Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear

London, 1931. On the night before the opening of his new and much-anticipated exhibition at a famed Mayfair gallery, Nicholas Bassington-Hope falls to his death. The police declare it an accident, but his twin sister, Georgina, isn't convinced. When the authorities refuse to conduct further investigations and close the case, Georgina -- a journalist and infamous figure in her own right -- takes matters into her own hands, seeking out a fellow graduate from Girton College: Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator.

The case soon takes Maisie to the desolate beaches of Dungeness in Kent, as well as the sinister underbelly of the city's art world. And while navigating her way into the heart of the aristocratic yet bohemian Bassington-Hopes, Maisie is deeply troubled by the tragedy of another, quite different family in need.

In this the fourth book of the series, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, takes on the case of an artist who has fallen to his death. The police have dismissed it as an accident, but Maisie has a hunch that there is more to the death. In the course of her investigation, she finds that there is indeed much much more. As the range of her investigation grows, Maisie encounters secretive and possibly dangerous organizations. Little is truly as it seems. And as always in this series, WW1 continues to cast its dark shadow.

It's hard to rate any of these books as “bad” because they are all well-written and well-researched but this one had me frustrated in and out for most of the book.

First, it felt unnecessarily long, with some descriptions that seemed to go on and on considering they had little relevance to the plot. It's extremely difficult to explain the nature and purpose of art, but Winspear certainly tries over and over again. What a person can ascertain in an instant in witnessing a piece of art, she spends paragraphs upon paragraphs trying to explain.

Next, Maisie comes off as a self-righteous know-it-all about absolutely everything, more so than the last couple of books. Her thoughts and actions combine to depict her as a cold-hearted hypocrite, sitting in judgement of other people while claiming to be loving, honest, and objective.

It was especially frustrating with how she handles the situation with Andrew Dene, putting her work and her priorities over his. And in how she deals with art as a subject, on one hand saying that art reflects truth and meaning and changes people, and on the other calling it useless. Oh, and in how she handles Billy's family crisis. She tells him to take as much time as he needs, then thinks to herself that she hopes he will be into work the next day. Because one day is probably as much time as he needs, right?

I want to rate it at two stars, but the writing and plotting and researching really save this series. It's a tough call. Like others, I will probably come back to the series later on, as I have heard it gets better.