woman. His parents would like to find her, to close the circle on their son's life.

      What Dr. Hayden and Mr. Clifton know from the French autopsy, but Mrs. Clifton hasn't been told, is that Michael didn't die from the shelling that killed the rest of his unit. His skull was crushed by a blow from behind, before the shelling.

      As Maisie works through the evidence, looking for Michael's killer and his lost love, she quickly learns that the killer may be nearby. The Cliftons are attacked, Maisie is knocked down and her document case stolen. This isn't just a dozen-year-old crime; the danger is real and present.

      Meanwhile, Maisie's personal life is getting complicated. Maurice is very ill. Billy Beal's wife Doreen is home from the hospital (due to events in prior books), but still very shaky. Andrew Deane is married, but her friend Priscilla introduces her to a jourmalist friend of her husband's, who is very interested. And James Compton is back from Canada to stay, and inviting her to go to a car race with him.

      Maisie is juggling a lot here, but she does it with charm, grace, and intelligence as usual. Another worthy entry in the serious.

      Recommended.
    • 4/5
      In this latest installment of the Maisie Dobbs series, Jacqueline Winspear does not disappoint.Maisie finds herself investigating the death of an American cartographer who joined the British Army at the onset of WWI in 1914. When his remains are uncovered, he is found in possession of meticulously preserved letters from a woman who only signs her name as "The English Nurse" or "Tennie." His parents, established members of the Boston Brahmins, journey to London and hire Maisie to track down the mysterious woman with whom their son had a war-time affair.But of course, it's not as simple as that, especially when Maisie reads the coroner's report and begins to suspect that it was not a shell and trench collapse that killed young Michael Clifton after all...Devoted readers should be warned there is a bit of heartbreak in this book. Several of the character story lines have surprising developments, and Maisie herself forays cautiously once again into love.Winspear--perhaps even more so than other authors--captures the undercurrent rumblings of the next impending war exceptionally well. She retains her vivid imagery and immersing sense of time and place. All in all, another satisfying read from a very pleasant and interesting series.
    • 4/5
      More in the holistic detection line, but still quite enjoyable.
    • 4/5

      The first time I picked this book up, I immediately put it down....So much for first impressions!

      This was my choice for Historical Mysteries "Buddy Read".

      Maisie Dobbs is a single woman, private investigator, and former WWI nurse. In this book, at the behest of the Clifton family, she is investigating the death of their son Michael, an American cartographer, who joined the British in WWI, whose death certificate indicates injuries not congruous with war injuries. The Cliftons have been attacked, their room at a high class hotel has been ransacked, and Maisie has been pushed down & robbed. Later the robber had been found bludgeoned to death. There is a cache of old love letters from an "English Nurse" & a mystery surrounding the land the cartographer bought in the oil fields of CA.

      I liked the characters, they seemed real and exuded warmth, intelligence, & a respect for life without being over-written caricatures.

