Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs is a female investigator in London in the 1929.  She grew up as the daughter of a cartier, but rose because of her keen intellect to go to the Cambridge women's college.  She uses the techniques of observation and applied psychology taught by a mentor, Maurice Blanche, to solve mysteries and help people.  In her first case, she is asked to find out if a woman is cheating on her husband.  Her investigation takes her back to a dark past, and to her own experience as a WWI nurse. 

This was recommended to me by a friend and I enjoyed it very much.  It was a little slow moving at first, but very atmospheric and a deep dive into the lasting affects of the war on its survivors.  The narrative jumps between the "present" day and Maisie's experiences in the war, so both her story and the mystery unfold gradually throughout the book.  Maisie is a very sympathetic character, both strong and vunerable, triumphant and wounded.  I will probably read more in the series. (2003, 294 p.)