"The Comfort of Ghosts" | Reviewed by Susan Ferguson

“The Comfort of Ghosts,” by Jacqueline Winspear, is a historical fiction novel, the final book in the Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series. Maisie is a psychologist and investigator in London who has spent her adult life unraveling mysteries.

This time around Maisie is unscrambling a mystery from her past in worn-torn England. It is 1945, and four adolescent orphans are living in a vacant Belgravia mansion, in London. It was common in England, during the war, for displaced people to squat in homes abandoned by the owners who fled due to the bombings.

A demobilized British soldier also shelters in the mansion. He is sick and suffering from PTSD. The owners, Lord and Lady Compton, have asked Maisie to check on the mansion. Maisie was married to the Compton’s son, who died flying an experimental aircraft. Maisie soon learns that Lord Compton set the orphans up in the London mansion prior to his recent death.

Maisie also learns that the orphans had witnessed a murder and are frightened. She recognizes the soldier, Will Beale, a local boy. Maisie investigates the murder the orphans witnessed while providing a safe haven for them. She sets Beale up with Dr. Dene who has helped many soldiers assimilate back in society.

While conducting her investigations, Maisie is faced with ghosts from her past. “The Comfort of Ghosts” raises questions about how things will end for Maisie. She wants to move forward in life with her new husband. I was happy with the conclusion, which provided a smooth transition for Maisie, a character I’ve enjoyed getting to know.  

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