As Lord Julian passes, Maisie knows there is unfinished business with his house in London. When she discovers young adult squatters on the run from the law in the London house, the mystery begins to unfold.

The eighteenth and final Maisie Dobbs is a beautiful end to the series. As Maisie Dobbs has an accounting after solving each mystery, so the final book is an accounting of the series. So many pieces are acknowledged and put to rest in a lovely way. From the beginning of the series there has been immense character growth in Maisie Dobbs, and Jacqueline Winspear gives her readers a befitting final story with our heroine.

A Comfort of Ghosts is Book 18 in the Maisie Dobbs series. I have read every one of the books in this series. Jacqueline Winspear has been a companion in my life since her first Maisie Dobbs book was published. A Comfort of Ghosts is the final novel in this series, which seems appropriate. The war is over, with no battles to fight, traitors to catch, spies to deceive. When I first met Maisie she was a child, and I loved her. I loved Maisie Dobbs so much I named one of our dogs after her. Our Maisie is an Airedale, a totally British dog, which is appropriate. This final Maisie Dobbs is not a stand alone novel. It has always been true that this series of 18 novels is best read chronologically.

Like all of the Maisie Dobbs books, A Comfort of Ghosts is a mystery. There is a murder to solve, which happens at about 65% of the novel, which means there is a lot of novel to finish. Winspear uses the last 35% to say goodbye to this character. Past characters reappear and new characters are introduced. Current and past mysteries are solved. I was surprised to learn some new information about the war and the efforts to prepare for a Nazi invasion, the specifics of which was new information to me.

The Prologue is a bit confusing, but I trusted Winspear to make everything clear eventually, which she did. I did enjoy A Comfort of Ghosts. This finally Maisie Dobbs novel did what it was supposed to do. We know that Maisie will be okay, as will all of the rest of the characters who have known for so long.

Thank you to the author, publisher Soho Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. Maisie fans will be thrilled to read this next and last installment. 4.5/5

In the Comfort of Ghosts

4.75

How do you say goodbye to an old friend? There is no good way to finish our journey with Maisie Dobbs. This final chapter started with a bizarre scenario in prologue that made me wonder what I was in for, but soon I was reminded about how good and complex and vivid and interesting and emotional the previous 17 books have been.

There is plenty of room for goodbyes and all of the cast of characters, more or less, are there, but we still get an intriguing mystery to ponder. This book, like the gap since Maisie‘s last adventure, starts in late 1945 after the war has come to a close… at least on paper. At first I was disappointed with that since the Americans had just joined the war in the last book and the war was very far from over. This is a big leap forward in time, but there are so many things from the war lingering and so much suffering that it’s a little hard to distinguish between wartime and peacetime sometimes. The bombs may not be falling but the people are starving and homeless and, despite many big ideas, some that will shape the future of Britain for the decades to come, Britain cannot really afford the improvements. Families are formed by shared experiences or proximity for orphans of all ages.

The primary mystery deals with a part of history not revealed publicly and I am a little disappointed that, at least in my advance copy of this book, there wasn’t an authors note telling me all of the things that were real and truly happened and which were told with some creative license. Knowing the authors diligent research, I can only assume that the civilian armies, including young kids who were predominantly orphans, really were formed as sleeper agents to thwart the Nazis when they inevitably invaded Britain on land. Though, at least in the book, the proof of the program was swept under the rug at the end of the war, I assume that some proof did remain. I’ll have to look into it, though I generally prefer not to have to fact check books unless I really want to learn more about a subject. I always appreciate the authors clarifications in historic fiction or whenever the book centers around some event or condition that shapes the entire plot.

In this case, there really were Nazis on British soil and four former sleeper agents, who are also only young teenagers, are frightened and on the run and only Maisie will ensure that no stone is left unturned to help them. It’s a very interesting storyline that really brings in some old friends and places.

I was caught off guard when the predominant mystery was more or less solved less than 2/3 through the book. Slight spoiler****I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the solution to the main mystery and if it was any regular Massie Dobbs book, I would have been, well… Actually, if it was at 65%, I would have thought it was a red herring and the answer was still out there. End slight spoiler**** I thought maybe the rest was just a way to spend time with all of Maisie‘s friends and family and find out how great things turned out.

Not so fast! Another mystery, a very personal one, popped up and really extends to the final moment. However, we are still constantly being reminded of characters and places that had otherwise been long forgotten.

Though there is generally some reminding of past circumstances, make no mistake, this book is not for a first read of the Maisie Dobbs, and I mean that more so than my usual aversion to reading books out of order. Do yourself a favor and start from the beginning. The stories and reminders almost made me want to reread the series because things happened throughout her journey and all formed the woman we leave at the end of the book. It’s sad to know that Maisie is put to rest, not literally, but, especially after being reminded of how good the stories can be, I’m grateful for the 18 installments that cover nearly 40 years of the life of the dynamic and amazing woman who was given a chance that shaped her entire life and made other lives better for it. Fortunately, Jaqueline Winspear did a much more eloquent job of saying farewell than I did. I would never be happy with any ending, but this one does a pretty good job of it.

Goodbye Maisie!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Soho Press for an early copy of The Comfort of Ghosts

I have followed the life and career of Maisie Dobbs since Jacqueline Winspear first appeared at the midwestern bookstore with her first entry. Through 18 novels readers have experienced the intimate life of a woman born into a certain life, rising to new challenges and ultimately achieving success though at times at great cost. Through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, the tragic injury of a first love and the horrific death of her husband, Maisie triumphs in the small ways that matter. In this "finale", Maisie again gives aid where it is needed (in this case, four teenagers who had been trained to kill should the Germans invade Britain), grows closer to husband Mark Scott and adopted daughter Anna, and will uncover a secret from James Compton's past.

The Comfort of Ghosts satisfies in every aspect of plot, relationships and memories. The title is totally appropriate as Maisie confronts the past and welcomes it into her future. While fans such as myself hate to see the series conclude and will hold out for Winspear to one day return to Maisie Dobbs, we can return to the beginning, reread the series and recommend it to others.

What Would Maisie Do? Thank Jacqueline Winspear for a most endearing series.

Another interesting title from this author. I always learn something. I’m late to the series but I’ve found them captivating. My one quibble with this one is that I think the last few chapters could have been omitted. Life does not get wrapped up so easily (I’m hesitant to say more so I won’t give anything away). And while it wasn’t the strongest title in the series it was a welcome end to a very interesting and informative series.