Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

In this second Maisie Dobbs mystery, Miss Dobbs is all set up as a private investigator in her new office, with the use of a motor car and living in her patroness's summer home.  She is ready for another case, and when a weathly father asks her to find his run-a-way daughter, Maisie jumps in with gusto.  She soon begins to suspect that the girl's disappearance is not jut a case of youthful rebellion against an overbearing parent.  Three of the girl's college chums have turned up murdered, and Maisie is afraid the missing heiress will be next.

I checked this out in a hurry when I realized I hadn't downloaded an e-book to read on my flight to Washington DC.  I enjoyed the first Maisie Dobbs so I thought the second was a safe bet.  I was right. Winspear creates a whole cast of interesting characters, each dealing with wounds from the past, and weaves them together in engaging and well crafted mystery plots. These are not really light-hearted, but they are warm-hearted and the reader, dispite the struggles of the characters, feels uplifted in the end. The interesting interbellum setting is just an added bonus. (2014, 320 p)