Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs Series - Book 1)

http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-0142004332-2: This is the first in the Maisie Dobb's detective series...after reading a few in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith, I was excited to start a new series about a female Sherlock Holmes. This one is set in late 1920s and features a former wartime nurse turned sleuth. Winspear is definitely more "literary" than Smith, but I found myself trying too hard to figure out what was going on. My mind kept wandering and it took awhile to get into the rhythm of the book. Ultimately, I enjoyed the mystery, but thought I had to get through too much to appreciate the story. That being said, I think I'll still try to tackle the next one in the series.