      I just might read another in this series.
    • 4/5
      Determined not a good idea to read these out of order!
    • 3/5
      I liked the way this one turned out, but I never did like that Maurice.
    • 5/5
      I think I’ve been mourning the upcoming loss of any new Maisie for a whole year which is why I’ve put off writing this review. You know I’m trying to be good about this waiting stuff but really, I already have to wait until next year for more Downton Abbey-if you haven’t seen this Masterpiece Classics series you must. It’s absolutely wonderful, though you may want to wait until later in the year then you won’t have to wait as long for new episodes. And now, after the next Maisie, I’m done for a year or more. Boo hoo! I didn’t think ahead when I joined Book Club Girl’s I’m Mad for Maisie Read-along what I would do when I finished so quickly. Actually, I didn’t quite finish the read-along. I’m going slowly through the last book so my Maisie withdrawal won’t be as bad. But, I’m here to talk about book seven so-on with the review.This episode in the Maisie series made me the saddest and the happiest of all the books so far. Maisie deals with a heartbreaking loss but also finds an unexpected love interest. I knew the loss was coming but still found it hard, it was a character I had really enjoyed and found very interesting. As for Maisie’s new love well, I never saw it coming though looking back maybe I should have. I’ve become so invested in Maisie by reading the books so close together that I found this turn of events completely wonderful.The mystery portion of the story was completely fascinating as it revolved around the role of cartographers or mapmakers during WWI. I had never really thought about how one would go about planning a war but the idea mapmakers would be used never crossed my mind. Then having read this it all made perfect sense. We learn about Michael Clifton through his journal and letters written to him by the girl he loves. He is such a lovely, spirited young man I was really hoping there was some mistake. And while he was indeed killed during the war there is a twist that left me satisfied there would still be some joy for his family.Though this story is still deeply entrenched in WWI by the end we start to see Maisie moving on to the next phase of history. Sadly, the specter another war is starting to loom. But, it seems to be leading Maisie’s professional life in a new and exciting direction.I don’t think there’s a need to say I loved this book and I have no problem saying that this is just as good if not better than the past books. So, with one last book before my long dry Maisie spell I loving where the series is heading. And after listening to Ms. Winspear on Book Club Girl‘s show on Blog Talk Radio there is a hint at what’s coming and boy am I excited. I have to add it was a real thrill to actually have her answer my questions, now I know what “more caf than cafe” means.Well, I’m off to finish A Lesson in Secrets and then pout about having to wait for more. I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done. Bet, you can’t guess which way I’m leaning (wink)?So, is anyone doing anything fabulous this weekend? I’m planning on reading and getting my patio cleaned up now that all our rain seems to be over. Hope you all have a great weekend.Thanks to Book Club Girl for my copy of The Mapping of Love and Death
    • 4/5
      So glad to see Maisie's personal life taking a giant leap forward in this book. It's about time. It seems more effort was put in to developing the characters personal lives than in the mystery. This was for me the weakest mystery in the series so far. In this book Maisie is charged with determining the death of an American cartographer named Michael Clifton during World War I. Was he killed by enemy fire as was the rest of his unit or was it murder? To complicate matters the parents of Clifton are attacked and left for dead in their motel room. A lot of themes in this mystery are rehashes from past books. The best parts of this book are more Priscilla and her toads and James Crompton. The saddest part is the final farewell to Maurice which left me in tears. I look forward to learning how Maisie's changed circumstances in both love and money affect her in the next book.
    • 5/5
      Gripping on many levels, this 7th book in the series witnesses not only Maisie's signature style of working from the inside out to solve a mystery, but her own milestones of family and affection.
    • 5/5
      Since the end of the Great War, Maisie Dobbs, after studying psychology, has been investigating and performing inquiries for a fee. In this novel, she is hired by the parents of an American cartographer who had died in England, the country of his family’s birth, while serving during the war. Discovered recently, his body shows sign of murder, and Maisie sets out to discover if she can determine the murderer. She doggedly tracks the trail to the source, encountering James Compton, and assisted by Billy Beale along the way.Jacqueline Winspear’s seventh Maisie Dobbs novel, The Mapping of Love and Death, is an excellent addition to the series. While none of the Maisie Dobbs novels is light, they reflect the atmosphere of the times as people began to sense that the Great War was not the war to end all wars. The characters have a depth of personality that gives the reader the impression that they are well known friends.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite series and Maisie Dobbs is one of my favorite characters. Her intuition and her concern for other people and their feelings make her a peron that I not only admire but would like to emulate. In this book she traces what happened to an American cartographer who perished in WWI. The story is poignant and satisfying and in the end we feel that we know this and will remember this young man. At the end of the book we get an intimation Maisie's life is going to have some major changes in the up coming books. It seem as if Winspear plans to continue her story into the Second World War. One of the most fascinating aspects of this series is the her accurate portrayal of life in Britain following WWI. I look forward to the next installment, which I have on hand and will start soon.
    • 4/5
