My favorite cozy mystery soap opera. Enjoyed this one more than the last one. ( )

A Sunlit Weapon is written by Jacqueline Winspear.
The book is #17 in the highly-acclaimed Maisie Dobbs series.

In the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series, a series of possible attacks on British pilots leads Jacqueline Winspear's beloved heroine Maisie Dobbs into a mystery involving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
“October 1942. Jo Hardy, a 22-year-old ferry pilot, is delivering a Supermarine Spitfire—the fastest fighter aircraft in the world—to Biggin Hill Aerodrome, when she realizes someone is shooting at her aircraft from the ground. Returning to the location on foot, she finds an American serviceman in a barn, bound and gagged. She rescues the man, who is handed over to the American military police; it quickly emerges that he is considered a suspect in the disappearance of a fellow soldier who is missing.
Tragedy strikes two days later, when another ferry pilot crashes in the same area where Jo’s plane was attacked. At the suggestion of one of her colleagues, Jo seeks the help of psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs. Meanwhile, Maisie’s husband, a high-ranking political attaché based at the American embassy, is in the thick of ensuring security is tight for the first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, during her visit to the Britain. There’s already evidence that German agents have been circling: the wife of a president represents a high value target. Mrs. Roosevelt is clearly in danger, and there may well be a direct connection to the death of the woman ferry pilot and the recent activities of two American servicemen.
To guarantee the safety of the First Lady—and of the soldier being held in police custody—Maisie must uncover that connection. At the same time, she faces difficulties of an entirely different nature with her young daughter, Anna, who is experiencing wartime struggles of her own.”

This award-winning series is one of my all-time favorite reads. Each one is a perfect, seamless blend of history, mystery and psychology.
I have read all 17 titles (in order) and each one stays with me with Maisie and Maurice’s words always in the back of my mind.
The last book, The Comfort of Ghosts, is scheduled to be published in June 2024. I can’t wait to read it, but I will miss Maisie very, very much.
*****

Peak derangement genre fiction. The anachronisms in this series, like the yoga and meditation, were charming when juxtaposed with the scrupulous attention to the judicious purchase of technological novelties like refrigerators and to the protocols of using the telephones. The dialogue in the series was always a bit tedious, and the books have always been utterly without humour. But in this book, the dialogue was littered with anachronistic "my truth"s and infused with post-modern "privilege" discourse. A new low. As ever, the actual historical details are kind of interesting.

I've listened to every one of the previous books in the series, and it seems that I found the books that describe Maisie's travels and activities in Gibraltar and Munich to be commendably good; none of the previously written books were as bad as this one. ( )

Jacqueline Winspear is always a good read. I love the depth she gives to her characters. Her mysteries are first rate and more than just a simple mystery. This one is no exception. Thank you, Ms Winspear! Long may you write! ( )

It’s 1942, and young female pilots are ferrying Spitfires for fighter pilots’ war usage. Someone is taking pot shots at the pilots, even bringing down a plane. After one such attack, the pilot returns to the site on foot, and discovers an American soldier, bound and gagged. Rescuing him, he is turned over to the military police who believe he is responsible for another serviceman’s disappearance. Maisie gets called in on the case after another attack. It seems that her husband, a high-ranking attaché at the American embassy, is also working on a secret mission. And these two different cases are about to become linked. This is another well written installment in the series, with the characters readers have come to love. Written with a gentle hand, this prose nonetheless is quite gripping, just as Maisie herself is gentle when she needs to be, yet firmly determined to do her best for her clients, even if that means putting herself in danger. ( )