I have read a couple of the author's books before, but they were usually mid-series, and when I saw a standalone by the same author, I decided to give it a shot.
It is yet another serious historical fiction that I read, just after some other books with a similar tone. I was unsure by the end as to where I would categorize this. The narrative begins from the viewpoint of a young mother who has just moved to the countryside with her family. She has had a sad life prior to her marriage, and her husband has left behind a murky past to start anew. When the eponymous White Lady crosses paths with their child, the other bigger part of the narrative begins.
This section of the story is a dual-timeline narrative. We have Miss Elinor White, a woman who grew up before her time and participated in two world wars. In the past timeline, she is first a child who does the best she can in the fight against the enemy. Her quick-thinking actions have her noticed, and when the second big war breaks out, she is enrolled into a more complex team with a bigger team. This second part is still in the past, but we see how it impacts the current timeline since the last war has not faded from people's minds yet. Not that much time has passed.
She uses her old contacts and her even older instincts to try and keep this honest young family from danger. We get a better picture with every older memory that has been granted to us.
I like the personal complexities of the world we are introduced to, the different strings that are all connected even further back than we can imagine. I liked the overall arc of the story and the end resolution, but the general narrative style was a little too dry for me. The facts are laid out in a straightforward manner with emotions well explained, but I was not swept away by the events. I think fans of a more direct approach will better appreciate this book than I did.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Elinor White appears to be a recluse in the small village of Shacklehurst. But the attentions of a little girl Susan Mackie draw her into an adventure that takes on the criminal gangs of London
For Lini de Witt is well trained for such battles, striving since she was a child in Belgium in 1914 to avoid being the prey.
This is the story above all of the demons that the wars and killing created and the discovery that finally heals her.

This book didn't grip me for a long time and then it swiftly let go.
With no real twist or dramatic reveal it fell a bit flat. Fans of historical fiction might find it interesting but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced reader copy of this much anticipated stand alone book from one of my favorite authors. This novel is set in the time period between WWI and WWII, similar to the Maisie Dobbs series. I thought the book's premise was very intriguing: protagonist Elinor White, former government spy, protects her neighbors, a young family, from the husband's crime family. However, shortly after the book begins, the narrative shifted to mainly being about Elinor White, from her early days in the resistance in WWI Belgium, to her WWII covert spy work, to current day events. Several times, I had to right myself to clarify which time period she was in as it went back and forth, sometimes within the same chapter. I find her books have way too many minor characters, some like Clare Fields and Elsie Mackie in this book, whose personality and dialogue jump out at me in terms of being interesting and leaving me wanting more, but whose character arc never seems to go anywhere! I would've liked more back story and scenes with them. I think her female characters in particular are always stronger and more memorable. At the end, the tension behind the original premise fades away with a whimper not a bang once "all is revealed." Even a character who you'd say was a bad guy in Elinor's life was sent on his way with no real consequences. Sorry to say, I found this one to be a disappointment.

This standalone novel from Winspear is darker in some ways than her Maisie Dobbs series, and in others more straightforward. If you like the War Time bits of Maisie (whether the flashback bits or the 2nd World War era ones) then this may well be your Jam. Our lead character is Elinor who is trying to live quietly in the country but is haunted by the things she did as a special operative in both world wars. When a new family moves to her village she finds herself drawn back into violence as she tries to protect them. There are two strands to the narrative - the 1947 one and then a second one looking back at Elinor's life and how she came to be the woman she is. I very much enjoyed it and although I had worked some of the bits and bobs out, it was a very satisfying read. I hope it's the first in a series, although I'm not quite sure how you can create more plots around Elinor at this point. I'd definitely read them though!

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
I am somewhat embarrassed to admit this is the first book I have read by this Author but based on this excellent book it certainly won't be the last.
Absolute quality from start to finish superb characterisation throughout especially our clever fearless delightful engaging heroine. Atmospheric descriptive intelligent story telling with a real feel for time and place. Historical fiction at its very best, spanning two world wars there is plenty of action and suspense.
Completely and utterly recommended.

I’ve long been a fan of the Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear so was really pleased to get the chance to read this new standalone by Jacqueline Winspear.

This is set just after the Second World War and we are introduced to Elinor White who lives a solitary life who becomes involved in trying to protect a young family who are threatened by the husband’s hoodlum family.

As the story develops we learn more about Elinor’s past and her involvement in both world wars even though she was only a child during the first one, and we also find out about a trauma that is affecting her, even in 1947.