      The Mapping of Love and Death is the 7th book in Jacqueline Winspear's series featuring Maisie Dobbs.This wonderful series is set in the past in England. The first novel began in the 1920's and this seventh offering is set in 1932. Maisie Dobbs is a unique creation. She began as a servant in a mansion at age thirteen. When her employer took an interest in Maisie and her intelligent, inquisitive nature, she sponsored her education. Fast forward to 1932. Maisie has had psychological training, served as a nurse in the war and now owns and runs an Investigative Agency."The path from there to here had been far from straight, had looped back and forth, yet always with an imagined place ahead - that she would be a woman of independent means would rise above her circumstances."This latest outing finds Maisie employed by the Clifton family. Their son Michael's body has just been recovered - he was killed during the war. With his body were unsigned letters from a nurse he seems to have fallen in love with. The family would like to connect with her. Maisie is hired to track her down. But examination of Michael Clifton's body reveals that he was murdered before his unit was bombed and killed. Could his mapping skills and land purchase just before the war have something to do with his death? The case involves much more than first thought.The Maisie Dobbs series are such a comfortable, almost genteel read, if you will. The social customs, manners and mores of the times are all faithfully observed in Winspear's writing. I enjoy being transported to this time period. The Great War brought many changes to England. Class and gender lines are changing. It has been interesting to watch Maisie's growth as she acquires knowledge, confidence and skills over the last 6 books. Of course, detection methods during this time are greatly different from the modern day detective novel. It is refreshing to see crimes solved the 'old fashioned' way, with a lots of legwork, questions and thought. I admire Maisie's quiet intelligence and her calm demeanor.Winspear also includes an ongoing secondary storyline in addition to the mystery of every book. Maisie's personal life - her search for love and happiness- is just as interesting.The 8th book in this series - A Lesson in Secrets- releases this week.Maisie Dobbs is perfect for curling up under a quilt with a pot of tea - just a great historical mystery series with an intriguing protagonist
    • 4/5
      The Mapping of Love and Death was a fantastic look into the lifestyle of early 20th century folks in England. Maisie Dobbs provided me with enough wit, strength of character and humor to make me a fan, even without knowing the back story of her character in the previous 6 books.Mysteries tend to be hit and miss for me. I don't enjoy mindless thrillers anymore and usually like to have more of a story happening to get into a book. This book has made a fan out of me and I intend to try to catch up by reading the previous books as soon as I can.In this story, Maisie is attempting to solve the mystery involving the son of a prominent, American couple. Little clues and tidbits are dropped throughout the unfolding of the story - but what struck me most of all was the introduction to the son at the beginning of the book. It completely threw me off base, because I felt an initial attachment only to find it snatched away from me.I highly recommend this book to mystery lovers and those who love to read stories of a time when things were more simple. It's nice to read about good, old-fashioned mystery solving without any of the technologyl devices we have today.
    • 5/5
      A satisfying book on all counts--intriguing story well presented, excellent character development, good background. As Maisie herself might say, "A thumping good read!"
    • 5/5
      2011, Harper Collins, Read by Orlagh CassidyPublisher’s Summary: from Audible.comAugust 1914. Michael Clifton is mapping the land he has just purchased in California’s beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, certain that oil lies beneath its surface. But as the young cartographer prepares to return home to Boston, war is declared in Europe. Michael—the youngest son of an expatriate Englishman—puts duty first and sails for his father’s native country to serve in the British army. Three years later, he is listed among those missing in action.April 1932. Maisie Dobbs is retained by Michael’s parents, who have recently learned that their son’s remains have been unearthed in France. They want Maisie to find the unnamed nurse whose love letters were among Michael’s belonging. Her inquiries, and the stunning discovery that Michael Clifton was murdered in his trench, unleash a web of intrigue and violence that threatens to engulf the soldier’s family and even Maisie herself. Over the course of her investigation, Maisie must cope with the approaching loss of her mentor, Maurice Blanche, and her growing awareness that she is once again falling in love.My Review:The Maisie Dobbs series does indeed just keep getting better! Winspear writes eloquently of Maisie’s personal experience as she investigates the matter of love and death in a time of war – naturally, the case takes her back to the years she herself spent abroad employed as a nurse during WWI – to the time she met and fell in love with Simon. The sense of family unity portrayed through the Cliftons is endearing, and also makes the loss of Michael the more sad. Billy and Doreen Beale are building a secure home life again, with Doreen getting back on her feet after her decline into depression following little Lizzie’s loss – and they have some wonderful news to share.Dr Maurice Blanche, who took Maisie under his wing so many years ago and became her mentor, is about to leave this world. And here Winspear’s writing excels. Maisie’s final days with Maurice are so touching. Just as Blanche changed the course of Maisie’s life remarkably at the time she was but an adolescent – he will change her life again. This time, perhaps even more remarkably. And, on that note, I must now read the next in the series to see what immediate decisions, if any, Maisie will make given her new circumstances.Recommended: Yes, the entire series! Particularly to those interested in the era of the WWI and WWII. The strength of the series is Winspear’s decision to write a strong female lead, particularly in a time when women were not employed as psychologists and certainly not as investigators.
    • 4/5
      The episode deals with the death of an American cartographer who enlisted to serve with the British in WWi.I really enjoy this series.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyable reading ... my one complaint is that the author is very stingy with clues on where the mystery is headed, and tends to resolve things abruptly and quickly so the reader is left thinking "didn't see that one coming" multiples times. Good historical content though, and main characters very likable.
    • 4/5
      This was the happiest Maise Dobbs to date.

