We could not be more thrilled to be hosting Jacqueline Winspear IN PERSON at the store, after multiple online conversations the past few years!! Winspear will be discussing her forthcoming novel, The White Lady, which is not part of the Maisie Dobbs series. Readers of Winspear's memoir This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing will have already met the woman who inspired the main character in this new book.
This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White--veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity--when she is drawn reluctantly back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind. Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, ultimately exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government.
The private, quiet "Miss White" as Elinor is known, lives in a village in rural Kent, England, and to her fellow villagers seems something of an enigma. Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or that their mysterious neighbor is haunted by her past. It will take Susie, the child of a young farmworker, Jim Mackie and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanor. But Jim has something in common with Elinor, as he, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie. In her quest to uncover the truth behind the family's pursuit of Jim, Elinor unwittingly sets out on a treacherous path--yet it is one that ultimately leads to her freedom.
To attend our in-store event with Jacqueline Winspear, just pre-order a copy of The White Lady from us (in store, online, or by phone) and indicate that you want to attend the event--and be sure to provide us with your email address! We will require attendees to wear masks in the store that evening, and Ms Winspear will not be able to personalize books (but we will have signed copies for attendees).
