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Cover of A Lesson in Secrets

Mystery · 2012 · PG-13

A Lesson in Secrets

by Jacqueline Winspear

1932. Maisie goes undercover at a Cambridge college teaching pacifism. What she finds is not peaceful.

Maisie Dobbs' first assignment for the British Secret Service takes her undercover to Cambridge as a professor, and leads to the investigation of a murderous web of activities being conducted by the up-and-coming Nazi party.

For14+GenreMysteryLength312 pagesRead time~8 hours

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Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

Some

A murder at an academic institution; the political context involves 1930s fascism and pacifism

Language

Barely any

Mild language

Sexual Content

Barely any

Mild content

Substance Use

Barely any

Mild content

Emotional Intensity

A lot

The historical irony of a peace movement in the years before a war that the peaceable people around Maisie cannot yet see coming; her position as someone who has already been through one war

What this book is about

Maisie Dobbs is asked to go undercover at a Cambridge college that is known for its pacifist curriculum and is attracting concern in government circles. She is to observe and report — but when a member of the faculty is murdered, the observation becomes an investigation. Jacqueline Winspear's eighth Maisie Dobbs novel is the most explicitly political of the series, set in the early 1930s as fascism is rising in Europe and England's peace movement is finding its limits — and Maisie has to navigate a world where the politics she's investigating will shape the decade to come.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

eighth Maisie Dobbs novel by Jacqueline Winspear; most politically focused entry

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