    Book preview

    The Mapping of Love and Death - Jacqueline Winspear

    PROLOGUE

    The Santa Ynez Valley, California, August 1914

    Michael Clifton stood on a hill burnished gold in the summer sun and, hands on hips, closed his eyes. The landscape before him had been scored into his mind’s eye, and an onlooker might have noticed his chin move as he traced the pitch and curve of the hills, the lines of the valley, places where water ran in winter, gullies where the ground underfoot might become soft and rises where the rock would never yield to a pick. Michael could see only colored lines now, with swirls and circles close together where the peaks rose, and broad sweeps of fine ink where foothills gave way to flat land. Yes, this was the place. He had wired his mother a month earlier, asking her to cosign a document releasing the funds held in trust for him from his maternal grandfather’s will. Each of the Clifton offspring had received a tidy sum. His two sisters had set money aside for their own children and together had indulged in a little investing in land, while his older brother had rolled the bequest into an impressive property. Now it was his turn and, following the example set by his siblings, he had taken his father’s advice to heart: Land is where to put your money. And if it’s good land, you’ll get your money back time and time again. Edward Clifton would be pleased when he saw the maps, would slap him on the back. Well done, son. Well done. Didn’t I always say you had the nose? Didn’t I, Martha? Didn’t I, Teddy? And his brother would shake his hand, perhaps add a friendly punch to the shoulder. Good for you, little brother. And there would be no rancor, no slight because he had acted alone, only familial joy because he had succeeded.

    Soon, perhaps early next year, a sign bearing the Clifton name would be set above the opening to a new trail into the valley, and travelers passing on the old stage road would assume that the famous company founded some forty years ago by Edward Clifton—a young Englishman who was still in his teens when he’d disembarked from a ship at Ellis Island in search of his fortune—was drilling for oil. But they would be wrong, for this Clifton was the youngest son, and this was his land, his oil.

    Michael opened his eyes, gazed at the gold and green vista a few moments longer, and began packing away his equipment in a heavy canvas bag. One by one he took each piece and wrapped it carefully with linen and sackcloth: an octant, a graphometer, the surveyor’s compass—a gift from his parents when he completed his studies—a waywiser, theodolite, and tripod. Using these tools attached him to the past, like a plumb line drawn across time connecting him to early mapmakers with that same curiosity. He’d always felt so young—the youngest son of a man who came to a young country in his youth. His roots were fresh, new, and in his love of the land—especially this very primitive land shaped by the power of nature—he felt those roots entrench into ancient soil.

    He loaded the bag onto the back of a mule-drawn cart, the Mexican driver waiting patiently while he leapt up to sit on the floor and prepared to leave, his legs dangling down as he reached across for his stationery box. He opened the wooden box, checked that he had collected all his pens, sturdy German writing instruments each filled with a different colored ink. He liked the heft of the pens, the flow of ink, the narrow threads of color that issued from the pinlike point onto the heavy mapping paper. Michael Clifton might sometimes have been thought an impulsive young man anxious to make his mark, but he knew his business and he was nothing if not a diligent cartographer.

    In Santa Ynez, Michael transferred his equipment and personal effects to a larger carriage for the journey into Santa Barbara. From there he could telegraph his father that he was on his way, but would save the good news for later, when he was home. He wanted to see the look on Edward Clifton’s face when he told him of his discovery, he wanted to experience the joy and pride in person. For now he would check into The Arlington Hotel—the Clifton name alone meant a suite would be made available—bathe the dust from his skin, and then he would buy himself the biggest steak he could find in town. He might walk along the beach, smell that crisp Pacific air once more before boarding a California Pacific train bound for San Francisco tomorrow, and from there to the East Coast along the transcontinental railroad. Then, before you knew it, he would be home. But he would return soon to this place. Yes, he would be back—and this new Clifton Corporation would be his.

    It was the newsboy outside the hotel who caught his attention.

    Read all about it. Read all about it. Britain goes to war! Kaiser to fight whole world. Read all about it.

    Pulling a handful of coins from his pocket, Michael bought a newspaper and began reading as he made his way through the hotel foyer. He signed the guest register, only marginally aware of what he was writing, and where. He nodded upon receiving the key to his rooms, and continued reading as the bellhop struggled with his belongings. Once in the suite, he slumped down in a chair, looking up only to press a few cents into the boy’s palm.

    It had come as no surprise to his family that Michael Clifton chose to become a cartographer. He had loved maps since childhood, drawn to the mystery of lands far away, fascinated by the names of places and the promise he saw held within a map. You always know where you are with a map, he had told his parents, while persuading them of his choice of profession. And if you know where you are, why, you’re more likely to be brave, to have an adventure, to search beyond where everyone else is looking. Think of what I could do for the company! His father had laughed, seeing through the subtle entreaty. Yet Michael was right—it had been good for the company, to have a man in the family business who could read the land. You knew where you were with family, and as Edward had told his children time and again, you knew where your money was when it was in land. But what Michael never even tried to explain was the sense of wonder that came with a map, for each one told a story, and he, the surveyor and cartographer, was the storyteller, the translator, the guide to places a person might never otherwise see. He could tame a forest, prairie, or wilderness with a few strokes of his pen. And he had a knack for finding nature’s buried treasures.

