Have you read any of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries? It's a series by Jacqueline Winspear, set in post-WWI London. Maisie, the hero, is a WWI vet (she was a war nurse) and a psychologist-cum-private-investigator. A Lesson In Secrets, the eighth in the series, tells of Maisie being hired by the Secret Service to go to a suspect new college in Cambridge, reportedly espousing "peace studies;" the Secret Service worries it's a breeding ground for the Red Menace.
This series of novels is so evocative of the post-War London vibe: the crippled economy, the wounded men, the pervasive anxiety of the shell-shocked nation. However, I find that Winspear's characters are less vivid. I can't quite remember, from novel to novel, which one is Inspector Whats-his-face, and which Detective-Whoosis. And as for the mysteries, they are even more ephemeral. I remember there was one with feathers, but heck if I remember what happened. There was another one where they went picking hops, and I'm sure Maisie investigated something while there, but I haven't the faintest recollection of what she was digging into.
I'm sure this is more a reflection of my slapdash reading (a.k.a., skimming) than Winspear's talent. Nonetheless, I'm not rushing to get the newest Maisie Dobbs book...
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