The White Lady

A Novel

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times and National Bestseller

“A triumph. . . . Winspear creates in Elinor White (the ‘White Lady’), a complex, endearing, achingly flawed hero. This is both fast-paced and thoughtful, bold and nuanced, a thriller that is thrillingly human. I loved it.” —Louise Penny

The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity—when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind.

A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, ultimately exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government.

The private, quiet “Miss White" as Elinor is known, lives in a village in rural Kent, England, and to her fellow villagers seems something of an enigma. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or that their mysterious neighbor is haunted by her past.

It will take Susie, the child of a young farmworker, Jim Mackie and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanor—but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie. Yet in her quest to uncover the truth behind the family’s pursuit of Jim, Elinor unwittingly sets out on a treacherous path—yet it is one that leads to her freedom.

©2023 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent story

Readers who enjoyed the author’s Maisie Dobbs series probably will find The White Lady just as enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading or listening to all the books from that series and found this story equally engaging.

I Loved this Book!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Jacqueline Winspear's fiction and this book does not disappoint! She has an amazing ability to plunk us right into the complex, uncertain and riveting times of Europe during the World Wars. Her characters are memorable and engaging, and we soon care about them because they feel so real. It helps too that the narration by Orlagh Cassidy is flawless. I highly recommend this book (as well as the stunning Maisie Dobbs series).

Three and a half stars

Pretty good. I did find myself talking back though to the author and characters as I was listening: oh, it’s obvious who the bad guy is here! And the quaver in the narrator’s voice got annoying occasionally cuz it seemed like the dramatic delivery was overkill when the storyline and dialogue could convey emotion without the narrator over acting the feelings.

Excellent story that keeps you involved!

Genuinely thought provoking story with lovely language and descriptions. The characters helped me wonder what I might do in the same circumstances.

Wonderful

Looked forward to listening to each chapter and hearing the beautiful resolution. An inspiration for strong women with doubts of their strength and value.

Another great book by Winspear

I'm a fan of Maisie Dobbs and looked forward to this new book. It's different, and tells a very different kind of story. I've read many WWII books that try to be inspirational, but The White Lady seems to come closer to the reality of the time for those in the resistance. Working in the resistance wasn't glamorous or uplifting or romantic. It was hard, terrifying work to try to save Allied countries from the existential threat of a madman and his cronies who were trying to destroy them. I wonder sometimes if those living today could or would be able to 1. recognize the threats that exist worldwide and 2. be willing to put their lives on hold and face the dangers the folks in the SOE did. I fear we're too distracted by our devices and optimism to do either.

So, no, this book isn't all sweetness and light as some other reviewers have noted. But it's a very real story about one woman who comes through he'll and gets to the other side.

J Winspear and O Cassidy are a perfect team

Winspear and Cassidy are one of my very favorite audiobook teams. I’m looking forward to their next contribution.

Excellent

Excellent story and excellent narration . Winspear is a great storyteller - couldn’t stop listening and was sorry to come to the end.

The White Lady delivers

Loved it. I just finished all 20 Maisie Dobbs books and was looking for another book by this author.

Lovers this

Orlagh Cassidy is fabulous. Her voice works perfectly with Ms. Winspear’s novels. I hope another is not far away. I very much enjoyed the story line and the descriptive passages.