    It had taken no time at all for Michael to make his decision. Before leaving his rooms he copied precise details from the maps and land documents into a small leather-bound notebook, adding sketches carefully marking those places where drilling should begin. That the valley held oil deposits was without question—William Orcutt, the surveyor for Union Oil, had the coast and much of the valley all but sewn up. Yet to know exactly where to tap into the riches took an expert eye. Some said you had to touch the land to know, that a man who knew where to sink his shovel could hear oil rumbling in the earth.

    His task complete, and with the series of maps rolled and placed in a leather tube along with the original title documents to the land—his land—he went directly to the Central Bank of California on State Street, where he left the leather tube in a safe deposit box, withdrew a portion of the funds held in his name at the bank, and then made his way to the railroad station, where he purchased a ticket to Boston via San Francisco and New York. He left the office, then stopped short in the street before returning to the ticket counter, whereupon he informed the clerk that he had changed his mind, and would go only as far as New York. The clerk grumbled, but asked no questions as he made out the new ticket. From New York, Michael planned to sail to England as soon as he could secure a passage—and it was surprising the speed with which anything could be reserved, booked, obtained, and acquired when you were a Clifton.

    It was only right that he go, because for his family, England was the old country. He’d read that other boys were going over, boys like him who had limey blood in their veins. Of course, he suspected they probably wouldn’t let him bear arms, being an American by birth, but he had a profession, and he was only too aware that in wartime armies needed to know where they were going, needed to know the lie of the land. He would wire his family and let them know of his decision just before he sailed. His father might argue, but he would also be proud that his son was going to fight for the country he’d left a lifetime ago. And his maps of the valley and the deed to his land would be safe until he returned; after all, according to reports, the war in Europe would be over by Christmas. Thus, by the time a tall spruce tree was alive with baubles, tinsel, and lights in the window of the grand house on Boston’s Beacon Hill, he’d be home.

    ONE

    Fitzroy Square, London, April 1932

    Would you believe it, Billy—three years and we’re still in business!" Maisie Dobbs turned away from the floor-to-ceiling window, where she had been watching gray, rain-filled clouds lumbering across an otherwise springlike sky. She smiled and sat down at the table where she and her assistant, Billy Beale, had been working.

    Billy ran his fingers through his hair. And we’ve a few more clients on the books than we expected in January.

    Maisie leaned back in her chair. We’ve been lucky, there’s no doubt about that. I just hope it continues throughout the year.

    Perhaps the Americans we’re seeing this morning have a few friends over here who might need your services, said Billy. I mean, that’s how almost all the work comes in, isn’t it? Through clients who were satisfied with what you did for them.

    Speaking of the Americans, I want to read that letter once more before they arrive. Maisie stood up and walked across the room to her desk. She took her seat and leaned forward, her forearms resting on the blotting pad. Apparently they’re very good people, quite down to earth, but they’ll be expecting me to be completely prepared for the appointment, especially with such a strong personal reference from Dr. Hayden.

    She reached for a manila folder with the words Clifton, Edward and Martha inscribed along one side, and took out a well-thumbed letter from Dr. Charles Hayden. Maisie had been introduced to the eminent American surgeon by Simon Lynch, a captain in the army medical corps, during the war. At the time Dr. Hayden was a volunteer with a medical contingent from the Massachusetts General Hospital. They had corresponded since the war, and now he wrote in response to a letter from Maisie.

    Please do not apologize for the delay in letting me know that Simon has passed away. Though my first concern is always for my patients, in my dealings with families of the sick and dying, I know the passage of grief is a difficult one to navigate, so please do not concern yourself that you should have written sooner. You have been in Pauline’s and my thoughts so often over the years, especially given Simon’s medical circumstances. As a doctor, I confess, I was amazed at the man’s continued physical resilience, when there was no obvious function in his mind.

    He continued with reminiscences of times spent with Simon, and followed with news of his family. Then the letter took a different tack.

    Maisie, I hope you don’t mind, but I have taken the liberty of referring a friend to you. He and his wife are more than willing to pay for your professional services, and they are in any case planning to sail for France in late March, then will travel on to England in April. I know they will be in touch and you will want to hear the story straight from the horse’s mouth. But let me fill you in on what I know so that you might be prepared for what’s in store.

    I met the Cliftons though their son-in-law, Bradley Marchant. He’s married to their eldest daughter, Meg, and is one of my colleagues here at the hospital. We went to their wedding at the family vacation home on Cape Cod, and I’m a godfather to their eldest. I don’t know if you need all this detail, but I thought I should let you know anyway.

