Elinor DeWitt, aka MIss White, lives in a village in Kent. When her neighbor experiences threats from his family which is involved in organized crime, she wants to take action for his small daughter's sake. Although Dutch, she assisted in the English in espionage during the war, receiving a special "grace and favor" property for her assistance. She has the connections to provide help and the skills to help the family. This is one of those dual timeline stories, and it really doesn't work very well. The ending fell flat for me. This is not Winspear's best work. ( )

I enjoyed this one - easy listen, good story, kind of a quick wrap-up, maybe a bit too neat at the end. ( )

Elinor White, aka DeWitt, is a former British spy who worked in both WWI and WWII. She was recruited as a young girl by Isabelle, to notify them of German trains passing, and to try to derail the trains. Later, after working in Paris after university, she returns to London, where she finds devastation. She once again returns to service in WWII. A death of a child haunts her.
Now, in post-war London, she meets a young family in turmoil. Elinor calls upon her old friends to inquire about this family and their business. She uncovers a crime family, but wonders how far into the government they infiltrated. She tries to save the family, while also redeeming herself from her past.
Good story, an enjoyable and interesting read. ( )

Well, that was interminably dull. Instruction manuals have faster pacing and a better resolution. I felt like there was a decent plot bubbling under the surface - the introductory chapters were good - but the end result was laughable. Why would a supposedly intelligent and independent woman like Elinor trust a bent copper with her theories? Why would he indulge her obsession with a random family if he were genuine? One World War as background was interesting, two was overkill. And poor Elsie, the best character in the book, was woefully sidelined.

The writing was not only cliché bingo but also seemed to aimed at children, explaining simple terms that most people know or could be deduced from the context. Switching back and forth between both world wars and the late 1940s only dragged out the inevitable rather than building tension or developing the characters, but at least Elinor's childhood in Belgium was emotional and evocative - the SOE backstory was just ridiculous. I have no idea what the Mackie mafia subplot was supposed to be, apart from a very tenuous bridge between past and present.

I'm just disappointed. I expected a historical novel based on the real life brave men and women of the SOE and got a Hallmark aga saga. ( )

The White Lady -Winspeare
Audio performance by Orlagh Cassidy
4 stars

I’ve been enjoying Winspeare’s Maise Dobbs series for years. I thought I might miss Maisie when I started this book, but I didn’t. The story grabbed me right away. The protagonist of this book, the ex-spy Elinor White, is a grittier, more hard nosed character than Maisie. Elinor began work in war resistance during WW1 as a 12 year old in Belgium. She was naturally recruited for more of the same during WW2. Much of this book is told in flashbacks of her training and war experiences. Winspeare manages to create some edge-of-the-seat suspense in the back story even though it’s clear from the beginning that Elinor survived her war service.

The main plot of this book takes place in the years after the war as England struggles to recover. Elinor becomes concerned with the struggles of a young family living near her in the country. The father, Jim, has family ties to a dangerous criminal gang. Elinor’s war experience and training allows her access to a former college in Scotland Yard’s organized crime division. The post war investigation becomes tangled with the tragedy and mystery that ended Elinor’s war service.

The book has a definite feminist slant. Elinor has the assertive edge of a woman playing a man’s game. As she untangles the current mystery and the mangled memories of her past she confronts the misogyny and the class prejudice of the police force and the various branches of the secret service. There’s also a mildly humorous side plot of a successful female criminal.

I’m not sure I believe in Elinor’s intention to walk away from clandestine work at the end of this book. I’d enjoy reading more of this character. ( )