The White Lady

I have read several of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, but this is a stand-alone novel, also historically set in the WWI and WWII eras.  The protagonist is Elinor White who was just 12 years old when the Germans invaded her home country of Belgium. Yet she and her 15-year-old sister Cecily were recruited by the mysterious Isabelle to watch and report on German train and troop movements. Eventually they were trained to defend themselves, including the use of knives, guns, and sharpened pencils--although Cecily demurred from firearms training. Assigned a more dangerous mission--to move explosives onto a train track--things went horribly awry when they encountered two German soldiers and Elinor killed them to prevent Cecily being raped. The girls and their mother were smuggled out of Belgium to their mother's former home in England. Elinor was again recruited during WWII to work behind enemy lines. Today, in 1947, she lives a quiet, if hyper-vigilant, life in a "grace and favour" house outside the rural Kent village of Shacklehurst. Normally reclusive, Elinor comes to know the nearby farm worker's family on her daily walks--Rose, Jim and their toddler daughter Susie. Horrible memories from her war work are re-activated by Susie and Elinor's protective instincts kick into high gear when Jim's brothers--London gangsters--beat Jim and threaten Rose and Susie. Jim and Rose tried to escape his family's criminal empire by moving to the country, but they've been found and threatened with harm if Jim does not return to help them with a big job. Elinor is determined to see that does not happen and she brings to bear all of her cunning, wartime contacts, and lethal skills to keep the little family safe.

Excellently written, with chapters switching back in time to describe Elinor's work in the two wars, the reader will feel Elinor's struggles and triumphs. The various time periods are well-captured and characters are very believable. Library Journal recommends with this conclusion: the author "skillfully juggles three timelines in a riveting stand-alone about a woman whose wartime experiences overshadow her post-war retirement." Whereas, Booklist focuses on the protagonist in their praise: "The real strength of the novel,... lies in the poignant and beautifully written backstory of Elinor's childhood in war-torn Belgium and her personal losses in a devastated London. Winspear is an absolute master of the character-driven thriller, and although fans will wish for more of Elinor, they will reluctantly agree that she has earned some peace." Publishers Weekly calls this a "smart, nuanced mystery" and agrees that "The chapters illuminating Elinor’s dramatic backstory add vulnerability to her characterization, enriching the suspenseful main narrative."  Kirkus Reviews offers their  assessment: a "tense history-based thriller filled with anguish and suspense... [a] "poignant story of courage, misogyny, and misused power..."