    Edward Clifton is an Englishman by birth. He came over here when he was about eighteen, nineteen, something like that. He wasn’t exactly penniless, but he knew how to work—and to make something of himself, he had to work hard. He turned his hand to anything he could, then started putting money into land. Bradley said that acquiring land was an obsession with Edward when he was younger. I guess it’s something about coming from over there and starting again in a new country—he needed to own a part of it, stake his claim. From land he moved into building and founded a construction company, then started investing in stocks; all tied to the land in some way. I’ll cut to the chase here, and say that by the time he was thirty, Edward Clifton was very, very wealthy. Then he met Martha Stanbourne—she’s from an important family, it’s said their ancestors came to America on the Mayflower. The Stanbournes are what we call Boston Brahmins over here. They married—there’s no doubt it was a love match—and had four children. There’s Edward Jr. (Teddy), then Margaret and Anna, and bringing up the rear, Michael. Couldn’t have met a nicer family.

    Maisie paused. When she had first read the letter, as soon as she saw the word Michael the thought had crossed her mind: That’s the one. It’s Michael who has caused them pain. For there was no doubt in her mind, even in reading a few paragraphs, that the Cliftons were in some emotional turmoil. Why else would they need her services?

    In August 1914, Michael was out in California—he was a mapmaker, surveyor of some sort. Apparently he’d bought a tract of land with money left to him by Martha’s father. It would have been a lot of money, and according to Bradley, there’s still plenty held in trust. He was very excited about the purchase, and was due to come back to Boston—couldn’t wait to see his parents to tell them all about it. Then I guess you could say he crossed paths with fate when he saw the news about war in Belgium. He changed his plans at the last minute and sailed for Europe. Edward will fill you in on the details, but Michael enlisted in England and was attached to a military cartography unit—no doubt if it wasn’t for his profession he would have been sent packing back to Boston.

    Cuppa, Miss, before they get here?

    Maisie glanced at the clock. Oh yes, please. They’re bound to be shocked if they see me drinking out of my old army mug. Americans always expect to see the English sipping tea from fine bone china. She went back to the letter.

    Michael was listed as missing in early 1916. In January a farmer working the land (somewhere in the Somme Valley) put his plough into a gully, and when he and some other men were digging it out, the ground started to fall away and the bodies of several British soldiers were found. Michael was identified by his tags. By now you’re probably wondering why the Cliftons need to see someone like you. Apparently the ground gave way to a dugout and a series of what you could only describe as rooms—so well made, the Brits might have been occupying an old German trench. It was there that the soldiers’ belongings were found. They were members of a surveying team. Michael’s journal was discovered, along with other personal effects. Don’t ask me how the Cliftons managed to get their hands on the journal. You know the soldiers weren’t allowed to keep any sort of diary, so it’s a wonder it wasn’t retained by the authorities. It’s now with Edward and Martha, along with a collection of letters. His wallet was tucked in his jacket pocket, and apparently his surveying compass and other tools he’d taken with him were also returned to the family. Now, the reason they want to see you is this: the letters were from a woman, they think an English woman, and they want to find her. That’s everything I know, but at least you’ll be prepared when they arrive.

    Please keep in touch, Maisie. Pauline sends her love—perhaps you girls will have a chance to meet one day.

    It was signed with a flourish: Charles.

    There you are, Miss. Nice cuppa the old char.

    Lovely—thank you, Billy. Maisie pushed back her chair, leaving the letter open on the table as she looked out upon the square again. She cupped her hands around the chipped enamel mug. I thought we were in for a warm spring, but look at that rain.

    Coming down cats and dogs, ain’t it? Billy sipped his tea and reached for the letter. You know what I reckon happened to this here Michael Clifton? Billy continued without waiting for an answer. I reckon he heard about the war starting and came over all patriotic for the half of him that was British. That and the fact that something gets into lads when a war starts. Makes them get all mannish, as if they can’t wait to get on with getting old. Look at me and my brother—and him buried over there.

    Maisie nodded. I know—though it’s true to say that you and your brother were also pushed by public opinion. I remember Charles—Dr. Hayden—saying that in America in 1914 it was different. There were a lot of people who had just emigrated from Germany, so there was a significant allegiance to the Kaiser at first. But thank heavens for the American doctors and nurses who volunteered when war broke out; they saved a great many lives.

    So, what do you think of this, Miss? He held up the letter.

    Let’s see what the Cliftons have to say—they’ll be here in a minute. But I don’t think it has anything to do with money. If they want to find that woman, it’s because there’s a link to Michael. The question is, what kind of link? It could be something as simple as wanting to speak to someone who knew their son at a time when he was at a great distance from them—it appears they were a close family. But my sense is that it’s more than that. Maisie closed her eyes. They want to unlock some door to the past, I would say. And they have reason to believe this woman holds the key.

    The bell above the door began to ring.

    That must be them. Go on, Billy, go and let them in while I put these few things away.

    Maisie turned up the jets on the gas fire and pulled four chairs closer, so that the room might be more welcoming when the new clients entered. She heard their footsteps on the stairs, and Billy asking how they were liking England and if they had had a good crossing from France. The door opened, and Maisie walked towards Edward and Martha Clifton, extending her hand to welcome them into the room.

    How lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Clifton. May I take your coats?

    Maisie judged Edward Clifton to be about seventy-seven or seventy-eight, probably a little older than her father. He was a man of average height, not stooped, but one who seemed ill at ease with the restricted movement that came with age. He wore a black woolen overcoat and black homburg, which he removed as he stepped into the office. His suit was of a deep slate gray fabric, a color matching the silk tie and the kerchief in his pocket. Martha Clifton—Maisie suspected she might be some ten years younger than her husband—removed a cashmere coat trimmed with fur. She was wearing a stylish ensemble of light tweed in which mauves were blended with earthen colors perhaps more suited to autumn than spring. Her cloche accentuated deep-set brown eyes, around which the skin was lined, gathering in gentle ripples when Maisie took her hand, and she smiled in return. Maisie could imagine that smile becoming broad upon greeting her children and grandchildren, and an image came to mind of her eyes filled with tears when she was reminded of her youngest son, Michael.

    When her guests were settled, Maisie took the seat closest to her desk, while Billy handed cups of tea to Edward and Martha, and in those precious seconds without conversation, she was able to gauge their mood and feelings towards each other. They were, as might be imagined, somewhat tense, though Maisie could detect a connection between them that she found rare in a man and wife of their generation. They leaned towards each other in the way that a pair of ancient oaks might seem as one, their branches laced together as the years passed. Yet at the same time there was an independence and, Maisie thought, profound respect. She could see that there had been no secrets in the household, and decisions had never been made alone, until the day Michael left for England.

    Now, perhaps you could tell me what it is you would like to discuss with me, and how you think I might be able to help you. She was careful not to mention Charles Hayden’s letter, as she wanted to hear the story from the couple.

    Well— Edward Clifton looked at his wife, and reached for her hand, which she had already moved towards his. Our son, who was an American citizen, came to England in ’14 to join up. He cleared his throat. His voice was deep, and though one could not mistake the Englishman in his accent, there was a slower rhythm to his speech, a cadence distinguishing him as one who had gone away and would never again be at ease in the country of his birth. He decided not to tell us until just before he sailed. He glanced at his wife again. Martha Clifton nodded for him to continue. Michael’s mother and I, well, we thought he’d be turned away and shipped right back home, but that was not to be, given his profession.

    Which was?

    Michael was a cartographer. He had been working for one of the family companies as a surveyor, assessing land prior to purchase.

    And is that what he was doing before he enlisted for service in England?

    Yes—and no.

    Maisie looked at Martha, who had leaned forward as she spoke. Each of our children has money left in trust by my father. The trust stipulated that until they reached the age of thirty, I had to cosign transfer of funds from the trust. From the time he was in his teens, Michael had been fascinated by California. He said there was so much there for a young man, that he wanted to just go see what it was all about. Then, a month before he left to return to Boston, he wired me and asked for a significant sum to be transferred into an account in Santa Barbara—it’s a little town along the coast.

    And you agreed?

    It was his money. He was a man—twenty-three at the time. And both his father and I felt that if he lost the money, well, it represented an investment on a lesson that would stand him in good stead.

    Maisie nodded. And before I go on—may I ask how you felt about Michael making a decision that was not on behalf of the family business?

    We were all for it, said Edward. He paused to clear his throat. Let me explain. My great-grandfather was a shoemaker who built a successful business, which was in turn taken over by my grandfather, then my father. I was the only male in my generation, and from early childhood I was told that I was in line to take over the business. It was drummed into me time and time again. He smiled and looked at his wife. And you know something, Miss Dobbs? I couldn’t stand it. I hated the smell of the factories, the untreated leather, the whale oil when it was delivered, the tannery. I detested the shoe business and would have walked around in rubber boots to make my point. I had no mind to go into that company, and in the end, I suppose you could say I ran away. I had a bit of money of my own—we weren’t poor, but I had to earn every penny—and America beckoned. Same thing happened in Martha’s family, to her brothers; they were expected to join a family business without consideration of what they might have wanted. In my case, my father and mother disowned me, my letters were returned, and I never spoke to my family again—which grieves me to this day. So, with that in mind, my corporation is set up to be run independently. We never wanted our children to feel beholden to us. If they had it in them to join the company—fine. But if not, we still wanted them to sit at the table with us for Thanksgiving dinner without an argument about it. As it happens, Teddy—our eldest son—and our daughter Anna’s husband both work for the corporation. Michael was just doing what I had done years before. He was breaking away, and we wanted to make it easy for him to come home again, always.