I felt this book took a long time to get going and for me to feel fully involved in it but once it did I really enjoyed this story about an impressive woman and her actions during both the wars. I actually enjoyed the sections about her past more than the 1947 strand. There were certainly some great characters we met along the way as well as some not so great characters.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and am happy to recommend the book, although I did feel the end to the initial story from 1947 felt a bit too easy, but it did reveal more about Elinor’s life. Whilst good it didn’t feel it was in the same league as the excellent Maisie Dobbs books. I also felt it was left open to produce a sequel to the book or even possibly a series and I would be happy to read more.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher an author for a review copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Set in 1947, with flashbacks to the two world wars , this is the story of Elinor White, first recruited to help the resistance in Belgium as a young girl in 1916. She now lives quietly in the country, trying to forget her harrowing past; that is, until the young family living next to her catches her attention. For reasons that become clear, she becomes very attached to their young daughter, which leads her to abandon her quiet life to help the family. She reconnects with old friends and becomes involved in the criminal world.
I love how Jacqueline Winspear uses the language of the time; turns of phrase that match the period she’s writing about. I also really love all the fascinating facts she incorporates into her books. In The White Lady we learn a lot about place names and the River Thames, for example. There’s also interesting commentary on the English language woven into the story.
While Elinor remains a little distant, she is a strong, heroic character, and I came to love Jim, Rose and Susie Mackie. This book is also a real celebration of women – both those that played major roles during the wars, and those that prove themselves in the criminal world!
I hadn’t read this author for many years, and really enjoyed this opportunity.

*Many thanks to Jacqueline Winspear, Allison & Busby, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I am new to the Author and I am happy to have discovered her. Being a fan of strong women and period well described, the book ticked many boxes for me. The novel begins after WW2, during the times of austerity in Great Britain and we follow more than Elinor's present life, the story unfolds giving us information on her past, going back over two decades. The plot is interesting and the books reads smoothly. I hope to read more by Ms Winspear.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this book.

I was already a fan of Jacqueline Winspear, and this book doesn't disappoint. Elinor White is a great heroine - complex, damaged, but strong and compassionate.

The time frame switches between WWI, WWII and Elinor's post-war present. We first meet her as the reserved neighbour of a young couple who have escaped from London to the countryside, and gradually learn about her past as a schoolgirl in occupied Belgium in WWI, and as an underground resistance worker in WWII.

Winspear is good at strong women, and good at trauma. Elinor is burdened by her past, and struggles to come to terms with her own actions. She has a great guilt over one particular event that is gradually revealed. Along the way we meet other strong women getting by in a man's world - the enigmatic Isabelle, loyal Sophie, Miss Doncaster (who I particularly enjoyed), smart Val, and Elsie, the under-estimated younger sister in a powerful family. All of them utterly believable.

It's a very enjoyable read, there's plenty of risk and an unpicking of mystery. and Elinor is a great person to spend time with.

I am a fan of Jacqueline Winspear her Marie Dobbs series is a favorite.!This stand alone thriller was a page turner for me enjoyed from first to last page.#netgalley #thewhitelady.

I recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series - it's a hugely readable mystery novel that spans the First and Second World Wars, the SOE, and has a very sympathetic main character in Elinor White, the White Lady of the title. The period detail is great and its so well written.

It wasn't love at first page but this story kept me turning pages as I wanted to learn more about the White Lady and what was going to happen to Rosie and her small family.
The author did an excellent job in delivering a page turner with an interesting description of post WWII England, the world of crime families, and how Elinor became a sniper, a killer, and a spy
An intriguing main character, a solid and gripping plot, a vivid historical background.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Rose and Jim Mackie and their 3 year old daughter Susie have recently left London and Jim's family to come to Shacklehurst to be away from family and in the country. When they arrive, the woman in the tea shop gives them a room for the night and tells them that a local farmer is looking for someone to work for him. The farmer gives Jim the job and provides them with a cottage to live in. Eleanor White lives in a Grace-and-Favour house nearby. When she sees a car at the Mackie's and Rose and Susie outside Elinor worries about Susie, and follows Jim's brothers to London.

The story takes us back in time to 1916 and 1917 during WWI when Elinor lives in Belgium, her father has left to join the army, and Isabelle trains Elinor and her sister Cecily to blow up German trains and to shoot a gun. When the girls and their mother finally get to London to be with their grandparents. During WWII, Elinor trains again with SOE and goes to Belgium as a spy.

Now, retired in post WWII, Isabel again begins spying on the Mackie crime family in order to save Susie, Rose, and Jim. The book is very exciting in several places, and Elinor actually learns something about her past from the crime family.

Jacqueline Winspear has come up with a wonderful new character!

