A milestone in historical mystery fiction as Maisie Dobbs takes her final bow! The Comfort of Ghosts completes Jacqueline Winspear’s ground-breaking and internationally bestselling series. “An outstanding historical series.”— The New York Times “Winspear is a brilliant writer, mixing the history and the mystery with the psychology of criminals and victims .”—The Historical Novel Society Psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs unravels a profound mystery from her past in a war-torn nation grappling with its future. London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion—the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and Investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group. Maisie’s quest to bring comfort to the youngsters and the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie’s first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental fighter aircraft. As Maisie unravels the threads of her dead husband’s life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true. The award-winning Maisie Dobbs series has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers, readers drawn to a woman who is of her time, yet familiar in ours—and who inspires with her resilience and capacity for endurance. This final assignment of her own choosing not only opens a new future for Maisie and her family, but serves as a  fascinating portrayal of the challenges facing the people of Britain at the close of the Second World War. Praise for The Comfort of Ghosts Winner of the Sue Grafton Memorial Award A New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller An American Bookseller Association Indie Bestseller The Washington Post 10 Best Works of Historical Fiction in 2024 An Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far The Boston Globe Best Books of Summer BookBub’s Best Historical Fiction of Summer 2024 “Winspear gives Maisie the grace to face her pain, and wraps up the series with a deft touch. Like many readers, I will dearly miss the voice of Maisie Dobbs.” —Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review “As wise as Poirot, as intuitive as Miss Marple, as sharp as Vera Stanhope, Maisie impressed and endeared millions of readers with her case-cracking abilities, compassion and pluck.” —Amy Stewart, The Washington Post “A deeply satisfying coda to the series and a fitting tribute to Winspear’s contribution in putting a female lens on the damage wrought by war on individuals, their families and society at large.” —Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times “An achievement. The overarching subject of the Dobbs books is the extended half-life of trauma—specifically, the trauma of World War I. In The Comfort of Ghosts , the end of World War II not only reopens wounds for Maisie and her loyal sidekick, Billy Beale, but reminds readers that damage is inflicted afresh on every new generation called up to fight.” —Maureen Corrigan, Wall Street Journal “Throughout the years, psychologist-investigator Maisie Dobbs has taken readers through the postwar battlefields of World War I France to the end of World War II, uncovering heartbreaking pasts and curious motives while allowing readers to grow older with Maisie and the series’ beloved cast of characters. This final novel in the 18-book collection wraps up the series in a satisfying bow but doesn’t skimp on the sentiment. Long-standing fans would be wise to read with tissues.” — The Seattle Times “The series unfailingly illuminates gender and social issues along the way, this one portraying problems arising from the housing shortage in 1940s England, the result of the destructive German bombing.” — The Denver Post “Wonderful . . . A satisfying conclusion.” — The Boston Globe “Transcends the merely memorable, it soars with class and courage, heart and humanity.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch “Winspear delivers a most elegant and satisfying resolution . . . It’s a privilege to experience life with Winspear’s determined and maximally resilient woman protagonist.” — Booklist , Starred Review “An emotional and satisfying conclusion to a long running and beloved series.” — Library Journal, Starred Review “A fitting finale to a marvelously entertaining series full of finely drawn characters often scarred by the horrors of war.” — Kirkus Reviews “Saying goodbye to a series you have loved and followed faithfully for 21 years with intelligent, empathetic, realistic characters who have become cherished friends makes for a bittersweet moment. However, poignancy is tempered by the consolation that this final book is a sublime, far-reaching tapestry providing a perfect upbeat ending.” —BookTrib “A fitting, heartwarming conclusion to a beloved series.” — Publ