A Sunlit Weapon

The latest in this beloved series sees the cozy life of amateur investigator Maisie Dobbs disrupted by violence and racism. Violence is first visited on women in World War II Britain’s ATA, the Air Transport Authority, whose “Attagirls” flew radio-less and weaponless planes to bases where they were needed. An Attagirl, local to Maisie’s countryside retreat, finds a Black American soldier, Matthias Crittenden, tied up in a barn. He’s beaten up and can’t remember much, and is accused of having faked his imprisonment after killing his white army buddy. Maisie’s American husband works at the American embassy and helps her contact the imprisoned Crittenden while uncovering the truth. More details of racism within 1940s U.S. forces are revealed here than in most war novels, with Winspear informing readers that Franklin Roosevelt asked Winston Churchill to enact segregation in Britain before the American soldiers arrived. While Roosevelt’s request was turned down, Winspear shows that segregation was still enforced, at least officially, among the troops even while overseas. Local racism doesn’t get a pass either, with Maisie’s interracial daughter enduring meanness from children and even one adult, whose comeuppance is a highlight of the book. The outside world encroaches on Masie more than in previous books; the growth this engenders in the character will endear her further to many fans, who, in any case, need no persuading to pick this up.