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel about Elinor White, a woman who was called on to help her country twice in both world wars and who is now living in a rural cottage after WW2 has ended but while rationing is still going on. She is concerned when her neighbours seem to be in danger from a London crime family and is determined to help.

The story is well told with frequent flashbacks to Elinor's service and the reader learns how her character was moulded and the reasons for her actions. A satisfying read and very interesting from a historical point of view.

I am a huge fan of this author and have read every title in her Maisie Dobbs series. Here she has written a standalone about Elinor White, a character who has had a life of loss, service, action and contemplation.

Winspear’s authorial voice comes through and felt very familiar to me from having read her other works. That said, it took a little while for me to become fully immersed in this title. Once that happened, however, I loved the book and rate it most highly (as does Publishers Weekly which gave this one a starred review.)

The novel covers a wide time period; it starts before WWI and extends to the post WWII period. As the book opens, young Linni lives with her parents and sister in Belgium. The war brings enormous changes to the family. Linni and her sister become saboteurs and they and their mother must subsequently leave the country quickly.

The book then moves to England and follows Linni’s life there. She has many experiences before being recruited to the SOE in WWII. In the post war period, for complex reasons, our protagonist becomes involved in trying to extricate a couple and their daughter from the clutch of their criminal family. Throughout the book, the time moves back and forth as readers experience Linni’s actions and feelings about the things that she has done.

Readers will be interested to see how Linni fares in each of her tasks and time frames. They will also enjoy getting to know the many characters in this story, some of whom, they really should keep an eye on.

All in all, I highly recommend this novel. Bravo Ms. Winspear.

Many thanks to Allison & Busby for this title. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. It isn’t part of the Maisie Donna series that I do read and enjoy. It’s a stand alone book and absolutely great. I loved the story and it was absolutely so well written. If you read one book this year read this!

The best book that I've read this year. Once started I couldn't put it down until the wee small hours. I wouldn't read this on a bus or train as I would likely miss my stop or station! I have read most of this authors books with great enjoyment but with this one her writing has jumped up several levels. The story traces the life of the protagonist, Elinor White, over many years and keeps going back and forward as the story progresses/ Usually, I hate novels that employ time slips but it is so expertly done that it didn't bother me this time.

1947. Elinor White, known locally as 'the White lady', is living a solitary, quiet life in a grace-and-favour cottage in the Kent countryside. Unbeknownst to her neighbours, she is the veteran of two world wars, a trained killer and former intelligence agent.

Yet Elinor's private and seemingly tranquil existence conceals a past trauma that comes to the fore when she is drawn into the predicament of a local man entangled with one of the most dangerous crime families in London.

A treacherous path lies ahead, but it may be one that ultimately leads Elinor to a future unshackled from her own painful history..
An absolutely astonishingly good book to read and I recommend it most strongly

Set in 1947, this stand alone novel features Elinor White, a former teacher and SOE during the second world war. Elinor becomes involved with her neighbours who are being threatened and bullied by other members of their family. The story is told through alternating chapters of the present and Elinor's past, slowly revealing details of Elinor's role as an intelligence worker during the war.
The story was a quick read and quite entertaining but it did seem to lack something. The storyline concerning the Mackie family was rather disjointed for most of the book until the ending where it all conveniently came together.
This book wasn't as good as the Maisie Dobbs series but it was a reasonable read.

A classic noir thriller, worthy of anything the Golden Age produced.

It's 1947 and Elinor White lives a quiet life in a cottage in the Kent countryside. She rarely speaks to anyone and keeps herself to herself, but when out walking, she overhears an argument at the house of a young couple, and spies a pair of rough-looking gangsters outside. Despite appearances, it soon turns out that "The White Lady" of the village knows a lot more about her neighbours than seems proper.

And so the reader is drawn into a dark and dangerous tale of war, torment, family and honour. Elinor is soon immersed in the goings-on of a London-based family - a mafia that that established power over many people, including their own. Along the way, through flashbacks, we learn how a young Elinor was involved in fighting in both the first and second wold wars, and learned many skills which now help her in her quest for justice.

Not part of the Maisie Dobbs series, this is a stand-alone novel, although it features themes from a couple of the author's previous novels. The detail is superb - the occupation during WW1 and WW2, the SOE training and operations, and the problems society faced in the aftermath. Elinor herself is a tortured soul, and she meets others along the way. There are friends and colleagues who may or may not be what they seem, all struggling with past events. The prose is crisp, the descriptions are clear, and the atmosphere nicely in tune with the times.

I was lucky to score a Netgalley ARC, which I thoroughly enjoyed this and can heartily recommend it. The book also features a lovely cover, so I'll be first in the queue for a proper copy when it's released.