At the same time, she faces difficulties of an entirely different nature with her young daughter, Anna, who is experiencing wartime struggles of her own. 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. 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.

A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear