The Comfort of Ghosts

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.”
—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