    Maisie nodded. Do you know why he wanted the money?

    "There’s a tract of land in his name in an area known as Santa Ynez—that’s with a y. It’s a Spanish name. We haven’t been there, but Teddy went out in ’21, and said it was just the sort of place that Michael would have loved."

    What happened to the land?

    There are legal and probate problems remaining. We have no proof of title, no bill of sale. Michael paid in cash—and of course, he was listed as missing. Clifton preempted Maisie’s next question. Yes, time has passed, and we should have had no difficulty in making the case that Michael died in the war, but gaining access to the land has been difficult. The area is awash with oil companies, and even though we’ve pressed the point that Michael was killed in the war, the court ruled that Michael’s intentions were not known, and there might be other claimants—and believe me, there have been a few because it’s valuable land, but we’ve managed so far to keep it all from being settled, pending the discovery of proof. He paused and shook his head. And you have to remember, though we’re here in 1932, when Michael first went out to California, there was still more than a hint of the Wild West about it. Well, that’s how it seemed to East Coasters like Martha and me.

    I can see this must be very troublesome for you, on top of losing your son, said Maisie. But how can I help you?

    Martha Clifton took her husband’s hand in both her own. We have a batch of quite a few letters. Given that they were buried for years, they are in fair condition due to the waxed paper and rubber cloth Michael had used to wrap them. They were clearly of some value to our son, yet we could not bring ourselves to read them. She looked down at her hands, then began to turn her wedding and engagement rings around and around, lifting them above the first bone in her slender finger, then pushing them back down again. She looked up. I don’t want to pry into my son’s past, but to me the hand seems to be that of a woman, perhaps someone Michael loved, and I would like to know who she is. I—

    I understand, said Maisie, her voice soft. She turned to Edward Clifton. Do you have anything else?

    Clifton reached into the inside pocket of his overcoat. I have a journal, a diary kept by Michael. Again, some of the pages are fused with damp, and foxed with age, but we have read a few paragraphs. He paused as he handed the brown-paper-wrapped book to Maisie, who reached forward to take the package from him.

    So, am I to take it that you would like me to read the letters and the diary, that you wish me to identify the letter writer, and— She looked from Clifton to his wife. Am I right to assume that you would like me to try to find the person?

    Martha Clifton smiled, though her eyes had filled with tears. Yes, yes, please, Miss Dobbs. We can help a little, because we’ve already placed an advertisement in several British newspapers, and we’ve received a number of replies; you see, though we didn’t read Michael’s letters, we opened one or two to see if there was an address or full name—but there was nothing to identify the writer. In the advertisement, we said we would like to hear from a woman who had known Michael Clifton, of Boston in the United States, in the war.

    Edward Clifton cleared his throat and began to speak again. And I thought that, given your background, you might want to see this document, which we received from the French authorities. He held out a brown envelope towards Maisie. As she began to draw out the pages, Clifton continued. It’s a report from the doctor who examined our son’s remains. A postmortem of sorts. Charles has seen the report, and we’ve talked about it.

    And I said I would rather not read it, Martha Clifton interjected.

    Yes, I understand. Maisie began to scan the page. She made no comment, but nodded as she reached the end of each paragraph. She could feel Edward Clifton’s gaze upon her, and when she looked up she knew that in the brief meeting of their eyes there was an understanding. She knew why he had come to her, and that the truth of Michael Clifton’s death had been kept from his mother. And she could understand how a French doctor—possibly tired, probably weary of another aging corpse brought from the battle-scarred land upon which so many had died—had missed what an eminent Boston surgeon, one who himself had served in that same war, had seen when he read the report.

    It all looks fairly straightforward, but I would like to keep it here, if I may.

    Of course. Clifton looked at his wife and smiled, as if to assure her that all would be well now and that they had made the right decision in seeking the help of this British investigator. We’ll have the letters sent over to you as soon as we get back to our hotel—we’re staying at the Dorchester.

    And we’ll send some photographs of Michael. Martha Clifton seemed to press back tears as she spoke. I’d like you to know what he was like.

    Thank you, a photograph would be most useful, though I have a picture of Michael in my mind already. You must have been very proud of him.

    "We were. And we loved him so very much,

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