The Comfort of Ghosts: Maisie Dobbs, Book 18

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 5,750 ratings

Price: 18.8

Last update: 10-04-2024


About this item

A MILESTONE IN HISTORICAL MYSTERY FICTION AS MAISIE DOBBS TAKES HER FINAL BOW

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, audiences 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.


Top reviews from the United States

Diana H. Maine
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Title - Excellent Series
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
The Comfort of Ghosts is written by Jacqueline Winspear. The title is Book #18 of the Maisie Dobbs series.
Ms. Winspear has stated that this is to be the final book, the conclusion of this brilliant, beloved story of Maisie Dobbs.
I can’t say enough about the series. Recommended to me by close friends, I have read every title and Maisie Dobbs has become an indelible part of me.
Nurse. Ambulance driver. Psychologist. Investigator. Teacher. Friend.
The admiration for this series has been expressed by many.
A brilliantly written series “full of finely drawn characters scarred y the horrors of war.”
“Taut, tense, beautifully written.”
“A fascinating picture of life in England.”
“an outstanding historical series.”
“Ms. Winspear is a brilliant writer, mixing the history and the mystery with the psychology of criminals and victims.”

I am sorry that this is the last book, but a bit of Maisie Dobbs will always be with me.
*****
Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars what a saga
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2024
I have enjoyed every Maisie Dobbs story. Every book, every mystery, every love story, every word. Some were terribly hard with various wars and betrayals. And here, the final installment they all come together. An interesting mystery, a wonderful love story (several actually) and several twists in the tale. An important message to never look back. To keep your eyes on the horizon, to follow your dreams and to build a future. Would that we all do so. All of their personal struggles and all of our personal doubts can make tomorrow worth living. Interesting to read this after Oppenheimer movie was out this summer. Also after reading Winspears bio last year. Foreshadowing and hindsight. The death of my father made this poignant with both the war and the life lived. As with all Winspears novels, there is much for everyone. I am very sorry to see the last of Maisie, but grateful to have followed her story and her lessons. Winspear is a fantastic writer with a great heart.
Mimi50***
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2024
I loved most everything about this book. It was a fitting end to a great series, which I'm sorry to see come to an end. I just have one quibble with it. In "A Dangerous Place", Maisie's stillborn child is referred to as a girl. However, in this final book, the child is described as a "stillborn son". I've seen no other reviews that mention this, but it is a flaw in the story.
Victoria Hamal Faust
5.0 out of 5 stars Conclusion of Maisie Dobbs
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2024
Loved the book. Have read all the books in the series. Book is very well written and story is interesting. It pulls the series together but you don’t have to have read the whole series to enjoy this book on its own. Became attached to the characters and will miss them.
David
5.0 out of 5 stars A very satisfying conclusion
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2024
I’ve greatly enjoyed these stories of Maisie Dobbs over the years. The characters were so well-drawn, and the writing flows so well. The ending of this last story was a satisfying final accounting to the series, although its being the last leaves me sad.
P. Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Maisie Dobbs’ Story
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2024
I’ve read every one of Ms. Winspear’s stories. And it’s been time well spent. Besides a beautiful writing style, Ms. Winspear writes about people and their lives, families, friends and others. You, as a reader, get to know them. Some you like. Others you don’t. But you can’t help but immerse yourself in the tale and the characters. Ms. Winspear tells her tales in a comfortable manner. I will miss her stories. And…, I will miss Maisie Dobbs.
Patto
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful winding up of the series
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024
For the fullest enjoyment of this novel, it’s best to have read all the books leading up to it (which I have). Jacqueline Winspear does her best to summarize the backstories for the benefit of first-time readers and forgetful readers. But there’s nothing like getting to know the characters thoroughly before encountering them here. So many good stories lead up to this richly told and heartwarming story.

Here Maisie makes peace with the sad events in her past and finds renewed contentment in her present circumstances. She protects the lives of four frightened young squatters — and brings healing and happiness to others.

This book paint a vivid picture of England just after the war when soldiers are coming home wounded and psychologically scarred — many of them to find that homes and family members have perished in the Blitz. So many homes were bombed that a huge population has become homeless.

Since it seems that this series must end, I’m hoping Winspear will give us another book about the White Lady.

Best Sellers in

 
 

Behind Closed Doors

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 168195
13.12
 
 

The Girls in the Garden: A Novel

4 4 out of 5 stars 8701
23.54
 
 

Unfinished Business

0 0 out of 5 stars 0
9.39
 
 

Camino Winds: Camino, Book 2

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 67996
19.69
 
 

Camino Island: A Novel

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 87787
19.69
 
 

Southern Man: A Novel

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 274
30.7
 
 

First Frost: A Walt Longmire Mystery, Book 20

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 4401
15.04
 
 

Solitude: Dimension Space, Book One

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1547
17.46