Overview

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.

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9781641296069

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Reviews

Praise for The Comfort of Ghosts “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 Praise for the Maisie Dobbs series “The wartime details . . . transport us with ease to a milieu where danger is omnipresent but—thanks to the presence of steadfast figures like Dobbs and her like-spirited colleagues—so is hope.” —The Wall Street Journal “Taut, tense, beautifully written . . . What you may not expect is the inventiveness of Winspear’s twists, the on-edge excitement they provoke, or the philosophical issues and psychological depths they all allow her to explore.” —USA Today “A detective series to savor.” —Time “For readers yearning for the calm and insightful intelligence of a main character like P.D. James’s Cordelia Gray, Maisie Dobbs is spot on.” —Boston Globe “Over sixteen novels spanning three decades, Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs has lived. In real life, her quiet bravery, compassion and dogged pursuit of the truth would have made her one of the Greatest Generation, a lesson in survival under the grimmest circumstances. The lessons are hard-won in The Consequences of Fear, set in the fall of 1941 but no less relevant today . . . Fans and newcomers to the series will root for Dobbs and the other well-drawn characters.” —Los Angeles Times “[Catches] the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman.” —Chicago Tribune “Winspear’s protagonist is indomitable and vulnerable, brilliant and kind.” —Chelsea Clinton in Entertainment Weekly “Maisie Dobbs is a revelation.” —Alexander McCall Smith “To remain connected to life’s possibilities, one’s mind must be open to change. It’s a concept that Winspear expresses with grace and generosity.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “A fascinating picture of life in England at the dawn of war . . . Resourceful Maisie remains an endearingly complex character.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Outstanding . . . Maisie and her loving family of supporting characters continue to evolve and grow in ways sure to win readers’ hearts. Winspear is writing at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “Fast-paced . . . Winspear never sugarcoats the horrors of war, and alongside the camaraderie shown by these characters and the Londoners surrounding them deliver terrible truths that must be endured . . . also recommend it as a less-weighty read-alike for Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” —Booklist, Starred Review

Praise for The Comfort of Ghosts A New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller An American Bookseller Association Indie Bestseller 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 “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 “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.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for the Maisie Dobbs series “The wartime details . . . transport us with ease to a milieu where danger is omnipresent but—thanks to the presence of steadfast figures like Dobbs and her like-spirited colleagues—so is hope.” —The Wall Street Journal “Taut, tense, beautifully written . . . What you may not expect is the inventiveness of Winspear’s twists, the on-edge excitement they provoke, or the philosophical issues and psychological depths they all allow her to explore.” —USA Today “A detective series to savor.” —Time “For readers yearning for the calm and insightful intelligence of a main character like P.D. James’s Cordelia Gray, Maisie Dobbs is spot on.” —Boston Globe “Over sixteen novels spanning three decades, Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs has lived. In real life, her quiet bravery, compassion and dogged pursuit of the truth would have made her one of the Greatest Generation, a lesson in survival under the grimmest circumstances. The lessons are hard-won in The Consequences of Fear, set in the fall of 1941 but no less relevant today . . . Fans and newcomers to the series will root for Dobbs and the other well-drawn characters.” —Los Angeles Times “[Catches] the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman.” —Chicago Tribune “Winspear’s protagonist is indomitable and vulnerable, brilliant and kind.” —Chelsea Clinton in Entertainment Weekly “Maisie Dobbs is a revelation.” —Alexander McCall Smith “To remain connected to life’s possibilities, one’s mind must be open to change. It’s a concept that Winspear expresses with grace and generosity.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “A fascinating picture of life in England at the dawn of war . . . Resourceful Maisie remains an endearingly complex character.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Outstanding . . . Maisie and her loving family of supporting characters continue to evolve and grow in ways sure to win readers’ hearts. Winspear is writing at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “Fast-paced . . . Winspear never sugarcoats the horrors of war, and alongside the camaraderie shown by these characters and the Londoners surrounding them deliver terrible truths that must be endured . . . also recommend it as a less-weighty read-alike for Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” —Booklist, Starred Review

