To guarantee the safety of the First Lady-and of the soldier being held in police custody-Maisie must uncover that connection. Roosevelt is clearly in danger, and there may well be a direct connection to the death of the woman ferry pilot and the recent activities of two American servicemen. There's already evidence that German agents have been circling: the wife of a president represents a high value target.

Meanwhile, Maisie's husband, a high-ranking political attaché based at the American embassy, is in the thick of ensuring security is tight for the first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, during her visit to the Britain. At the suggestion of one of her colleagues, Jo seeks the help of psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs. Tragedy strikes two days later, when another ferry pilot crashes in the same area where Jo's plane was attacked. She rescues the man, who is handed over to the American military police it quickly emerges that he is considered a suspect in the disappearance of a fellow soldier who is missing. Returning to the location on foot, she finds an American serviceman in a barn, bound and gagged. Jo Hardy, a 22-year-old ferry pilot, is delivering a Supermarine Spitfire-the fastest fighter aircraft in the world-to Biggin Hill Aerodrome, when she realizes someone is shooting at her aircraft from the ground. To protect Eleanor's life - and possibly the safety of all of London - Maisie must quickly uncover the connection between the pilot deaths, the mysterious American soldier, and the top-secret documents.In the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series, a series of possible attacks on British pilots leads Jacqueline Winspear's beloved heroine Maisie Dobbs into a mystery involving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. But before she can even begin to investigate, her new husband, Mark Scott, finds the documents and demands to know how they came to be in her possession: The papers pertain to an upcoming diplomatic mission by Eleanor Roosevelt on behalf of the United States' president-and now the First Lady's safety has been compromised. If someone is trying to take down much-needed pilots, Maisie wants to find out why - and what happened to the bound American serviceman. Erica's death is attributed to 'pilot error,' but Jo is convinced there is a link between her own experience and Erica's - and that of Jo's dead fiance, who was killed over a year earlier under inexplicable circumstances in the same area.Īt the suggestion of an Australian colleague, Jo takes her suspicions to Maisie Dobbs, along with two pages of coded notes she found in the barn.

Several days later, when Jo recounts the story to several other women, she receives the news that Erica, another ferry pilot-flying the same route she had - has been killed in a crash near Kent.

Jacqueline winspear a sunlit weapon