Four years after she set sail from England, leaving everything she most loved behind, Maisie Dobbs at last returns, only to find herself in a dangerous place
The year 1937 finds Maisie, reeling from recent personal tragedies-the happiest period of her life has ended abruptly, and after a period of time seeking solace in America, and once again in India, she decides to return home. But as her ship sails closer to England, she is overcome with fear that she is still not ready to take up her past life. She disembarks in Gibraltar, ignoring an ominous warning from the ship's captain - she has arrived in a dangerous place.
Gibraltar is indeed perilous: this key British stronghold is a hub of clandestine activity, overrun with intelligence operatives, double agents, and refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil War just across the border. Soon after her arrival on 'the Rock,' Maisie stumbles upon the body of Sebastian Babayoff, a member of the town's close-knit Sephardic Jewish community. Over objections from the local authorities, Maisie begins looking into his murder. Before long, she finds herself under scrutiny by the British Secret Service - and other interested parties. As she follows the evidence deep into a web of geopolitical intrigue, Maisie discovers that working again after such a long hiatus tempers her feelings of despair. It is only after she has unraveled the truth about Babayoff's murder that Maisie feels able to return to England. What she chooses to do instead will astonish readers