Praise for The Comfort of Ghosts A New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller An American Bookseller Association Indie Bestseller 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 “Wonderful . . . A satisfying conclusion.” —The Boston Globe “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 “A fitting finale to a marvelously entertaining series full of finely drawn characters often scarred by the horrors of war.” —Kirkus Reviews “A fitting, heartwarming conclusion to a beloved series.” —Publishers Weekly Praise for the Maisie Dobbs series “The wartime details . . . transport us with ease to a milieu where danger is omnipresent but—thanks to the presence of steadfast figures like Dobbs and her like-spirited colleagues—so is hope.” —The Wall Street Journal “Taut, tense, beautifully written . . . What you may not expect is the inventiveness of Winspear’s twists, the on-edge excitement they provoke, or the philosophical issues and psychological depths they all allow her to explore.” —USA Today “A detective series to savor.” —Time “For readers yearning for the calm and insightful intelligence of a main character like P.D. James’s Cordelia Gray, Maisie Dobbs is spot on.” —Boston Globe “Over sixteen novels spanning three decades, Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs has lived. In real life, her quiet bravery, compassion and dogged pursuit of the truth would have made her one of the Greatest Generation, a lesson in survival under the grimmest circumstances. The lessons are hard-won in The Consequences of Fear, set in the fall of 1941 but no less relevant today . . . Fans and newcomers to the series will root for Dobbs and the other well-drawn characters.” —Los Angeles Times “[Catches] the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman.” —Chicago Tribune “Winspear’s protagonist is indomitable and vulnerable, brilliant and kind.” —Chelsea Clinton in Entertainment Weekly “Maisie Dobbs is a revelation.” —Alexander McCall Smith “To remain connected to life’s possibilities, one’s mind must be open to change. It’s a concept that Winspear expresses with grace and generosity.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “A fascinating picture of life in England at the dawn of war . . . Resourceful Maisie remains an endearingly complex character.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Outstanding . . . Maisie and her loving family of supporting characters continue to evolve and grow in ways sure to win readers’ hearts. Winspear is writing at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “Fast-paced . . . Winspear never sugarcoats the horrors of war, and alongside the camaraderie shown by these characters and the Londoners surrounding them deliver terrible truths that must be endured . . . also recommend it as a less-weighty read-alike for Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” —Booklist, Starred Review

Praise for the Maisie Dobbs series “The wartime details . . . transport us with ease to a milieu where danger is omnipresent but—thanks to the presence of steadfast figures like Dobbs and her like-spirited colleagues—so is hope.” —The Wall Street Journal “Taut, tense, beautifully written . . . What you may not expect is the inventiveness of Winspear’s twists, the on-edge excitement they provoke, or the philosophical issues and psychological depths they all allow her to explore.” —USA Today “A detective series to savor.” —Time “For readers yearning for the calm and insightful intelligence of a main character like P.D. James’s Cordelia Gray, Maisie Dobbs is spot on.” —Boston Globe “Over sixteen novels spanning three decades, Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs has lived. In real life, her quiet bravery, compassion and dogged pursuit of the truth would have made her one of the Greatest Generation, a lesson in survival under the grimmest circumstances. The lessons are hard-won in The Consequences of Fear, set in the fall of 1941 but no less relevant today . . . Fans and newcomers to the series will root for Dobbs and the other well-drawn characters.” —Los Angeles Times “Winspear’s protagonist is indomitable and vulnerable, brilliant and kind.” —Chelsea Clinton in Entertainment Weekly “Maisie Dobbs is a revelation.” —Alexander McCall Smith “A novel that appeals equally to the intellect and the emotions, To Die But Once advances Maisie’s engaging story and reaffirms Winspear’s eminence in her field . . . [A] radiant series.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “A fascinating picture of life in England at the dawn of war . . . Resourceful Maisie remains an endearingly complex character.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Outstanding . . . Maisie and her loving family of supporting characters continue to evolve and grow in ways sure to win readers’ hearts. Winspear is writing at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “Fast-paced . . . Winspear never sugarcoats the horrors of war, and alongside the camaraderie shown by these characters and the Londoners surrounding them deliver terrible truths that must be endured . . . also recommend it as a less-weighty read-alike for Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” —Booklist, Starred Review

Author Information

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of eighteen novels in the award-winning, New York Times, national and international bestselling series featuring psychologist-investigator Maisie Dobbs. In addition, Jacqueline’s 2023 nonseries novel, The White Lady, was a New York Times and national bestseller, and her 2014 WWI novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was again a New York Times and national bestseller, as well as a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Jacqueline has also published two nonfiction books, What Would Maisie Do? and an Edgar-nominated memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing.

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